lotr1978 wrote:

Hello

I have read the group under a search for slab plumbing problems and
found basically what I already knew. I would like to solicit some
addition advice from other unfortunates and/or experts.

I closed on a 2 year old house on July 15th, plumbinh problem was
immediate with a clogged downstairs toilet. This escalated in the
following manner: when doing wash, toilet fills with bubbles, when
doing wash, toilet gurgles, when doing wash toilet fills with bubbles
and tub fills with crap from drain (like sewage). All three are
downstairs and share a wall, meaning the back of the washing machine
sits against the wall that has the tub and toilet on the other side.

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has
previously diagnosed this problem as a problem with the way the fall
of the plumbing was set, basically the rear clean out has water
dripping out of it which should never happen.

I understand, if this plumber is correct, that they will have to cut
the floor, trench the slab, redo the plumbing, then redo all the
interior. The state plumbing inspector comes next week and another
plumbing contractoris coming monday to give a more firm diagnosis.

I have several questions:

1) Given what I have briefly described (sewage coming in through
drains, laking rear clean out) is there ANY hope that this is like a
beanie baby stuck in the front yard pipe that wasnt blown out by the
snaking?????

2) Assuming the plumbing is completely incorrect, what sort of costs
am I looking at here

3) Assuming the costs are what I think they are (15-20k) and that I
dont have it, cant use the toilets and owe 100k plus on the house, I
have seriously considered bankruptcy figuring I will NEVER be able to
sell a house with a slab that has been busted?

We are young, first home, and not to sound too melodramatic but
basically my familyis totaly crushed by this. We purchased a 2 year
old home to avoid this, 3 days ago we were in Home Depot shopping for
paint, now we want nothing to do with the place.

Any information would be most appreciated.

thanks

cms
we had an under concrete slab house where the pipe broke( drain pipe..0
the insurance company paid $4,000 homeowners insurance, and i had to
come up with $600..... that was to fix the drain.. it was though that a
broken pipe hanger let the pipe fall down... the insurance comp. told me
that they dont pay for the soil going down and the pipe breaking, but i
did not have any pipe hangers..... they still paid for the digging at
$115 per foot under the slab to find out if it was the broken pipe
hanger or not...... that might be your problem, broken drain pipe and
the drain is blocked by mud that is being sucked into the drain and the
crap and other stuff is going out the tub.. one way to find out is to
hire a video camera plumbing guy(for $200 he came and put the end of the
snake down the drain-with the camera head on it and then went inside the
house with what looked like a metal detector-it was a receiver for the
head of the camera and he followed the pipes layout and knew where the
diggers had to go under the house... he wrote up an estimate and later
the real plumber came out and did the work..................

You truly need to pursue the license of that seller/real estate broker. In
fact, you have a moral obligation to make sure he/she doesn't do this
again(imo). You should sue for all legal costs as well.
What about your insurance? Maybe they will go after the seller. Disclosure
is a big deal and a broker cannot just ignore it. This could be
justification for losing a license.

MH
"lotr1978" wrote in message
m...
Hello

I have read the group under a search for slab plumbing problems and
found basically what I already knew. I would like to solicit some
addition advice from other unfortunates and/or experts.

I closed on a 2 year old house on July 15th, plumbinh problem was
immediate with a clogged downstairs toilet. This escalated in the
following manner: when doing wash, toilet fills with bubbles, when
doing wash, toilet gurgles, when doing wash toilet fills with bubbles
and tub fills with crap from drain (like sewage). All three are
downstairs and share a wall, meaning the back of the washing machine
sits against the wall that has the tub and toilet on the other side.

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has
previously diagnosed this problem as a problem with the way the fall
of the plumbing was set, basically the rear clean out has water
dripping out of it which should never happen.

I understand, if this plumber is correct, that they will have to cut
the floor, trench the slab, redo the plumbing, then redo all the
interior. The state plumbing inspector comes next week and another
plumbing contractoris coming monday to give a more firm diagnosis.

I have several questions:

1) Given what I have briefly described (sewage coming in through
drains, laking rear clean out) is there ANY hope that this is like a
beanie baby stuck in the front yard pipe that wasnt blown out by the
snaking?????

2) Assuming the plumbing is completely incorrect, what sort of costs
am I looking at here

3) Assuming the costs are what I think they are (15-20k) and that I
dont have it, cant use the toilets and owe 100k plus on the house, I
have seriously considered bankruptcy figuring I will NEVER be able to
sell a house with a slab that has been busted?

