So about a month ago, my toilet backed up and water backed up into my tub. It is an older home built in 1952, with no clean out installed. The plumber came out, took off the toilet and snaked the line with a small spear like head. He pulled out some roots, about the size of a baseball or softball when all waded up, and said we should be good to go for 6 months to a year. A month later, my toilet is leaking again at the bottom (no backup in the shower yet) and it appears roots have either grown back in, or something else is the issue. Also, we have a 4 inch cement pipe that comes out of the grown and connects to the gutter and runs to the sewer piping, and this has some wet toilet paper that has been pushed out of it too, which must mean things things are jammed up. I called the plumber again, and wanted them to run a camera through toilet opening, but they insisted on that we need a clean out installed, which of course is $2500 (2,200 if I dig the whole). Is there any alternative options that might save some $. Is installing a clean out easy to DIY? The piping is old cement like 4 inch piping I believe. My hope when calling the plumber would be that they would snake it again, and run a camera to see how big the problem is for a couple hundred bucks. I am going to call around for other plumbers, but any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks

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It is an older home built in 1952, with no clean out installed.

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that's hard to believe. Every code going mandates a house cleanout. Yours might be under a few inched of soil.

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I called the plumber again, and wanted them to run a camera through toilet opening, but they insisted on that we need a clean out installed, which of course is $2500 (2,200 if I dig the whole). Is there any alternative options that might save some $.

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First off, unless the plumbing in your house was installed out of code and was not inspected I suspect the plumber was too lazy to go and probe for the clean out. It's easy! All he has to do is take a pointy rod and go probbing in the area of the house that faces the street if you're on the city or the area of the house that faces the septic tank, (you never did tell us what you have).
But wait! Instead of shelling out over two grand for a clean out the plumber could simply run his snake or camera down the roof vent closest to the street or septic tank.
Have him measure the snake out to where he ran into the roots and that's where you're going to hafta dig. Good luck, Tom

Thanks for quick reply. It is a sewer system, with a crawal space. I just had another plumber come by and look under the crawal space to try and locate, but you are right, they didn't poke or prod much, they just insisted on them installing a clean out. Noones tried the roof vent yet, is this only for a septic tank or do they do this for sewer line as well? My concern is they are going to charge for the clean out, and then they will diagnose the problem (which is the roots) and I will have to shell out even more money. I rather skip step one if I can to figure out how serious the problem is, so maybe the roof vent is an option. Once they figure out the problem, is digging the only solution, or is there a cheaper alternative? Thanks very much for help!

Hey! Every house should have a clean-out. But not at over two grand. You already know you have roots so all you hgave to do is figure a measure from the snake out to where he picked p the roots and that's where you began digging. Snaking from the roof vent closest to the septic tank or from a pulled toilet is acceptable if the cleanout can't be located. We do it all the time in my area. Let me give youa little relief from those roots until you can get things looked after. If you wish to control roots RootX or Robics Foaming Root Killer that contain Dichlobrnic are two products you could try.
A less expensive way would be to call around to garden supply stores and ask for fine grain Copper Sulphate. Put a 1/2 pound in your toilet and flush it down. Repeat in 6 months.
Hope this helps and thank you for rating my answer, Tom