If you’ve been a plumber as long as I have, we’ve seen just about everything. In most cases, we know the who, the what, the where, and the why, but we don’t always know the how. In this situation, we didn’t know HOW this family was getting away with using the toilet for so long without it fastened to the floor.
The Unusual Plumbing Issue They Were Having With Their Toilet
I arrived at the customer’s home Saturday around midday. The tenant started informing me right away of the issue they were having with their toilet. They said, “the toilet was leaking from the base.” to my surprise, the tenant turned off the water and pulled up the toilet without taking the bolts off. How they knew the toilet would just come right out, I have no clue. As a side note, anything to do with wastewater has a heightened approach due to the health factors involved. So after pulling the toilet up without taking any bolts off. They found that the toilet was sitting on the drain pipe on top of the floor and had no toilet flange to fasten the bolts to.
Tree Roots Was Growing From Within The Foundation
I noticed even a bigger issue, and that was tree roots growing from within the foundation. Once the tree roots have entered your sewer line, they will feast on raw sewage and grow rapidly. The roots had even made their way under the bathroom tiles and were probably responsible for pushing up the toilet, causing it to leak.
The Unusual Plumbing Issue Was Completed Without A Hitch
We called the homeowner to inform them about the situation. Then told them that the toilet could not reset without a toilet flange to secure it. So the homeowner gave it their thumbs-up, and the team arrived Tuesday to secure a toilet flange; they began by removing the ceramic tiles and old concrete from around the toilet. Next, they poured the new concrete added a new toilet flange and drainpipe. Again, the job went off without a hitch, and the Big B’s Plumbing team completed the job within a few hours.
The Hydro jetter Is So Powerful It Will Clear Everything In Its Path
Unfortunately, the issues didn’t stop there. Next, we need to address the tree roots. After a camera inspection, we noticed the roots filled as much as twenty feet of the sewer main, starting from the rim of the toilet drain. So we brought in the truck-mounted hydro jetting machine. For those unfamiliar with a hydro-jetting machine, it’s an all-in-one system made up of a major water tank, high-pressure hose, commercial-strength spray nozzle, and compressor. Altogether, they apply massive water pressure to the main sewer pipe, approximately 3,500 and 4,000 pounds per square inch (psi). Then, the nozzle gets inserted by the plumber into the system’s clean-out or from another entry. The hydro jetter is so powerful it will clear everything in its path, including tree roots.
Our First Choice For Repairing A Root Infested Sewer Line
After they cleared the line, regrettably, the roots had caused a break in the line. Once roots have entered your drain pipes, they will continue to return until the pipe gets repaired. In this case, we feel as though we’re killing two birds with one stone. We’ll repair the break in the pipe and repair the line simultaneously so the tree roots do not return and the break gets repaired. Our first choice for repairing a broken or root-infested sewer line is a trenchless cured-in-place sewer line repair. These trenchless repairs are less invasive to landscaping, provide a new permanent sewer line, and could cost much less than replacing an old sewer line altogether.
A Trenchless Cured In Place Sewer Line Is The Perfect Choice
Here’s how it works an advanced, pliable, epoxy-saturated tube (liner) gets placed directly into your preexisting drain pipe after your sewer main has been thoroughly inspected and hydro jetted. Upon curing, the epoxy solidifies and forms a new sewer line within the old pipe. All of the earlier problems with the original pipe you can consider resolved. Any cracks, holes, scaling, or root intrusion from the old pipes are gone, and the new sewer line will perform better than the old pipe ever did. In most cases, your trenchless cured-in-place pipe repair is an excellent option when the original pipe is still in fairly good condition.
Your New Line Will Last 50 Years Or More
There are no issues with the new pipe going around most common bends or plumbing connections because the epoxy liner (tube) starts out flexible. So when the liner gets fully cured, all of the current issues no longer exist, and a whole new pipe is formed. With the new liner, you can anticipate a life expectancy of 50 years or more! In addition, epoxy liners have a smoother surface which gives them better flow capacity. So when you have an unusual plumbing issue, Big B’s Plumbing has you covered.
