Carolina
New Member
Hi everyone,
I'm new to this forum, and I urgently need advice ! Sewage rose in my shower drain, bathtub, and from the base of two toilets on the first floor of my townhouse. Prior to this happening, I heard gurgling sounds in my kitchen and bathroom, and the toilets were clogged that day. I had to call an emergency plumber at 11pm to stop the sewage flow from ruining my floors.
He took the cap off from the cleanout outside which relieved the pressure. He cleaned out the cleanout and ran a video cam. He discovered a belly beneath my cement slab of about 3-4 feet and a break in the sewage drainage pipe. He recommended jackhammering the floor and replacing about 7' of pvc pipe.
My home warranty plumber came out the next day and ran a cam too. He said it may be a slight separation or bushing instead of a break. But he said there are 2 bellies - one below the cement slab and the other in the cleanout outside because there is standing water. His recommendation is to replace 12' of pipe that extends outside to include the cleanout because the pipe needs to be laid level. Currently my drainage pipe goes down from my toilet, hits the belly and then comes up clear to the cleanout outside. Then it dips down again to the main sewer line. So he recommends getting rid of that "hill" by laying the pipe flat and thus avoiding another problem in the future.
Unfortunately I can't go with either plumber because they only have general liability but not workers comp (NC does not require workers comp for business with 3 or fewer employees).
My question is: Do you agree with their assessments? How should this job be handled and what should it cost? I need to justify it to my homeowners insurance which will cover access to the pipe and pouring back cement but not the repair or pipe replacement itself. Also I have an HOA. In your experience, has HOA insurance covered this type of work since this is a significant section of pipe in its sewer system?
Thank you so much!
Carolina
I'm new to this forum, and I urgently need advice ! Sewage rose in my shower drain, bathtub, and from the base of two toilets on the first floor of my townhouse. Prior to this happening, I heard gurgling sounds in my kitchen and bathroom, and the toilets were clogged that day. I had to call an emergency plumber at 11pm to stop the sewage flow from ruining my floors.
He took the cap off from the cleanout outside which relieved the pressure. He cleaned out the cleanout and ran a video cam. He discovered a belly beneath my cement slab of about 3-4 feet and a break in the sewage drainage pipe. He recommended jackhammering the floor and replacing about 7' of pvc pipe.
My home warranty plumber came out the next day and ran a cam too. He said it may be a slight separation or bushing instead of a break. But he said there are 2 bellies - one below the cement slab and the other in the cleanout outside because there is standing water. His recommendation is to replace 12' of pipe that extends outside to include the cleanout because the pipe needs to be laid level. Currently my drainage pipe goes down from my toilet, hits the belly and then comes up clear to the cleanout outside. Then it dips down again to the main sewer line. So he recommends getting rid of that "hill" by laying the pipe flat and thus avoiding another problem in the future.
Unfortunately I can't go with either plumber because they only have general liability but not workers comp (NC does not require workers comp for business with 3 or fewer employees).
My question is: Do you agree with their assessments? How should this job be handled and what should it cost? I need to justify it to my homeowners insurance which will cover access to the pipe and pouring back cement but not the repair or pipe replacement itself. Also I have an HOA. In your experience, has HOA insurance covered this type of work since this is a significant section of pipe in its sewer system?
Thank you so much!
Carolina
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