We are young, first home, and not to sound too melodramatic but
basically my familyis totaly crushed by this. We purchased a 2 year
old home to avoid this, 3 days ago we were in Home Depot shopping for
paint, now we want nothing to do with the place.

Any information would be most appreciated.

thanks

cms

You truly need to pursue the license of that seller/real estate broker. In
fact, you have a moral obligation to make sure he/she doesn't do this
again(imo). You should sue for all legal costs as well.
What about your insurance? Maybe they will go after the seller. Disclosure
is a big deal and a broker cannot just ignore it. This could be
justification for losing a license.

MH
"lotr1978" wrote in message
m...
Hello

I have read the group under a search for slab plumbing problems and
found basically what I already knew. I would like to solicit some
addition advice from other unfortunates and/or experts.

I closed on a 2 year old house on July 15th, plumbinh problem was
immediate with a clogged downstairs toilet. This escalated in the
following manner: when doing wash, toilet fills with bubbles, when
doing wash, toilet gurgles, when doing wash toilet fills with bubbles
and tub fills with crap from drain (like sewage). All three are
downstairs and share a wall, meaning the back of the washing machine
sits against the wall that has the tub and toilet on the other side.

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has
previously diagnosed this problem as a problem with the way the fall
of the plumbing was set, basically the rear clean out has water
dripping out of it which should never happen.

I understand, if this plumber is correct, that they will have to cut
the floor, trench the slab, redo the plumbing, then redo all the
interior. The state plumbing inspector comes next week and another
plumbing contractoris coming monday to give a more firm diagnosis.

I have several questions:

1) Given what I have briefly described (sewage coming in through
drains, laking rear clean out) is there ANY hope that this is like a
beanie baby stuck in the front yard pipe that wasnt blown out by the
snaking?????

2) Assuming the plumbing is completely incorrect, what sort of costs
am I looking at here

3) Assuming the costs are what I think they are (15-20k) and that I
dont have it, cant use the toilets and owe 100k plus on the house, I
have seriously considered bankruptcy figuring I will NEVER be able to
sell a house with a slab that has been busted?

We are young, first home, and not to sound too melodramatic but
basically my familyis totaly crushed by this. We purchased a 2 year
old home to avoid this, 3 days ago we were in Home Depot shopping for
paint, now we want nothing to do with the place.

Any information would be most appreciated.

thanks

cms

Bad luck for the seller that you happened to use the same plumber. I would
go straight down to the attorney with the plumber, get an affidavit of his
experience of the property and its former owner, and then inform the seller
of your intention to recover from him./her. With that sort of evidence on
your side, he/she would be on weak ground, and would be well advised to
avoid any kind of legal or regulatory involvment.

Good luck, and think positive.

Mat
"lotr1978" wrote in message
m...
Hello

I have read the group under a search for slab plumbing problems and
found basically what I already knew. I would like to solicit some
addition advice from other unfortunates and/or experts.

I closed on a 2 year old house on July 15th, plumbinh problem was
immediate with a clogged downstairs toilet. This escalated in the
following manner: when doing wash, toilet fills with bubbles, when
doing wash, toilet gurgles, when doing wash toilet fills with bubbles
and tub fills with crap from drain (like sewage). All three are
downstairs and share a wall, meaning the back of the washing machine
sits against the wall that has the tub and toilet on the other side.

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has
previously diagnosed this problem as a problem with the way the fall
of the plumbing was set, basically the rear clean out has water
dripping out of it which should never happen.

I understand, if this plumber is correct, that they will have to cut
the floor, trench the slab, redo the plumbing, then redo all the
interior. The state plumbing inspector comes next week and another
plumbing contractoris coming monday to give a more firm diagnosis.

I have several questions:

1) Given what I have briefly described (sewage coming in through
drains, laking rear clean out) is there ANY hope that this is like a
beanie baby stuck in the front yard pipe that wasnt blown out by the
snaking?????

2) Assuming the plumbing is completely incorrect, what sort of costs
am I looking at here

3) Assuming the costs are what I think they are (15-20k) and that I
dont have it, cant use the toilets and owe 100k plus on the house, I
have seriously considered bankruptcy figuring I will NEVER be able to
sell a house with a slab that has been busted?

We are young, first home, and not to sound too melodramatic but
basically my familyis totaly crushed by this. We purchased a 2 year
old home to avoid this, 3 days ago we were in Home Depot shopping for
paint, now we want nothing to do with the place.

