Howdy,
This is my first time on anything like this, so please bear with me, I read some of the intro and I guess before I go any further I should introduce myself. I am an average do it yourselfer, I usually get involved in my projects because I enjoy working with my hands and I have some personal ideas of how whatever I am doing should look and feel like. I try to be aware of my limitations since I have been know to drag projects out until my better half gives me an ultimatum. I live in West Texas, west of Lubbock in a rural area, mainly oil field and cotton. I bought a late 60’s early 70’s house on a cement slab as most of the home have been built around here. Over the past 7 years I have been remoldelling piece by piece first the parlor and dining area, next a quick upgrade of the Kitchen, mostly refininshing the cabinet work and adding a few things such as a microwave, spot lights. Then came the bathrooms and I thought I was almost finished.
Here is where I need advise. All of the sudden we started having trouble with the sewer system and not feeling confortable tackling the job I call in the professionals. After several visits with limited success, the state of the art camera was introduced in the sewer through a vent and the verdict is: I have some collapsed pipe underneath the slab. The proposed solution is to dig under the house and in areas bust large areas of the slab in order to get to the old pipes. I confess just the thought sends shivers up my spine not to mention the cost. After taking a deep breath I started to think about the matter and here is what I have come up with :
All services, (shower drains, bath tub drains, comodes, kitchen sinks and washer drain) are all either on an outside wall or within at the very most 6 feet of it . Instead of busting and tunneling under the slab could I run a sewer line along the lentgh of the house (taking in consideration the right slope with respect to the location of the city service) and then run a line to each of the services. I still would have to bust the slab in places but it should be fairly limited and mostly in the bathrooms, under the sink cabinet and in the utility room.
Does my idea merit pursuing it or is totally out of the question???????
I would sincerely appreciate any help in the matter.
PS: if you wonder about the name, wpman, my other hobby is to play waterpolo, not that there any teams near by but I am always looking for a game or practice as I travel.
Replies
That SOUNDS reasonable to me but experienced mechanics on site have to be the ones to determine that. Having vent pipes stack up right place and right size in relation to outflows is important in waste water desing. Get it wrong and you've got methane in the house. It not only smells bad it is explosive too.
are you out by the clichque hills?
I lived in Lubbock in about '73-'75. Had a chance to buy 1-1/2 acres out a mile beyond the SW Mall for only ten grand. Been kicking myself ever since for passing that one up.
Had a buddy named Virgil Wages. Ever hear of him?
Excellence is its own reward!
It sounds like it MIGHT work, but you better be SURE that the city line is deep enough to give you the slope needed. How much collapsed pipe is there in the existing setup. If you can get accurate locations, it may not be as bad as you think to tear up the floor and fix it. Concrete saws can make pretty quick work of a slab. What type of finnish floors do you have, carpet goes back pretty easy, but tile would be a problem. Ask the local plumber for a consultation for an hour's charge, and then ask them for opinions, thats what they do, and way better than I do!!
Dan Welcome aboard, and come around more often.
"and the verdict is: I have some collapsed pipe underneath the slab. The proposed solution is to dig under the house and in areas bust large areas of the slab in order to get to the old pipes. "
Im afraid they have scared you . The procedure can be more like a surgery . It all depends on how professional they are . You might be right about a plumber doing it "roughly". My advice is to ask speciffically how they plan on doing it . I might ask them after they tell you , that you want them to locate the area , and you will have it opened . Plumbers are not noted in a nice way for their remodleling skills.
Tim Mooney