Wastewater/ Sewer pipe break - Ireland

Hi Lads (Ladies),

I'm up the creek here in misty Ireland where we've lots of water and my good wife is about to leave me unless I get this sorted kind of fast!

There's a break in an old 6" waste pipe (Earthenware or Terracota) up the garden . I've had it camera checked and they say it's a break caused by tree roots.

I'm being quoted $3,000 to repair it even though it's only 12" below the soil. They're proposing to insert some class of a liner to do the repair.

My questions are:
1. How does tthis price look ? Is this a good solution?

2. I do most plumbing myself but this is new to me- could I repair it by cutting the pipe in two places and replacing with a plastic section with sleeves over the old pipe? or is there another solution?

Thanks

I would know what to tell you if you lived in USA but I don't know what the parts avaliability is there or what is allowed in Shamrock Heaven.

Did you try kissing the Blarney Stone.

You could try telling your good wife that you are expereminting on a new plant food.

We cut out the bad part out and would use a Fernco ( rubber Sleeve) that is made to go over Terracota on one end of the sleeve and go over plastic on the other end of the sleeve. Then put a peice of plastic pipe in between the 2 sleeves. Just like you thought. If you have/can get thoes parts, go for it.

How much distance are we talking about?

Be sure it is pitched right.

pipe

At 12 inches below the ground, (I guess you don't use metric there), there is almost no justification for lining the pipe, unless there are other factors working against you. A pipe that shallow, depending on its length, can be excavated and replaced for a lot less than that amount.

Thanks men - i'm not overly enamoured with the lining solution either but these guys are from a big outfit and are supposed to know what they're doing.

Replacing the whole pipe isn't too practical because it goes under concrete and I'm trying to avoid using Jack hammers and the like in the pouring rain here.

Thinking about the damaged section replacement - how do you cut those terracota pipes ? is an angle grinder the only thing? Is there a danger of the whole pipe cracking up with the vibration?

If I use an insert with rubber sleeves surely the rubber will perish in 5-10 years under the soil and i'll be in trouble again?

The grinder will work, just wear a dust mask.

It's not realy rubber, I beleive it is neopreem(sp) it will most likely last longer than you will live.

Cutting vibration should not be a problem.

Be sure the plastic pipe Id. size you use is the same as Id. on the teracotta.

Hi Cass and everyone else

Thanks for all your help !

I' m edgy about cutting this terracotta, this is the kind of 10 minute job I'm used to, which ends up taking 3 days. And blows me away !

I hope it's ok and an angle grinder is right for it ? If I make a hames of this my good wife will definitely go home to her mother and I won't get fed in the style I 'm accustomed. You guys will be held responsible and I won't accept any ole rubbish or excuses.
Marriages and plumbing definitely don't go. Then again the weather is great here -53 F today - Springtime, i'm in geat shape !.


Cass - You mention pitch as an issue. What does this mean? Is it the couple of degrees slant you need to get the flow on the pipe ?

I'll buy you lads a lager soon! or maybe a real beer a Guiness!

Tks,
RM

Yes a few degrees slant. After all...... IT will not run up hill.

Dont worry about cutting the teracotta. If you make a mistake you just move the cut a few cm and start again.

I'll butt in here about the slant or slope referred to. A sewer line must have a slope of at least 1/4" per foot or about 0.5cm/30cm if have my metric measuring translated correctly. I don't know about codes in your country, but that is the standard in the US.

hay Irish kevin here, an irish yank

this works great i have a 14 " hilti gasoline cut off saw [concrete]

it has a diamond blade. you will make 2 clean cuts in 5 minutes. you then can also make the cut in the new terra cotta if you chose that material. lay down some copper sulfate in the sod around the 2 rubber ferncosthis will keep roots at bay. then once a year flush some more down the toilet

give my best to kevin barrey

rent one of these saws be well kevin

"to hell or Connaught"

I have traced my paternal ancestors to Pulnachloha (Moycullen Parish, Galway). On mother's side, Bridgetown, Clare and Castlegar, Galway.


Back to the pipe: from the video inspection, is the pipe crushed, or just cracked and leaking? Ask the company if the liner is of adequate strenght to fix or prevent a crushed pipe.

Thanks men - looks like the angle Grinder is the job. I haven't seen the camera results myself yet. The company's supposed to give them to me in the next few days.

The point about the pipe being crushed or cracked is a good one. I take it that it's hard to get a good seal around a crushed pipe? I need to check this further.

I'll report back in a few days