Sewer Backup with Mixed Messages

[christaaay]

I lived in Houston that has high clay content in the soil and is notorious for cracking slabs ... not sure about other areas (texas is a big state)

I'm in the Dallas area and we do have a lot of clay. I haven't heard anything about tension cables potentially being an issue, but will bring that one up. Any thoughts one whether its okay to dig through from inside the house? I'm worried about their ability to repair the foundation digging a line up from the front to back of the house (potentially). Most of the plumbers want to tunnel underneath with one or two wanting to go through the floor inside.

 

[Redwood]

If you have a post tension slab the cables are a big issue. The cables would have to be located and avoided with any cutting of the slab or it would indeed be a very bad day.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[FloridaOrange]

I'm in the Dallas area and we do have a lot of clay. I haven't heard anything about tension cables potentially being an issue, but will bring that one up. Any thoughts one whether its okay to dig through from inside the house? I'm worried about their ability to repair the foundation digging a line up from the front to back of the house (potentially). Most of the plumbers want to tunnel underneath with one or two wanting to go through the floor inside.

Obviously I'm not familiar with post tension slab on grade houses but I am familiar with slab on grade houses. The structural part of the slab is actually around the perimeter of the house and where any bearing walls are. If I cut a hole in the middle of my living room floor that has nothing to do with the foundation. The slab is easily repaired by tapping dowels in the side of the cut concrete and then repoured *the dirt/fill is compacted first.

 

[christaaay]

Yesterday I had the line cleaned with the blades and while I haven't seen the video yet, the plumbers told me Redwood is right. The bellies aren't as bad as they looked before. They're telling me that there is one bellie that's really more of a flat spot without the right pitch. This part of the line is from the clean out to the first bathroom. They're saying I can just watch it and see how it does and when it has another issue. I asked them to go ahead and write up a bid to fix it as well which they're telling me they'd just abandon the line that isn't flowing well and run a new line with a new clean out. Oh, I also asked about the tension cables and was told that they weren't used in TX in 1973. They also told me how to determine if I have them and I can't find any evidence of them. Thanks for everyone's help and insight!