# Phew. Close one.



## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

DId a job for a GC a few weeks ago. He remodeled this guys master bath. So, while were there, ho tells me about a sewer issue he has been having.

He has had 3 sewage backups in his finished basement over the past 5 years. 1st one was a record 7" rainfall, and it came up in the gravity drained basement wc and stall shower. Uncontrollable, and filled him up with about 6" worth. Next 2 were caused by roots growing into the top of a 2 way cleanout tee, situated right at the front of the house, 11' deep. Again, out of the basement wc and shower, but from inside while a shower was used. 

So, we camera the line, and verify the roots. Would be a tough one to dig, as it sits in the corner of the house, and the garage sticks past it 6' (inside corner). So, we all decide to clean it 2x a year. We then pull the basement wc, and camera the branch. Find a backwater valve, in the branch. under the slab, no access. The door is stuck open .

I propose to break the floor, and repair/replace the bw valve. Ho is concerned about another record storm. I suggest we also install a bw valve in the main, and if it were mine, I'd put a 4" ball valve in front of it. Least you can shut it down if it is a coming in. (and your at home).

He says do it. 

We go today, and cut the floor. expose the original bw valve, and open the lid. I proceed to cut and start to break the floor at the front wall. The water and sewer come in and run under the slab to a closet in the middle of the building. I know it is there. I did not know that the water service was 2" deep, in the top third of the 6" thick basement floor. Till I hit it with the jackhammer.:blink: Come up like old faithfull. To the ceiling. :boat:

So, I fly up the stairs, out the door, screaming for my brother, who is in the back yard washing the concrete saw. I know the whole neighborhood heard me. I run to the left of the house, and he runs to the right. So, I miss him. He heads downstairs. I finally find him, and tell him to open every faucet in the house. I run to the truck, and grab the Mueller key. Bout this time, I am thinking oh boy, gonna have to call the insurance man. By the grace of God, I noticed the water box when we tv'd the line. And, the lid came off. And it was not full of dirt. And it turned. And that freaking cotter pin held. :thumbsup: 

I heard later the ho sees my bro during the melee, and asks if everything was ok. He replied, Not sure yet. :laughing:

So, we pull the lid on the exposed bw valve, and squeegee the 2" of water into it. Luckily, it did not hit the carpeted area. ( we were in the unfinished utlilty room, and the floor sloped to the exterior wall). Got it dried up just before the ho comes down to see what was up. I woulda been down there when I heard the plumber screaming on the front lawn.:yes::laughing:. 

Guy was alright with it. I showed him the pipe in the concrete. 1/2 hour and a Mak-Pak coupling later, he was up and running. 

What a freakin day.


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

Oh man! That's a nightmare. 

I had a 4" sch 40 PVC coupling let go in a chaseway at a little over 100psi. Scary part was, it was just downstream of an extremely sketchy (in my opinion) 4" PVC 2 part saddle on a 6" CS chilled water line, and a 4" solvent weld ball valve. I ran into the hallway where the water was already 4" deep (on the 7th floor of a 100 year old hotel on Niagara Falls Blvd.) and luckily, the freshly glued joints held. They lost 10 hotel rooms on 4 floors for a couple days and I have no idea the damages backcharged. I was there for about 2 weeks total, and the contractor I was working for had also hired a cryogenic contractor to freeze my tie-in points.

The worst part? We cut out the bad coupling (which involved smashing a hole in the wall of one of the occupied suites) and made the repair at 9:00 on a Friday night. I had to come back on Saturday (I didn't argue when I didn't see double time on my cheque :laughing to liven up the system.

Moral of the story... Whatever it says on the can... WAIT LONGER!

I still got payed (that's how you spell it right?) for my time and am still employed by the same outfit today.

Live and learn.

Glad all ended well for you guys!


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## SlickRick (Sep 3, 2009)

Paid.... My wife said I made up payed.


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

SlickRick said:


> Paid.... My wife said I made up payed.


I know Ricky, that joke was made solely for YOUR benefit. 

Wow, I'm batting 1000 tonight on my comedy stylings!

