How to save yourself a $1000 plumbing bill

[Joe S.]

FYI>Today we had the plumber out because our toilet drain was plugged. Years ago when we had income property women would flush pads and tampons that would plug toilets. Men would often plug them with wads of toilet paper. The new thing is the wet wipes. The flushable ones just are not. My wife has been using them for about a year. They had to be pulled out and disposed of in the garbage. The plumbing bill was about $1000. We still have some mess to clean in the bathtub and where it leaked out.

Tomorrow we have a contractor coming out to insulate the house for about $2000 for Cellulose insulation. Another contractor is coming to measure for new exterior doors (about $1000). It is my hope to be able to paint the exterior this summer or fall by myself. I should have some scaffolding in the garage. It is about $10,000 to ruff in drains for a basement bathroom. $2000 to have the gutters replaced. This is all work I used to be able to do but can do no longer. I do not like this disease.

[irish]

Joe Boy, do I ever hear ya. I am a woman but I married this farm raised kid and we did everything, wired plumber, moved septic tanks, moved big shed, ran cement flooring in sheds, carpentered, butchered hogs, beef, chickens, etc. I could run a skill saw and rip a board---not as good as a man, but I could do little projects around the house without waiting for hubby to come home.

Now, I can't eat and meal and then do the dishes right away. It takes me hours to cook, eat and clean up the mess. Instead of being able to invent some way to rearrange things or make things different in the house I just move things around which is an exercise in futility.

I will add that I have had a sluggish drain for several years in my bathroom sink. I don't use a lot of the store bought drain removal stuff cause it can be hard on the pipes. In my own funny thinking mind I have come up with ways to help nurse the drain along. I have used old orange juice, pepsi, and carbonated water, hydrogen peroxide and any other product that I can come up with. The best thing I have used is a couple of tablespoons of soda followed by a couple of cups of hydrogen peroxide. About 3 weeks ago I let it sit longer than I planned on and then I left the hot water running longer than I planned on. Guess what! The drain is finally not plugged.

I think I soaked it and fissed it so much that the blockage finally broke up when I ran the hot water.  Some days you "do get the bear" as the old saying goes.

Sounds like you are going to be a busy bee at your place Joe, Try not to do yourself in or you will be too pooped to enjoy the summer. Irish

[lighthouse33]

Irish,

My bathroom sink is a constant problem.  In fact, our plumber left the trap lose so that I could pull it out and use a HAIR CATCHING & SINK OVERFLOW CLEANING BRUSH that he recommended we purchase.  It's quite an awful, gross, stinky job removing all of the black sludge.  If that doesn't work then I call him back and have him remove the pipe below the sink and clean it out. 

Here are some tips from some websites:

How to Clean Black Sludge in Bathroom Sink Drains
http://www.ehow.com/how_5665579_clean-sludge-bathroom-sink-drains.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

How to Unclog a Bathroom Sink:
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-unclog-a-bathroom-sink.html

[slccom]

Ouch, Joe! We put nothing in the toilet but TP. I used to flush Kleenex, but it doesn't degrade.

Our bathroom sink was plugged up, so my husband expended some of his strength on snaking it, kept hitting something solid. So we gave in, called a plumber who would clear the drain for $75. Great!

They brought their big-boy snake. Same problem. Got up on the roof, still couldn't snake it. (At that point, I said, "This isn't $75 any more, is it?" "No, more like $1000" was the answer. I guess I went pale or something, because he said he was just joking.)

It turned out that the cast iron was put in at the wrong angel 55 years ago, and there had been water pooled in there the whole time. The rust was so thick that very little was able to trickle through. They cut it off, we recycled it and it cost $275.

I hope everything gets done for you!
Sharon

[Joe S.]

I will let youknow how things go. I have a long list of projects to do.

[eyeamdry]

We just had a sewer backup in our basement sink a few weeks ago.  Hubby looked around and decided it was a good time to have the septic tank pumped.  That was $250 and it seems like just yesterday it was $100.  They said they might have to come out again if that didn't work to let them know.  Well, that night we knew it hadn't fixed the problems.

We call the septic tank guy the next day and he comes out and has to go into our basement and do the big electric snake.  I forget what they called it.  Well, the pipes had tree roots growing in the pipes and there was also a clog between the basement and the septic tank.  Another $300.  This should be ok for another year or so. 

I see you guys talking about your bathroom sink;.  Our drain cap will not come out and hubby will not do anything with it, so all i can ever do is pour in drano.  I know it's running slow.  One more thing I do occasionally is to pour a teakettle full of boiling water down the drains.  It helps to melt any grease standing in the traps.  You might have to do it more than once.  It doesn't hurt anything and it's free.