Any information would be most appreciated.

thanks

cms

Bad luck for the seller that you happened to use the same plumber. I would
go straight down to the attorney with the plumber, get an affidavit of his
experience of the property and its former owner, and then inform the seller
of your intention to recover from him./her. With that sort of evidence on
your side, he/she would be on weak ground, and would be well advised to
avoid any kind of legal or regulatory involvment.

Good luck, and think positive.

Mat
"lotr1978" wrote in message
m...
Hello

I have read the group under a search for slab plumbing problems and
found basically what I already knew. I would like to solicit some
addition advice from other unfortunates and/or experts.

I closed on a 2 year old house on July 15th, plumbinh problem was
immediate with a clogged downstairs toilet. This escalated in the
following manner: when doing wash, toilet fills with bubbles, when
doing wash, toilet gurgles, when doing wash toilet fills with bubbles
and tub fills with crap from drain (like sewage). All three are
downstairs and share a wall, meaning the back of the washing machine
sits against the wall that has the tub and toilet on the other side.

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has
previously diagnosed this problem as a problem with the way the fall
of the plumbing was set, basically the rear clean out has water
dripping out of it which should never happen.

I understand, if this plumber is correct, that they will have to cut
the floor, trench the slab, redo the plumbing, then redo all the
interior. The state plumbing inspector comes next week and another
plumbing contractoris coming monday to give a more firm diagnosis.

I have several questions:

1) Given what I have briefly described (sewage coming in through
drains, laking rear clean out) is there ANY hope that this is like a
beanie baby stuck in the front yard pipe that wasnt blown out by the
snaking?????

2) Assuming the plumbing is completely incorrect, what sort of costs
am I looking at here

3) Assuming the costs are what I think they are (15-20k) and that I
dont have it, cant use the toilets and owe 100k plus on the house, I
have seriously considered bankruptcy figuring I will NEVER be able to
sell a house with a slab that has been busted?

We are young, first home, and not to sound too melodramatic but
basically my familyis totaly crushed by this. We purchased a 2 year
old home to avoid this, 3 days ago we were in Home Depot shopping for
paint, now we want nothing to do with the place.

Any information would be most appreciated.

thanks

cms

On 26 Jul 2003 11:05:40 -0700, (lotr1978) wrote:

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has

Another thing- You say he's preparing to take the bar? Ha ha!!!

It might be difficult to disbar a lawyer for fraud, but it's probably
easier to prevent someone from being admitted to the bar if they have
ethics problems! It's more than just passing an exam. There are
character and fitness requirements.

X years of law school and $$$ down the drain! You've got him!

Woo-hoo! I like this angle.

Find yourself a lawyer who can explain it to him. But act fast and
make your lawyer act fast. If the seller refuses to cooperate you
have to have a case to present to the state bar ASAP.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

sue at interport dot net

On 26 Jul 2003 11:05:40 -0700, (lotr1978) wrote:

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has

Another thing- You say he's preparing to take the bar? Ha ha!!!

It might be difficult to disbar a lawyer for fraud, but it's probably
easier to prevent someone from being admitted to the bar if they have
ethics problems! It's more than just passing an exam. There are
character and fitness requirements.

X years of law school and $$$ down the drain! You've got him!

Woo-hoo! I like this angle.

Find yourself a lawyer who can explain it to him. But act fast and
make your lawyer act fast. If the seller refuses to cooperate you
have to have a case to present to the state bar ASAP.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

sue at interport dot net

so what is this a realtor problem

so what is this a realtor problem

On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 15:02:49 -0500 (CDT),
(Arra Movsesien) wrote:

so what is this a realtor problem


It's a seller vs. buyer problem. The seller just happens to be a real
estate broker.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

sue at interport dot net

On Sat, 26 Jul 2003 15:02:49 -0500 (CDT),
(Arra Movsesien) wrote:

so what is this a realtor problem


It's a seller vs. buyer problem. The seller just happens to be a real
estate broker.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

sue at interport dot net

Speedy Jim wrote in message ...
lotr1978 wrote:

Hello

I have read the group under a search for slab plumbing problems and
found basically what I already knew. I would like to solicit some
addition advice from other unfortunates and/or experts.

I closed on a 2 year old house on July 15th, plumbinh problem was
immediate with a clogged downstairs toilet. This escalated in the
following manner: when doing wash, toilet fills with bubbles, when
doing wash, toilet gurgles, when doing wash toilet fills with bubbles
and tub fills with crap from drain (like sewage). All three are
downstairs and share a wall, meaning the back of the washing machine
sits against the wall that has the tub and toilet on the other side.

