Well, about 2 weeks later and lots of consternation, questions, half
baked theories, and speculation by contractors, city sewer department
workers, and neighborhood kibitzers, to say nothing of my friens at
alt.home.repair, here is the verdict.

Right after the sewer line was supposed to have been cleared, it was
backed up again. I decided to ditch my plumber and I called in Mr.
Rooter, a local franchise of a national? company that offers free TV
inspection. I watched the video imagery and saw the camera go through
a sea of sewage (just before lunch). But the truth is you can't
really see all that much if the sewer is backed up. They said they'd
jet it out so we could see more.
The hose got stuck, and they thought because of a break in the line
just outside the house. They said they would have dig, and an hour
later they had a back hoe out front and were digging, about 7 feet
down. What we found was not a break but a huge gap in the line, about
2 feet of pipe so rotted there was nothing, not even shards to be
found. What I had was a cess pool outside the house. The rain from
the roof had been pouring down into this corner of the house and
seeping back into the basement through the sewer line, which was full
of sand and sludge. They found all the cast iron pipe going into the
house was also corroded beyond hope.

What they are doing is a "trenchless" sewer line replacement where
they fill a liner with resin and force it through the line by air. It
is quite a system and will avoid having to dig up the entire front
yard. It comes with a 50 year guarantee and at 61, I can accept that.
The missing or corroded parts they will have to replace, and I don't
know the details there, but it will also be lined with the new resin
material.

They showed me how it worked and told me it was invented in Europe
where there is lots of old pipe.

Bottom line: it will cost me $6k. As my wife noted, there is no
choice. I'm spending much more than that on a marble balcony and
veranda on the back side of the house, which is going on
simultaneously. I will enjoy them much more than the new sewer line,
but in the scheme of things my money on the sewer is probably better
spent.

Thanks for all your advice and interest in this matter.

--Don

"DHD" wrote in message
They found all the cast iron pipe going into the
house was also corroded beyond hope.

What they are doing is a "trenchless" sewer line replacement where
they fill a liner with resin and force it through the line by air. It
is quite a system and will avoid having to dig up the entire front
yard. It comes with a 50 year guarantee and at 61, I can accept that.
The missing or corroded parts they will have to replace, and I don't
know the details there, but it will also be lined with the new resin
material.

Bottom line: it will cost me $6k.

Ouch, that sucks. I've heard of that system, but I've never seen it used.
The missing parts will have to be replaced to provide a path for the tube
they insert, I'd guess.

Hope it works out well in the end. Please let us know.

On Mar 15, 9:41 pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
"DHD" wrote in message
They found all the cast iron pipe going into the
house was also corroded beyond hope.

What they are doing is a "trenchless" sewer line replacement where
they fill a liner with resin and force it through the line by air. It
is quite a system and will avoid having to dig up the entire front
yard. It comes with a 50 year guarantee and at 61, I can accept that.
The missing or corroded parts they will have to replace, and I don't
know the details there, but it will also be lined with the new resin
material.
Bottom line: it will cost me $6k.

Ouch, that sucks. I've heard of that system, but I've never seen it used.
The missing parts will have to be replaced to provide a path for the tube
they insert, I'd guess.

Hope it works out well in the end. Please let us know.

Yes, the pipe that had been completely corroded had to be replaced,
and it served as a form for the new pipe, so that it is all one
continuous tube ... two actually because they "shot" one line from the
cleanout out to the city line and another in to the house. They added
a backflow valve on the inside. And for the $6k they also replaced a
flapper in my toilet. Everything is working well now. I believe sand
and sludge that had come in from the outside break had made the
downstairs toilet difficult to flush; it works well now.

The new technology has been around for some time, since the 70s I
believe. It was developed in Europe and brought to the US some time
ago. But most plumbers are still digging things up or patching broken
sewer lines I would guess. The Mr Rooter franchises seem to be taking
a lead in TV inspection and trenchless replacement.

--Don

"DHD" wrote in message

The new technology has been around for some time, since the 70s I
believe. It was developed in Europe and brought to the US some time
ago. But most plumbers are still digging things up or patching broken
sewer lines I would guess. The Mr Rooter franchises seem to be taking
a lead in TV inspection and trenchless replacement.

Not cheap, but a lot better than trenching.

As for the plumbers, tough call. Some are not interested in new technology
and/or don't have the funds to invest in equipment. Then there is the
customer. A plumber told me about a piece of equipment for defrosting
frozen pipes. Just clamp on a couple of leads and put the juice to it to
heat them. He said people are not willing to pay a fair price to cover his
cost of equipment, but don't mind paying even more when he tears up the
walls.

Hope both you and the pipe last the next 50 years. Congrats on the good
deal for the flapper!

DHD wrote:
Well, about 2 weeks later and lots of consternation, questions, half
baked theories, and speculation by contractors, city sewer department
workers, and neighborhood kibitzers, to say nothing of my friens at
alt.home.repair, here is the verdict.

Right after the sewer line was supposed to have been cleared, it was
backed up again. I decided to ditch my plumber and I called in Mr.
Rooter, a local franchise of a national? company that offers free TV
inspection. I watched the video imagery and saw the camera go through
a sea of sewage (just before lunch). But the truth is you can't
really see all that much if the sewer is backed up. They said they'd
jet it out so we could see more.
The hose got stuck, and they thought because of a break in the line
just outside the house. They said they would have dig, and an hour
later they had a back hoe out front and were digging, about 7 feet
down. What we found was not a break but a huge gap in the line, about
2 feet of pipe so rotted there was nothing, not even shards to be
found. What I had was a cess pool outside the house. The rain from
the roof had been pouring down into this corner of the house and
seeping back into the basement through the sewer line, which was full
of sand and sludge. They found all the cast iron pipe going into the
house was also corroded beyond hope.

What they are doing is a "trenchless" sewer line replacement where
they fill a liner with resin and force it through the line by air. It
is quite a system and will avoid having to dig up the entire front
yard. It comes with a 50 year guarantee and at 61, I can accept that.
The missing or corroded parts they will have to replace, and I don't
know the details there, but it will also be lined with the new resin
material.

They showed me how it worked and told me it was invented in Europe
where there is lots of old pipe.

Bottom line: it will cost me $6k. As my wife noted, there is no
choice. I'm spending much more than that on a marble balcony and
veranda on the back side of the house, which is going on
simultaneously. I will enjoy them much more than the new sewer line,
but in the scheme of things my money on the sewer is probably better
spent.

Thanks for all your advice and interest in this matter.

--Don

Hmmm,
Living in one place too long?
I never do, LOL!