View Full Version : Plumbing answers
wilp1959
Jun 7, 2011, 09:51 AM
Hi, the toilet flushes but it just started overflowing into the front yard. What can we do to rectify this, and is it something we can do ourselves as we are on a fixed income.
hkstroud
Jun 7, 2011, 12:05 PM
Are you on city sewer or on a septic tank system? Describe how the sewage is coming up in the front yard. Is it seeping up out of the ground or is it coming out of a pipe that sticks up out of the ground?
ma0641
Jun 7, 2011, 01:04 PM
If you are on septic, you need to have the tank pumped out and the leach field checked. If you are on a sewer service, city or county, you may have a broken pipe in the yard. Neither one of these possible solutions is a DIY job.
wilp1959
Jun 7, 2011, 01:54 PM
Hi it's the city,and it coming from a pipe that sticks out of the ground.
hkstroud
Jun 7, 2011, 02:08 PM
You have a blocked sewer line between that pipe and the street. The pipe that sticks up out of the ground is called the clean out. It is there to run a snake down the line to clear blockages between the house and the street. It should be capped but I guess it a good thing it wasn't or the back up would be inside the house.
Rent a sewer snake and run it down the line to the street. This is something you can do but be careful. You can get hurt using a snake.
ma0641
Jun 7, 2011, 06:32 PM
Follow HKS' advice. After snaking, put a cap on the cleanout to keep debris out which could be the cause of your backup.