Sewer Cleanout Location -- End of sewer line?

[Roseville Mgr]

I have been searching this forum for a long time for very useful information -- but first time poster.

We bought a house in Roseville, CA. The city sewer lines run perpendicular to the front of the house and the home sewer line. There is a sewer clean out at the street connection, at the front of the house in the landscaping -- and then there's a sewer clean out at the end of the sewer line at the back of the house. As (bad) luck would have it, a tree root found its way into the 3" sewer line causing a blockage in the middle of the line. Toilet waste water started spitting out of the sewer clean out at the back of the house/end of the sewer line into the back yard. I've not seen a sewer clean out at the end of a line -- always on the way to the City sewer line. Is an end of the line sewer clean out common/recommended?

I would think not as I'd want a closed system with one way out and that's to the city sewer. Just trying to figure out if the prior owners installed this to deal with the tree root issue? Or if the end of sewer line could have been something that the city engineers signed off on when building the home?

I've reached out to the building departments at the city level as well as the county level to get this permitting question for this home answered. Just looking for more of a practical answer here on a sewer clean out location -- and if you know that one would never put a sewer clean out at the end of a sewer line, would love to hear these thoughts as well.

 

[Jeff H Young]

very common actually required to have an upper cleanout or a 2 way in the front. I find a sewer cleanout upsream at the back of house to be a great idea and most houses Ive plumbed have one . so you want to eliminate a cleanout to solve a problem ? Dont think I understand that

 

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[Roseville Mgr]

Sorry -- the question was more to identify if the back-of-the-house sewer clean out had been installed after the fact as a band-aid solution to the tree root issue (instead of busting up the cement pad that was a few feet thick) -- or if having one at the back-of-the-house when the City sewer is at the front of the house is more typical or, at least, standard practice.

I agree that having the 2 way at the front of the house is standard and to code in Roseville. Code says that its requred plus wherever that the City engineer requires. My question only related to what folks have seen with regard to the back-of-the-house clean out.

 

[Roseville Mgr]

Super helpful! Thanks!

 

[Jeff H Young]

I doubt roseville is any differant in code . City engineers wont tell you you need a 2 way prefered over a upper cleanout I think you are mis understanding . if you run a snake upstream its more likely to cause major issues ( snake could make a wrong turn , go up a vent bottom out against a 2 inch line with a big cutter come out on roof )if a guy isnt on his toes the cleanout at back of house is safer my opinion . If Im wrong somebody tell me why . Unless you have some hard headed inspectors with little knowledge I think you missing something. adding a clean out isnt a bandaid

 

[Reach4]

I think back of the house cleanouts are more common in some areas, such as CA. I would not consider that a negative. You are lucky it is there, so the root can be rodded out without needing to have the machine work into a toilet flange after the toilet has been lifted.

"As (bad) luck would have it, a tree root found its way into the 3" sewer line causing a blockage in the middle of the line. Toilet waste water started spitting out of the sewer clean out at the back of the house/end of the sewer line into the back yard. "

That tree root is under the house, or is that tree root under the front yard? Have you gotten that tree root rodded out yet?

Normal would be to have a cap screwed into the cleanout, so water would not be spewing out. So normally the symptom would be the tub and shower backing up. Flowing into the back yard somehow does not seem so bad in that case.

 

[Jeff H Young]

I think back of the house cleanouts are more common in some areas, such as CA. I would not consider that a negative. You are lucky it is there, so the root can be rodded out without needing to have the machine work into a toilet flange after the toilet has been lifted.

"As (bad) luck would have it, a tree root found its way into the 3" sewer line causing a blockage in the middle of the line. Toilet waste water started spitting out of the sewer clean out at the back of the house/end of the sewer line into the back yard. "

That tree root is under the house, or is that tree root under the front yard? Have you gotten that tree root rodded out yet?

Normal would be to have a cap screwed into the cleanout, so water would not be spewing out. So normally the symptom would be the tub and shower backing up. Flowing into the back yard somehow does not seem so bad in that case.

True the upper cleanout more common here I think due to slab homes or crawlspces . basements would likely have a clean out and roots dont get inside the joist bays under a house very often so most sereious blockages are underground