crazy plumbing problem

[creepyoldguy]

i live in austin, tx, and i've got a plumbing problem that's getting to be absurd. my line doesn't have enough fall to get to the street at 1/4"/ft. not even enough for 1/8". basically no matter how much i tweak the thing... and it has been countless tiresome hours of tweaking... it always has some section going uphill.

now this isn't because the city tap is too high or my house is too low, it's because the people who put the sewer line in the house originally had the bright idea to start it exiting the house at about 25" under the top of the foundation, all the way underneath the bottom of the concrete slab- this instead of going through the foundation with the pipe, exiting at a reasonable depth. i'm guessing this pipe was added after the foundation had been there for awhile.

i have an idea for a solution, but it involves tons of expertise and planning, so i want to run this by the pros first. what is the feasibility of drilling through the foundation to the toilet flange and putting in a whole new sewer pipe? i'm pretty sure it only feeds one toilet, which sits about 4' directly inside from where the pipe comes out. my primitive idea is to cut out the concrete around the toilet flange and remove the whole area. then try to drop a new pipe in, meeting it with a 4" tunnel drilled from the outside. i say drilled, because it's currently not an option to jackhammer the whole thing out. we would have to go under the shower, which has to stay operational in order for me to maintain my roommates.

i guess i can't embed images, so here's a link for the pics:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/22391530@N03/2159717528/

[smellslike$tome]

Looked at the pic. In fact I looked at it twice. What I see is a drain line exiting a slab foundation which would be proper. Surely you are not suggesting that the drain should exit above the slab? In any event unless the toilet you mentioned is the only plumbing fixture in the entire house which is obviously not the case, what you suggest is not possible. Furthermore, even if it were, what you are suggesting would amount to core drilling the slab with proper fall. The longest core drilling bit I have seen would be somewhere around 24". Assuming you could somehow core drill the required distance and assuming it is a straight run to the toilet with no offsets or incoming branches from other fixtures/bathroom groups ... oh good grief, the answer is no what you want to do is not possible.

Call a qualified, reputable, plumbing company.

[smellslike$tome]

Ok, saw the "other" photos that show the situation better which would give you about 4"-6" more to work with if you could do what you suggest. The answer is still no though because you couldn't simply raise the one line because that would place every other sub slab drain in the house in a back fall condition since the entire drainage system is connected.

By the way, I did not appreciate the other "other" pictures in your link. The next time you post a link in a public forum to your private photographs you need to make sure that NONE OF THE P*RN IS INCLUDED! I am glad my kids were not looking over my shoulder at the time.

[BAPlumber]

I think if you want to surf beyond the link (picture) provided, you do so at your own risk.

[BAPlumber]

if the grade is ok inside the building. how about a pump station outside, to pump to where there is good grade?

[Redwood]

In this picture I'm seeing a buried backwater valve... http://www.flickr.com/photos/22391530@N03/2159686230/in/photostream/ Bad News! Access for cleaning and servicing needs to be provided. Either build a riser to allow access or, use one of these backwater valves that can be serviced via the cleanout at the surface.http://www.cleancheck.com/

As for the pitch problem if you can raise it at the building or, lower it at the termination and get the proper pitch great! if you can't you will need a pumping station.

[smellslike$tome]

I think if you want to surf beyond the link (picture) provided, you do so at your own risk.

You may be right but you shouldn't be. Why in the world would I expect to find what I found in a group of pictures that were supposedly of a plumbing problem linked by someone seeking help on a public plumbing forum.

Very bad form.:(

[creepyoldguy]

thanks everybody for the help... and yeah sorry for the offense, it was really intended to be a link to one picture... my bad... anyway...

not worried about the secondary line as this will be re-routed to a smarter place. i am curious if there tends to be regulations on how high you can bring the line out, like could i start the line right on top of the ground and just build a casing for it or pour concrete over it until it falls totally underneath the dirt, or does it have to be buried a certain distance under the ground? also, what is the minimum amount of straight vertical fall a toilet needs to get going at a healthy momentum into the line? can i come out 12" under the toilet? is it possible to jackhammer under a shower and put some sort of support under it to maintain its usability while the area is under construction?

basically i'm trying to maintain the theme of things i can do. busting concrete, laying pipe, filling concrete; yes, yes, and yes. absorbing the cost of getting the city to lower their tap, cost of a grinder pump, or cost of an elevator pump, or maybe the cost of getting a new tap in a smarter location relative to total distance my sewage must travel, i'm doubtful. i've also heard horror stories of the maintenance required with pumps.

is there any do-it-myself solution? i'm willing to take on pretty much any form of labor, and from what i understand, homeowners aren't allowed to put in their own pumps... btw, this is also an inspection issue. the line works ok, but i haven't been allowed to bury it for 2 years because of its inability to pass code.

thanks again everybody

[Redwood]

I would say you pretty much have to work with the city to determine what they want you to do to get them to sign off on the installation.

[creepyoldguy]

i don't understand the discrepancy in price on lift stations. according to ****, some are $400.00 and some are $7000.00. what price range would be required of a 5" raise on a 2 bathroom house?

[Redwood]

i don't understand the discrepancy in price on lift stations. according to ****, some are $400.00 and some are $7000.00. what price range would be required of a 5" raise on a 2 bathroom house?

$400 would be a simplex sewage pump while $7000 would be a duplex grinder pump. If a whole house is on it a duplex sewage pumping set up would be what you want... If only part of your house (1 bath out of 2 or,more)is on it a simplex is fine.