Two plumbing issues in one day! OY!

C

CarolfromTX

Senior Member
Location
Central Texas
First we find out that our outside faucet has sprung a leak, probably due to frost. Then I start the laundry and when the washer starts to drain, the sewer line backs up into the bathroom. This happens every stinkin' year about this time. And Dave and I do this dance. He doesn't want to call a plumber so he uses drain cleaner, which works for a week or maybe two. Then it happens again. And again. And I finally throw a fit and call a plumber. And we're good for a year. Well, this year I avoided the fit and just called the plumber while Dave was at Home Depot getting a new faucet. And drain cleaner. Fait acompli. When he got back, I told him I called the plumber. He wasn't happy, but he'll get over it. And I got to finish the laundry. Our plumber, by the way, is the nicest man. He laid on my kitchen floor once for two hours and replumbed my gas line when I got a new stove. Never complained. He has helped me out many times. I never feel like I've been over-charged. and he returns my call in a very timely manner. He's a keeper. I recommend him every chance I get.
 

Oh, a good plumber is a treasure indeed. We used to live in a house that was built in 1923 and the original plumbing apparently was done by Rube Goldberg. It went up, it went down, it disappeared into thin air. It could handle two people just fine but come a party or a holiday or any other gathering that involved flushing the toilets frequently and it was Katie-bar-the-door. The bathtub was the lowest level of the plumbing and everything (and I do mean *everything*) would back up into the tub. It was disgusting, but it sure beat having the toilets run over. A lot easier to clean up. I always had three gallons of bleach on hand.

I had the plumber on speed dial and he'd come on Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter Sunday, you-name-it. He confided to me once that it gave him a credible reason to flee the house when his in-laws were there for the holidays.

We finally gave up and had the whole place replumbed. Boy, THAT was expensive!
 
One thing you can do is change your outside faucet to a "frost free" outdoor faucet. (same faucet, just an extension which screws in.) No plumber needed for that!
Another thing i a;ways do when the weather is extrememly cold is leave a tiny drip in all my indoor faucets overnight to prevent pipes from freezing. If you forget, and they DO FREEZE, thaw them slowly with a hair dryer.

Hope it won't be a really cold winter this year. Ithink we all need a little break!
 

CarolfromTX said:
First we find out that our outside faucet has sprung a leak, probably due to frost. Then I start the laundry and when the washer starts to drain, the sewer line backs up into the bathroom. This happens every stinkin' year about this time. And Dave and I do this dance. He doesn't want to call a plumber so he uses drain cleaner, which works for a week or maybe two. Then it happens again. And again. And I finally throw a fit and call a plumber. And we're good for a year. Well, this year I avoided the fit and just called the plumber while Dave was at Home Depot getting a new faucet. And drain cleaner. Fait acompli. When he got back, I told him I called the plumber. He wasn't happy, but he'll get over it. And I got to finish the laundry. Our plumber, by the way, is the nicest man. He laid on my kitchen floor once for two hours and replumbed my gas line when I got a new stove. Never complained. He has helped me out many times. I never feel like I've been over-charged. and he returns my call in a very timely manner. He's a keeper. I recommend him every chance I get.
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Sorry to hear about your plumbing problems. I hope the fix lasts longer than a year this time. We used to have the same problem but we had to get a new sewer clean out pipe because the old one had disintegrated. Then the city had to put in new pipe from that to the sewer because the tree out front of our house had taken out the sewer line. Thankfully we only had to pay for the clean out. The city is responsible for the pipe from the clean out to the main sewer line.
 
There ain't no emergency like a plumbing emergency! And the larger the house, the bigger the bill.
I re-piped my 67 year old house last year & had to replace all the drain pipes out to the street, which is 150 feet away and the supply line, plus 2 bad gas lines. Also 2 new sinks, 5 new faucets & 4 new toilets. And a shower remodel. Everything is perfect now.....after $96,000.00. :giggle:
 
CarolfromTX said:
First we find out that our outside faucet has sprung a leak, probably due to frost. Then I start the laundry and when the washer starts to drain, the sewer line backs up into the bathroom. This happens every stinkin' year about this time.
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If this happens every year, you need to have your plumber find out what the real cause is.
 
The yearly drain issue is mist concerning. May I suggest something?