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has
previously diagnosed this problem as a problem with the way the fall
of the plumbing was set, basically the rear clean out has water
dripping out of it which should never happen.

I understand, if this plumber is correct, that they will have to cut
the floor, trench the slab, redo the plumbing, then redo all the
interior. The state plumbing inspector comes next week and another
plumbing contractoris coming monday to give a more firm diagnosis.

I have several questions:

1) Given what I have briefly described (sewage coming in through
drains, laking rear clean out) is there ANY hope that this is like a
beanie baby stuck in the front yard pipe that wasnt blown out by the
snaking?????

2) Assuming the plumbing is completely incorrect, what sort of costs
am I looking at here

3) Assuming the costs are what I think they are (15-20k) and that I
dont have it, cant use the toilets and owe 100k plus on the house, I
have seriously considered bankruptcy figuring I will NEVER be able to
sell a house with a slab that has been busted?

We are young, first home, and not to sound too melodramatic but
basically my familyis totaly crushed by this. We purchased a 2 year
old home to avoid this, 3 days ago we were in Home Depot shopping for
paint, now we want nothing to do with the place.

Any information would be most appreciated.

thanks

cms

Yep. Sounds pretty bad. You could have the sewer videotaped;
it won't show elevation problems, but will prove/disprove blockages.

I would be *very* interested to hear the state inspector's story
about how the house passed original inspection!

If the sewer does have to be redone, is there any chance that
the line could be run *outside*, around the slab?

Hope you can get some resolution to this one...

Jim


Jim

My father suggested that approach as well. The first plumber said the
line may have a v to it inside the house, therefore, given my state's
apparent lack of plumbing regulations (there is 1 state plumber for
the entire state and the city I live in has NO building codes at all)
I dont see why we couldnt draw the line out the back of the house, put
in an elbow and drop a line around the side of the house to hook up
with the main line to the street?

Any ideas?

cms

Speedy Jim wrote in message ...
lotr1978 wrote:

Hello

I have read the group under a search for slab plumbing problems and
found basically what I already knew. I would like to solicit some
addition advice from other unfortunates and/or experts.

I closed on a 2 year old house on July 15th, plumbinh problem was
immediate with a clogged downstairs toilet. This escalated in the
following manner: when doing wash, toilet fills with bubbles, when
doing wash, toilet gurgles, when doing wash toilet fills with bubbles
and tub fills with crap from drain (like sewage). All three are
downstairs and share a wall, meaning the back of the washing machine
sits against the wall that has the tub and toilet on the other side.

I call the plumber, he snakes the clean out, pressure blows the crap
out (this didnt fix the problem BTW). The plumber tells me he was
here twice in the last year and told the previous owner he has serious
plumbing problems. I know their is significant disclosure issues here
and I have already seen an attorney (but reallythe legal system is a
joke- he said it would cost me 10k to take this to court if I am
lucky, the seller is a licensed real estate broker in the state AND is
preparing to take the bar exam). The plumber told me that he has
previously diagnosed this problem as a problem with the way the fall
of the plumbing was set, basically the rear clean out has water
dripping out of it which should never happen.

I understand, if this plumber is correct, that they will have to cut
the floor, trench the slab, redo the plumbing, then redo all the
interior. The state plumbing inspector comes next week and another
plumbing contractoris coming monday to give a more firm diagnosis.

I have several questions:

1) Given what I have briefly described (sewage coming in through
drains, laking rear clean out) is there ANY hope that this is like a
beanie baby stuck in the front yard pipe that wasnt blown out by the
snaking?????

2) Assuming the plumbing is completely incorrect, what sort of costs
am I looking at here

3) Assuming the costs are what I think they are (15-20k) and that I
dont have it, cant use the toilets and owe 100k plus on the house, I
have seriously considered bankruptcy figuring I will NEVER be able to
sell a house with a slab that has been busted?

We are young, first home, and not to sound too melodramatic but
basically my familyis totaly crushed by this. We purchased a 2 year
old home to avoid this, 3 days ago we were in Home Depot shopping for
paint, now we want nothing to do with the place.

Any information would be most appreciated.

thanks

cms

Yep. Sounds pretty bad. You could have the sewer videotaped;
it won't show elevation problems, but will prove/disprove blockages.

