First of all, THANKS in advance to all of you who are so willing to share your expertise. You are angels on earth.
I'm a single mother with no money, decent DIY skills, and an optimistic attitude. I purchased a 1932 fixer-upper bungalow a couple of years ago, and for the first time I've run up against a problem that has me in a panic. I don't know if I can fix it, but have no money to pay someone to do it. The above-floor plumbing in the house is new, but most of the "guts" are original. My kitchen drain has been backing up frequently. The pvc sink drain pipe extends only about 4 feet into the basement, where it connects with the old iron stack (?) going outside the house. Several weeks ago, I had to disconnect the pvc pipe in the basement to get to the clog. I augured out the old pipe and cleaned out the visible gunk and thought all was good. Last night, though, I got another clog. When plunging/auguring didn't work, I went back in the basement, disconnected the pvc pipe again, and augured to no avail. Upon closer inspection, I discovered a crack in the old pipe that connects to the outside drain. I can't imagine that I would have the strength/skill to somehow get the old pipe off to put a new one on, and I have this horrible feeling that the nastiness extends even farther from my house and out into the drain. I've attached pictures to show the layout/extent of the problem.
Am I totally screwed? Or is there anything I can do to salvage the problem? I'd obviously prefer to do it right, not just throw on a band-aid, but if I can't do it myself, a band-aid just might have to do for now.
I deeply appreciate any advice and guidance you can provide.
~Sally
I'm a single mother with no money, decent DIY skills, and an optimistic attitude. I purchased a 1932 fixer-upper bungalow a couple of years ago, and for the first time I've run up against a problem that has me in a panic. I don't know if I can fix it, but have no money to pay someone to do it. The above-floor plumbing in the house is new, but most of the "guts" are original. My kitchen drain has been backing up frequently. The pvc sink drain pipe extends only about 4 feet into the basement, where it connects with the old iron stack (?) going outside the house. Several weeks ago, I had to disconnect the pvc pipe in the basement to get to the clog. I augured out the old pipe and cleaned out the visible gunk and thought all was good. Last night, though, I got another clog. When plunging/auguring didn't work, I went back in the basement, disconnected the pvc pipe again, and augured to no avail. Upon closer inspection, I discovered a crack in the old pipe that connects to the outside drain. I can't imagine that I would have the strength/skill to somehow get the old pipe off to put a new one on, and I have this horrible feeling that the nastiness extends even farther from my house and out into the drain. I've attached pictures to show the layout/extent of the problem.
Am I totally screwed? Or is there anything I can do to salvage the problem? I'd obviously prefer to do it right, not just throw on a band-aid, but if I can't do it myself, a band-aid just might have to do for now.
I deeply appreciate any advice and guidance you can provide.
~Sally