Lucy

[Joe S.]

There are non toxic bio active things drain cleaners that can be used. We used Ridex on our septic system at the lake on a regular basis. Mom had it marked on the household calendar when she was to use it. It gave us many years without have it pumped. Every few months we would put a bio drain cleaner down our pipes. We ran out and never got more picked up. When the plumber came by we got 4 bottles of the stuff.

There are two main issues with our drains: small sized pipe and flat runs. The first thing that I learned when I went for my plumbing merit badge was sewage flows down hill. Next I learned that 4" drains are much better that 3" or 2". Our drain to the street is 4 inch. our drains in the house are 3 inch and 2 inch. There is a flat 20 foot run of 3 inch to the main drain in the basement before it drops 7 foot into floor drain under the basement floor and runs out to the street. Breaking the floor and running a straight pipe down would improve the flow dramatically. I have put in several basement bathrooms in the past, starting at age 12 or 13. If I could do the work, I would do that now to clear this up. I would also seriously consider replumbing the house.

When we were first married, I designed the lake place for my parents that got rave reviews from those that saw it. My main floor bath was a little larger than normal and that was nice when mom had her broken hip. The house was an over/under duplex with large porch and deck spaces. It was painted to blend in with the scenery and hard to locate from across the lake. A firewood storage box / pass through made it easy to keep the fire places going and provided extra seating.

[Madison Granny]

I hear you about the wet wipes.  I use them and learned the hard way not to flush them.  Fortunately it just created a small blockage in out toilet so my husband could plunge it and get it out.  Now I put them in a plastic sack and take them out to the trash can.

[irish]

These plumbing problems can really drive a person nuts. And, yes, Joe, water doesn't run uphill. Never did and never will although sometimes the plumbing done in these houses makes you wonder what they were thinking.

Sounds like you did a good job on your Mom's lake place, Joe. Oh to be young again and be able to do that. Our house had a big remodel back in 78 and we added new basement under some of the existing house plus new addition. The new part is plumbed every which way (correctly) with more tile than you can shake a stick at and no water problems. The old part we had to dig up the floor and put in some tile. Of course, it doesn't work as well as the newer tile as it is not big enough, or deep enough, but it solved a lot of the problem. Both my hubby and I would kill to be able to attack some of those projects that we used to do. We didn't vacation much, we worked on our vacations and got a lot done and saved money cause we were never flush with money. We loved being able t figure things out and fix them.

My advice to women whose hubby sends them to town to buy a radiator hose clamp---buy 2 cause they always drop on in some strange place and can't find it again and need another one. lol Irish

[Joe S.]

I found out today that the exterior doors on our house are 1 3/4 inch smaller than normal so they have to be custom milled. argh. The house was insulated today. I do not think the heat has come on. The sound levels for the TV went from 36 down to 16. Wow, does insulation in your walls make a difference!

I wonder if I am up to doing the new waste plumbing? I hate the $10,000 for a one or two day job with a concrete saw and a jack hammer.

Jan knows how to use a Jack hammer. She used one when we did the remodel of our daughters house in Moorhead, MN. New walks and steps were required by our designer daughter. Drain tile was put in around the exterior of the house. we put a bath in the basement, a designer bed room, family room with wet bar. The house was re-wired for electricity, phone, TV and internet also. A couple of monhts before I did Jan's Mothers house with sheet rock Plumbing and drain for washer and dryer. We move the furnace, remove the chimney, patched and insulated the roof.

[slccom]

When you paint your house, you can add tiny ceramic beads to the paint that reflect infra-red light and heat. It keeps heat inside, and outside heat out of the house in summer. It works really, really well. Just search "ceramic beads paint" for sources.

Sharon

[Joe S.]

Thanks for the tip.

[quietdynamics]

We haven't even started our LIST of things that need to be done to sell this house...ouch. Cringe...shudder.

For my part I am still dealing with my mothers pristine home (just needs minor paint and cement walk power clean, which I can do)....beautiful open concept cedar and river stone ranch on a cul-de-sac...but, we want to leave the state...sigh.

[Pisces24]

Small single gal here. When I get estimates for home repairs they must think I have "blonde roots" -sorry for the pun! You would not believe the outrageous quotes I get. My $5k one for the patio door tops em.
I told my cousin I need to rent a big tattooed guy and refer to him as "Killer" everytime I am getting a home repair quote.  Course with me all I could really afford is a spiked collar around my kitty, LilliBelle's, neck and I don't think that would have the same effect. LOL! 

[Carolina]

Oh dearest Joe,

My husband has been telling me this, and I have been ignoring him!

Eeek.

I guess it's time to mend my ways, if it isn't too late.

THANKS!

Elaine