Contact your city and ask that the scope their side of the drain and have a plumber do the same on the house side. What this means is, they will run a camera into the drain that allows you or them to analyze the drains respective condition allowing you to see roots, broken pipes, etc. Here the city venture is at no charge, the plumber charge here is $200.00. Then you know.
As far as outside water faucet,they will wear about the intended weak spot, which fractures over time. I got tired of replacing the valves because mine are used a lot and just put a primary valve in the basement that allows me to shut water off. I just turn it off in Novembersnd allows for easy repair of the outside fixture if necessary.
Hope you get it resolved. Regards....
 
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Ken N Tx said:
Happened here, my plumber said to only use liquid detergent,working great now after 5 years!! Powder detergent does not all desolve and causes clods..
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Yes, "powder" can cause problems. We have a septic system, and about 2 years after we moved here, everything started draining slowly. We called a plumber, and one of the first things he asked was if we were using a septic tank treatment in powder form. We were....and he said that the powder can build up on the pipe joints and cause a clog. After he cleared the pipes, I started using only Liquid treatments, and haven't had any more problems since....over 15 years ago.
 
Gaer said:
One thing you can do is change your outside faucet to a "frost free" outdoor faucet. (same faucet, just an extension which screws in.) No plumber needed for that!
Another thing i a;ways do when the weather is extrememly cold is leave a tiny drip in all my indoor faucets overnight to prevent pipes from freezing. If you forget, and they DO FREEZE, thaw them slowly with a hair dryer.

Hope it won't be a really cold winter this year. Ithink we all need a little break!
Click to expand...
My outdoor faucet leads to an indoor faucet in the basement only a foot or two away. I shut off the indoor faucet for the winter and open the outdoor one to drain, and leave it open all winter.
 
Don M. said:
Yes, "powder" can cause problems. We have a septic system, and about 2 years after we moved here, everything started draining slowly. We called a plumber, and one of the first things he asked was if we were using a septic tank treatment in powder form. We were....and he said that the powder can build up on the pipe joints and cause a clog. After he cleared the pipes, I started using only Liquid treatments, and haven't had any more problems since....over 15 years ago.
Click to expand...
I have a septic system but all I do is put a packet of yeast in my toilet once a month. It's not powder, it's tiny granules.
 
The clog is always under the house. (No basements in this part of Texas. We're on a slab.) Plumber says it's a long way from our master bath to the main sewer, and low-flow toilets don't do the job of getting waste all the way to the street. He says flush twice. Or run the tap. Kind of negates the goal of low flow toilets. Honestly, I think it's just a problem we have to try to avoid but live with.
 
CarolfromTX said:
The clog is always under the house. (No basements in this part of Texas. We're on a slab.) Plumber says it's a long way from our master bath to the main sewer, and low-flow toilets don't do the job of getting waste all the way to the street. He says flush twice. Or run the tap. Kind of negates the goal of low flow toilets. Honestly, I think it's just a problem we have to try to avoid but live with.
Click to expand...
Many years ago, I took a printing class at an occupational center that had a cafeteria on the campus.
Someone put a sign in the restroom on the wall above the toilet that read: "Flush twice; it's a long way to the cafeteria."
 
Sound like there main not be enough/sufficient drop to the sewer main. I sounds like changing out the toilet may be a solution for you and probably cheaper over the long run than having an annual plumber visit. I have no experience with this toilet but a friend of mine installed at his residence and for his issue it worked well. You could take a look at a higher flow toilet, below should be link to this new concept. (Identified as stealth technology in attached literature) I have no idea of cost.

https://niagaracorp.com/our-products/toilets/?utm_term=high power flush toilet&utm_campaign=NiagaraPRO_US_GGL_Exact_Search&utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=ppc&hsa_acc=8145841048&hsa_cam=9720817600&hsa_grp=105207520531&hsa_ad=438799884368&hsa_src=g&hsa_tgt=kwd-355056052701&hsa_kw=high power flush toilet&hsa_mt=e&hsa_net=adwords&hsa_ver=3&gclid=Cj0KCQiA5bz-BRD-ARIsABjT4nh9OvU5eMgb1LjfTxDBMF5Ut2En7W9TlOxBe0upbvwomcLxxTzOC-waAjUsEALw_wcB
 

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