# cleaning main line of a septic tank



## 3Peasdrain

I was on a job today for a main line stoppage. Customer had another company there in August.They called the other company first and they only guarantee their work for a month.So do I.With that being said they asked the customer what they charged last time they were there. That raised a red flag for the customer.Anyway to make a long story short. the other company went from inside the house to the septic tank.When i got there today i recognizied the house and had been there 5 years ago.When they called backed in August I was on Vacation. So of course they called someone else.But that company charged an arm and a leg and didnt do the job correctly. What im saying is do most of you guys snake from the tank back to the house or from the house out to the tank??? Would really like to see what the response is.Have a great evening


----------



## Redwood

I mostly snake from the tank back to the house if I can.
Even if I can't reach the inlet with the snake from the access cover I want to check the tank and the inlet baffle area.
Plus we have some very large houses on septic and It is nice not to have to drain down a hundred feet if 4" to open a cleanout...:yes:

I don't like to not know the condition of the tank.


----------



## Ron

Redwood said:


> I mostly snake from the tank back to the house if I can.


Like this one redwood? Inlet is not accessible without pumping this tank out.


----------



## Redwood

Ron said:


> Like this one redwood? Inlet is not accessible without pumping this tank out.


I think the snake would stay on the truck for that one....:laughing:


----------



## SewerRatz

It should not matter which way you rod from. Going from the tank to the house or the house to the tank, as long as you use the right rod and blades, and ensure you rodded the whole line.

My preference is from the house to the tank. This way I know I started from the beginning of the system and rodded it all the way to the end. So how do you rod a sewer that ties into a city sewer? 99% of the homes that tie into city sewers are a blind connection so have no choice to do a proper rodding from the house to the city main.

I even guarantee my roddings for two years no matter if they are on septic or city sewer. As long as I can do a proper job and get at least a 4" cutter through the line. And before you ask, if I can not get a 4" cutter through the line I will shoot my camera down the line to see what is the trouble and explain to the home owner what the trouble is and what needs to be done to fix it.


----------



## plbgbiz

We always try to check the tank first. If the tank needs pumped, then there's no point in snaking anything since you won't know if you cleared a pipe blockage.

Just like regular calls. If there is evidence that the city main is backing up, we don't get the cable out of the truck.


----------



## beachplumber

check tank first
rod from outdoor c/o if ther is one or one can be put in
if no c/o try to do from tank
go in and pull toilet to run machine last resort


----------



## ap plumbing

*ap plumbing*

from house to tank


----------



## 3Peasdrain

*cleaning main line*

Sewer ratz you cant clean a mainline like i did yesterday from the house.Thats why the other company failed.The roots were groing into the inlet pipe So i got my saw out and cut the roots out.if you had gone from the house you never would of cleared it


----------



## SewerRatz

3Peasdrain said:


> Sewer ratz you cant clean a mainline like i did yesterday from the house.Thats why the other company failed.The roots were groing into the inlet pipe So i got my saw out and cut the roots out.if you had gone from the house you never would of cleared it


I have cleared many of sewers that had roots growing up the inlet to the tank, or up the stub at the city main. As I said the right rod and right cutters. 

I had one call where the sewer stub was 20' deep and hit had a massive root mass growing into the stub. The customers had 5 other plumbers out everyone of them spent no more than a half hour to an hour, then told the people it had to be dug. I showed up went in with my Eel cutters started with the spear head to get the line flowing, televised the line to see what I was up against, then ran through the heavy duty Eel 3 1/2" cork screw cutter ground at it for an hour and a half, till the rod stopped spinning on me. Had to pull it by hand. Once I got the cutter out I had a root the size of my fist caught in the cork screw with 18' of feeder roots growing off it. Ran through the 6" cork screw and 6" finishing blades. They have me out every 2 years as preventive maintenance, and the tree root mas has yet to grow back up into the stub. 

I have been drain cleaning for a very long time. For the 29 years I been doing drain cleaning I have only ran into a dozen lines that I could not open the first time around that where not broken. In them dozen times I came back the next day and the rod would fly through the line like the blockage was hardly there. Only a couple I had no choice to dig and install a proper cleanout.


----------



## AssTyme

SewerRatz said:


> In them dozen times I came back the next day and the rod would fly through the line like the blockage was hardly there



???....

What made the difference ?


----------



## SewerRatz

AssTyme said:


> ???....
> 
> What made the difference ?