I would be *very* interested to hear the state inspector's story
about how the house passed original inspection!

If the sewer does have to be redone, is there any chance that
the line could be run *outside*, around the slab?

Hope you can get some resolution to this one...

Jim


Jim

My father suggested that approach as well. The first plumber said the
line may have a v to it inside the house, therefore, given my state's
apparent lack of plumbing regulations (there is 1 state plumber for
the entire state and the city I live in has NO building codes at all)
I dont see why we couldnt draw the line out the back of the house, put
in an elbow and drop a line around the side of the house to hook up
with the main line to the street?

Any ideas?

cms

"MSH" mnd@jaacom wrote in message ...
You truly need to pursue the license of that seller/real estate broker. In
fact, you have a moral obligation to make sure he/she doesn't do this
again(imo). You should sue for all legal costs as well.
What about your insurance? Maybe they will go after the seller. Disclosure
is a big deal and a broker cannot just ignore it. This could be
justification for losing a license.

MH


Believe me I am exhausting all routes. See the seller sort of just
started his own real estate company and I didnt realize he was really
the listing agent. I am pursuing his license and plan to have the
plumber who did the work provide statements as well as two diagnoses
of the problem (one from the state inspector and the other from the
only plumbing contractor in town it seems). Its totally crazy that
this guy got away with this. The lawyer told me 10-12k in court costs
is expected with no guarantee of a win, and if I do win, no guarantee
that the attorney's fees will be awarded. Even more disconcerting,
the licensed plumber told me he actually testified for someone
recently where the seller admitted in front of the plumber that he
knew the plumbing was incorrect and didnt disclose it. The judge threw
it out of court. This was disheartening to say the least.

cms

"MSH" mnd@jaacom wrote in message ...
You truly need to pursue the license of that seller/real estate broker. In
fact, you have a moral obligation to make sure he/she doesn't do this
again(imo). You should sue for all legal costs as well.
What about your insurance? Maybe they will go after the seller. Disclosure
is a big deal and a broker cannot just ignore it. This could be
justification for losing a license.

MH


Believe me I am exhausting all routes. See the seller sort of just
started his own real estate company and I didnt realize he was really
the listing agent. I am pursuing his license and plan to have the
plumber who did the work provide statements as well as two diagnoses
of the problem (one from the state inspector and the other from the
only plumbing contractor in town it seems). Its totally crazy that
this guy got away with this. The lawyer told me 10-12k in court costs
is expected with no guarantee of a win, and if I do win, no guarantee
that the attorney's fees will be awarded. Even more disconcerting,
the licensed plumber told me he actually testified for someone
recently where the seller admitted in front of the plumber that he
knew the plumbing was incorrect and didnt disclose it. The judge threw
it out of court. This was disheartening to say the least.

cms

lotr1978 wrote:

Speedy Jim wrote in message ...
SNIP details
If the sewer does have to be redone, is there any chance that
the line could be run *outside*, around the slab?

Hope you can get some resolution to this one...

Jim

Jim

My father suggested that approach as well. The first plumber said the
line may have a v to it inside the house, therefore, given my state's
apparent lack of plumbing regulations (there is 1 state plumber for
the entire state and the city I live in has NO building codes at all)
I dont see why we couldnt draw the line out the back of the house, put
in an elbow and drop a line around the side of the house to hook up
with the main line to the street?

Yes. If the layout of the rooms makes this an easier route,
check into it. The deciding factor may be the amount of "drop"
between the back of the house and the sewer in the street.
Include a cleanout fitting outside the house in the layout.

I agree with your plumber; a VEE or "belly" in the line will
cause backups with no apparent blockage.
Jim

lotr1978 wrote:

Speedy Jim wrote in message ...
SNIP details
If the sewer does have to be redone, is there any chance that
the line could be run *outside*, around the slab?

Hope you can get some resolution to this one...

Jim

Jim

My father suggested that approach as well. The first plumber said the
line may have a v to it inside the house, therefore, given my state's
apparent lack of plumbing regulations (there is 1 state plumber for
the entire state and the city I live in has NO building codes at all)
I dont see why we couldnt draw the line out the back of the house, put
in an elbow and drop a line around the side of the house to hook up
with the main line to the street?

Yes. If the layout of the rooms makes this an easier route,
check into it. The deciding factor may be the amount of "drop"
between the back of the house and the sewer in the street.
Include a cleanout fitting outside the house in the layout.