:laughing:


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

This is why we always shut off the water meter and have wet dry vacs sitting at the ready.

You're very lucky you had a place to squeegee the water into.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

SlickRick said:


> Paid.... My wife said I made up payed.



It all paies the same, right?:whistling2:


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## Tommy plumber (Feb 19, 2010)

Real Live Plumber, glad to hear you got that one under control real fast. Had cust. been using a handy-hack and not a professional like you, that would've gotten ugly real fast. That HO should be singing your praises and thanking the Good Lord above that a real plumber was breaking up the cement in his cellar...:thumbsup:


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Hey u666a. What do you mean exactly by freezing you tie in points. I do lots off chill water and that's a new one to me. Explain please


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## Greenguy (Jan 22, 2011)

I think he means using a freeze kit for the tie ins instead of draining the system to do repairs, especially when there is chemical in the water. 

An example had a hotel, the contractor before me added to much chemical and started getting pin holes in his chilled water lines I went in with a freeze contractor using liquid nitrogen froze the lines and replaced a dozen ball valves with pin holes in them.


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

I had a 1" valve and mac pak blow off a service last month. I stood over it, pushing down as hard as I could to slow it down while the homeowner called to have it shut off at the street. Not fun. I don't get that wet in the shower.


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## RealLivePlumber (Jun 22, 2008)

I went to a house a few years ago that had a drip coming from a mac pak at the transition from the polyethylene service to the copper tube. In a finished basement. I figured I'll turn it off at the street first. Took about an hour to locate and evacuate the curb box. 

When I touched the screw on the mac pak, it popped off in my hand.  It was only on the poly about a 1/4". 

Makes my blood run cold when ya think about some of the things you got away with...............


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## 1703 (Jul 21, 2009)

The one I had, the screw was never tightened and I didn't catch it before I cut the line.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

Hey green guy. I know what you mean. Ive done it a few times. We have a bladder that velcros around the pipe and the hit it with nitrogen I should of known what he ment!!! We don't propress so in a pinch well freez it but just to get a valve on Thanks for the info!!!!!!!


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

What's a Mac PAC?????? Don't know that term


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## rocksteady (Oct 8, 2008)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> What's a Mac PAC?????? Don't know that term

















Paul


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## Schedule40 (Aug 5, 2010)

How far in does the pipe make up? It's kind of like a dresser coupling with clamps on the ends?


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## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

Looks like a compression coupling for cts pipe. Buy the Meuller brand... No screws to set, slide it on tighten nuts till they bottom out, walk away.


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## TX MECH PLUMBER (May 27, 2011)

We call that a g coupling


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## Titan Plumbing (Oct 8, 2009)

incarnatopnh said:


> Looks like a compression coupling for cts pipe. Buy the Meuller brand... No screws to set, slide it on tighten nuts till they bottom out, walk away.


Yeah, but without the set screws they can move.


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## U666A (Dec 11, 2010)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> We call that a g coupling


Called a corporation coupling round here.

And yes, I had a contractor come in and freeze 4 spots on 2 vertical chilled water lines, with liquid nitrogen. The lines were 6" Sch 40 Carbon Steel, and once frozen, used a 4" holesaw for my saddles.

They freeze above and below each tie in point on each pipe, and it is quite an archaic system. They wrap tinfoil around the pipe to make a bag, then pour in the Nitrogen.


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## Widdershins (Feb 5, 2011)

TX MECH PLUMBER said:


> We call that a g coupling


 We call it a 'Ford Fitting'.


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## Master Mark (Aug 14, 2009)

*you got lucky*

you got lucky .... but that is why everyone carries insurance... in case you stumble into something

as long as you or no one lese got electrocuted, or drowned in crap.... or hurt in any way its all ok.......


we got a compnay in town that decided to do some digging without doing the utility markings.... 

you know the rest of the story.... 
they hit a fiber optic cable.... 

now they are no more...


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## incarnatopnh (Feb 1, 2011)

Never had to freeze a large diameter pipe like that. I always use a bronze saddle and either a Meuller or Ford tapping machine to make a hot tap in the pipe.


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