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poisonpaisley · Apr 15, 2009, 12:41 PM

I bought my home 2 years ago. There is a pipe in the backyard right next to the house (behind the kitchen) that comes up from the ground & splits into two. One runs down the back of the house the length of the kitchen 90 degree angle up to an open end about 6 inches under the over hang of the house. The second curves up & over the first & has been open since I purchased the house. It is about 2 ft. off the ground.

For the last month my kitchen sink & dishwasher have been draining out of the 2nd of the open ends I mentioned. I purchased a sewer auger & tried to run it down this pipe but no luck. To me a novice & first time home owner it feels like the auger will not navigate the pipe not that it is getting hung up on a clog.

I would really like to fix this myself. Any help would be appreciated!

letmetellu · Apr 15, 2009, 12:57 PM

What kind of material is the pipe made of? If it is a galvanized pipe you probably will not be able to get the cable (snake) around the ell's in this pipe.

I do think that you have the right idea and thinking that the line is stopped up. The pipe that runs up under the eave of the house is probably the vent pipe.

Is there some way that you can dismantle the pipes down to under the ground and then do the clean out that is necessary and after you get the yard line cleaned out you can put back plastic pipe and fittings that the snake would go around next time.

This is just a thought. Let me know if it helps.

poisonpaisley · Apr 15, 2009, 03:10 PM

Thanks so much for taking the time to respond.:)

Like I said in my OP I am a novice, the pipe is metal not PVC & it looks really rusty & old. I couldn't tell you what kind of metal though. I honestly didn't think it was attached to anything until water started coming out of it last month.:confused:

The pipe that we think is the vent pipe & the one the water is coming out of are attached. They meet about 6 inches below the open end the water is coming from & from there it is just the one pipe going into the ground.

I want to make sure I understand. I would need to remove everything from the ground up run the snake down that & then replace the old metal pipe with PVC. Is that right? I guess I need a pipe wrench for that? Should I cap the open end when I replace the pipe (not the tall piece under the eave but the lower one)? Would that prevent this from happening in the future?

ballengerb1 · Apr 15, 2009, 07:21 PM

I am betting you skipped on that expensive home inspection when you bought, right?

poisonpaisley · Apr 17, 2009, 08:54 AM

Thanks for not helping. I actually did the inspection.

ballengerb1 · Apr 17, 2009, 08:58 AM

The reason I asked about an inspection is what you have appears to be an illegal drain. No sewage water is allowed to drain to open air. Letmetellu and I are trying to figure out just what you have and a picture would sure help. A licensed home inspector should have spotted this and called your attention to it. You may still have some recourse with that inspector since he missed a very obvious violation.

poisonpaisley · Apr 17, 2009, 11:25 AM

I am at work right now but I will take a couple of photos when I get home this afternoon. I *think* and I'm no expert that this pipe should have been capped. That it was not intended to be a drain but was not capped, got debris in it, caused a clogged that rerouted the water out of this pipe.

Anyway, I'll post pix for more advice in solving this problem.

Thank you.

ballengerb1 · Apr 17, 2009, 01:38 PM

There are several of us who will see you post and one of us is bound to figure this out. A pipe like the one you are desribing is often a drain from a basement sump pump but that sump should not be getting any sink or washer water.