I agree with your plumber; a VEE or "belly" in the line will
cause backups with no apparent blockage.
Jim

YOU shoud have closed later im drunk then

YOU shoud have closed later im drunk then

(lotr1978) wrote:

Believe me I am exhausting all routes. See the seller sort of just
started his own real estate company and I didnt realize he was really
the listing agent. I am pursuing his license and plan to have the
plumber who did the work provide statements as well as two diagnoses
of the problem (one from the state inspector and the other from the
only plumbing contractor in town it seems). Its totally crazy that
this guy got away with this. The lawyer told me 10-12k in court costs
is expected with no guarantee of a win, and if I do win, no guarantee
that the attorney's fees will be awarded. Even more disconcerting,
the licensed plumber told me he actually testified for someone
recently where the seller admitted in front of the plumber that he
knew the plumbing was incorrect and didnt disclose it. The judge threw
it out of court. This was disheartening to say the least.

I think you need a different lawyer. I'd think this is starting to
border on criminal fraud. It's certainly no innocent failure to
disclose.

(lotr1978) wrote:

Believe me I am exhausting all routes. See the seller sort of just
started his own real estate company and I didnt realize he was really
the listing agent. I am pursuing his license and plan to have the
plumber who did the work provide statements as well as two diagnoses
of the problem (one from the state inspector and the other from the
only plumbing contractor in town it seems). Its totally crazy that
this guy got away with this. The lawyer told me 10-12k in court costs
is expected with no guarantee of a win, and if I do win, no guarantee
that the attorney's fees will be awarded. Even more disconcerting,
the licensed plumber told me he actually testified for someone
recently where the seller admitted in front of the plumber that he
knew the plumbing was incorrect and didnt disclose it. The judge threw
it out of court. This was disheartening to say the least.

I think you need a different lawyer. I'd think this is starting to
border on criminal fraud. It's certainly no innocent failure to
disclose.

Hello everyone

Thanks for all the advice given. I had one plumber come today and
clean the pipes and use the camera. He found what he called an
"ignorant angle" in the pipe and what looked to be a broken fitting.
There was a ton of gunk and stuff there and it was pretty clear that
water was getting held up in the pipe. He could tell there was some
sort of lip and what looked like concrete but it could have just as
easily been mud or gunk. Get this, this break was about one foot
inside the front wall of the house, damn. Bad luck/ good luck. Could
have been worse. He estimates a 2k repair which is less than the 3k
retainer for the lawyer.

BUT, I am not convinced the pipes are set correctly and he wasnt
either. The rear clean out is directly behind the sink, I turned the
sink on and the water came out the rear clean out, meaning it didnt
even get up to the clog yet. I have no clue how off the pipes are but
the plumber said I should still get the water out of the house even if
the fall of the line is not proper. If it is off, it isn't by much.
Not the best plumbing job, that's for sure. The plumber didnt really
even consider redoing all the plumbing an option. It just seemed too
monumental in his opinion. He indicated this break in the fitting and
corresponding buildup WAS the primary problem with the backups.

Several people have mentioned pumps to help the water and waste along.
I forgot to ask him about this but would such a pump be easy and cheap
enough to install as to totally correct this backflow problem??

Thanks again
Chris

Hello everyone

Thanks for all the advice given. I had one plumber come today and
clean the pipes and use the camera. He found what he called an
"ignorant angle" in the pipe and what looked to be a broken fitting.
There was a ton of gunk and stuff there and it was pretty clear that
water was getting held up in the pipe. He could tell there was some
sort of lip and what looked like concrete but it could have just as
easily been mud or gunk. Get this, this break was about one foot
inside the front wall of the house, damn. Bad luck/ good luck. Could
have been worse. He estimates a 2k repair which is less than the 3k
retainer for the lawyer.

BUT, I am not convinced the pipes are set correctly and he wasnt
either. The rear clean out is directly behind the sink, I turned the
sink on and the water came out the rear clean out, meaning it didnt
even get up to the clog yet. I have no clue how off the pipes are but
the plumber said I should still get the water out of the house even if
the fall of the line is not proper. If it is off, it isn't by much.
Not the best plumbing job, that's for sure. The plumber didnt really
even consider redoing all the plumbing an option. It just seemed too
monumental in his opinion. He indicated this break in the fitting and
corresponding buildup WAS the primary problem with the backups.

Several people have mentioned pumps to help the water and waste along.
I forgot to ask him about this but would such a pump be easy and cheap
enough to install as to totally correct this backflow problem??

Thanks again
Chris