What I figured out since I got a sewer camera is that the roots are so tightly packed in the line the rod was failing to get a decent bite with the larger blades. Then with 24 hours of water seeping through the root mass it starts to loosen up, so when you come back the rod goes right through it easily.

My father has had a rod hung up in a sewer, spent hours trying to get it free. Told the home owner that he be back the next day with another machine and a locater. Prior to sticking the other rod in the line to try and free the stuck rod the next day he ran the stuck rod and it came out like it was never stuck in the first place.


----------



## Song Dog

I always preffer tank to house. Just love the big rush :thumbsup:
Anyway I would rather did a bit that bring all the stuff inside.


----------



## RealLivePlumber

Song Dog said:


> I always preffer tank to house. Just love the big rush :thumbsup:
> Anyway I would rather did a bit that bring all the stuff inside.


I love it when your chewing on one at the curb (to municipal sewer) for a while, and the puff of sewer odor that comes up the riser hits you in the nostrils when you get er open. :thumbsup:


----------



## Tommy plumber

plbgbiz said:


> We always try to check the tank first. If the tank needs pumped, then there's no point in snaking anything since you won't know if you cleared a pipe blockage.
> 
> Just like regular calls. If there is evidence that the city main is backing up, we don't get the cable out of the truck.


I have a question, so what do you charge for a call when city main is backing-up?

I will still cable the customer's line after city main is clear. Because after flow is restored, there might be solids, debris etc. left in customer's sewer. That way you still charge for a main-line stoppage instead of just a trip charge. :thumbsup:


----------



## Redwood

Cleaning roots out of sewers and meeting a septic tank infested with roots are 2 completely different things....

Your snake punching a 4" hole through a root infestation in a 1200 gallon septic tank is less effective than running a 1 1/2" single blade cutter in a 6" pipe....:whistling2:

Pull the cover and take a look unless you like callbacks...:laughing:


----------



## Protech

House to tank


----------



## stillaround

plbgbiz said:


> We always try to check the tank first. If the tank needs pumped, then there's no point in snaking anything since you won't know if you cleared a pipe blockage.
> 
> Just like regular calls. If there is evidence that the city main is backing up, we don't get the cable out of the truck.


 My son checks the tank usually, I do sometimes....some of these here are deep and I dont like digging anymore...and I didnt like it back then either...


----------



## plbgbiz

Tommy plumber said:


> ...what do you charge for a call when city main is backing-up?


We have a diagnostic fee we charge on most calls. It is much lower than the fee for performing an actual plumbing task such as cabling out a building sewer. In the event we discover the city main is the problem, we charge the diagnostic fee for having the expertise to recognize the real source of the backup.


----------



## Tommy plumber

plbgbiz said:


> We have a diagnostic fee we charge on most calls. It is much lower than the fee for performing an actual plumbing task such as cabling out a building sewer. In the event we discover the city main is the problem, we charge the diagnostic fee for having the expertise to recognize the real source of the backup.


 
The reason I was asking is because what if after you leave, your customer's line backs-up? Because when the solids, etc back-up, they could be left in customer's line. I'm just sayin', not trying to be a smart alec or know-it-all.

Once when I cabled a main-line, I was doing a walk-through checking all the bathrooms and I found a tub backed-up. Evidently toilet tissue, solids, etc had backed-up into the tub p-trap.


----------



## UnclogNH

Tommy plumber said:


> The reason I was asking is because what if after you leave, your customer's line backs-up? Because when the solids, etc back-up, they could be left in customer's line. I'm just sayin', not trying to be a smart alec or know-it-all.
> 
> Once when I cabled a main-line, I was doing a walk-through checking all the bathrooms and I found a tub backed-up. Evidently toilet tissue, solids, etc had backed-up into the tub p-trap.


Deduct the service fee from the line cleaning fee. Most customers find this is fair.


----------



## plbgbiz

Tommy plumber said:


> The reason I was asking is because what if after you leave, your customer's line backs-up? Because when the solids, etc back-up, they could be left in customer's line. I'm just sayin', not trying to be a smart alec or know-it-all.
> 
> Once when I cabled a main-line, I was doing a walk-through checking all the bathrooms and I found a tub backed-up. Evidently toilet tissue, solids, etc had backed-up into the tub p-trap.


You're correct, this does happen. In that case we might discount the drain cleaning service, or maybe not. Each situation is different. It would also depend on how involved the initial diagnostic call was. We would tell the customer of the potential of this problem after the main is cleared and to call us.


----------

