Did I mention w that I hate plumbing?

[Cliff]

I'm sure I have.  Well the septic clogged..

First I had the kitchen sink back up.  I have plungers for the sinks and one in each  bathroom.  The Sink one has a white painted handle and only gets used for  the sinks.    SO I'm plunging the day lights out of the kitchen sink Friday night around eleven.

 Got it cleared.

Then the next day the washing machine can't discharge because that line is clogged.

 

Apparently  I drove the clog into the washing   drain line.

Oh great.

 

I spend a couple hours trying to get the clean out cap out of the clean out for that part if the septic line.  It's  brass in cast iron and it's really really old.  I ended up drilling and cutting it in pieces to get it out.

 I think I got the clog but nope there lots and lots more and it's worked its way all up and through the washing machine's drain line.

 

So I gotta snake it.

 

Sigh.

 

My snake is  one of those really horrible cheap-o models with the thumb screw and the bent pipe to rotate the snake.   And it won't fit through the line trap. And it's be to short anyway.

So I wait till I can get to the BORG and get one that says it'll go 50 feet with the little hand rotating gizmo in a drum.  It looks easier.

 

It too wouldn't negotiate the trap

 

But it's smaller and will fit into the little plug in the bottom of the trap

So that's what I do.

The bleeding stinkin thing kinked.

ARRRRGGGGGGGHHHHHHH

But it got some of the mess out.

OK  That was sort of worth 25 bucks.

So I resorted to pressure blasting the clog with a garden hose from behind the washing machine.

It moved it.

Fortunately it moved it so that using my  horrible old snake I could force it down the main line.

Finally got it cleared and washed down into the septic tank.

 

Got huge clumps if it  out too..

It looks like it was some kind of fibrous polymer.  Really tough & wide ( like 1/8" wide) flat and fairly long strands.

But when I torched it is burnt like an organic.

I'm scratching my head.

 

Finally I figure it's got to be from the insinkerator.

I suspect that my habit of using a large volume of  water to accelerate the grinding  is causing large stuff to  be washed through the thing before it's done pulverizing it. 

 

 

But I've still got a problem

The Drain clean out  plug I cut out is a weird size.  I think it's a discontinued size.  I tried a 1 1/2" plug and a 2" plug and the 2" is too big and the 1.5 is too small.   IT is an ancient 1.750" plug and so far  haven't found anyone supplying that size.

 

ARRRGGGGHHHH

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited April 10, 2016 by Cliff

[lew]

From my Scuba diving days, I kept a scuba tank and made an adapter that I can connect to various areas of the plumbing drain system. It's amazing how fast you can clear a clog. So far I haven't blown the street sewer cover but everything keeps running pretty smoothly.

[Cliff]

how do you fill the tanks?

What pressures can you get in them?

Are  you not concerned about bursting the plumbing?

 

[lew]

I take them to the local dive shop or the fire extinguisher shop. My tanks can only hold 3000 psi. I typically use a regulator to bring the pressure down to around 120 psi.

 

Many years ago, I had to do some carpentry work on the exterior of a house. It was finish work so I thought I'd use my air nailers. I didn't want to drag my big compressor up the basement steps so I rigged up an oxygen regulator that adapted to a scuba tank. Worked like a champ. Should have patented it because a couple of years later some dude did the same thing only using a paint ball gun CO2 cylinder and sells them.