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Petra1 · Feb 24, 2010, 06:36 AM

I just had my sewer line replaced because it was orangeburg pipe and full of roots, anyway my plumber found the lateral is also orangeburg, the city won't allow him to replace it, they said they would have to but we need to pay them... anyone give me some input on this? Thanks.

speedball1 · Feb 24, 2010, 07:14 AM

In any area I've worked in the city's responsible for anything up to your property line. That includes the sewer raiser to your house. Why should you pay for something the city owns? Somehing's not right here. I'd contact the Building Department and find out what it was.
Let me know what you find. Good luck, Tom

Petra1 · Feb 24, 2010, 08:03 AM

Originally Posted by speedball1

In any area I've worked in the city's responsible for anything up to your property line. That includes the sewer raiser to your house. Why should you pay for something the city owns? Somehing's not right here. I'd contact the Building Department and find out what it was.
Let me know what you find. Good luck, Tom

That lateral pipe is on our property but it's city owned, so we still have to pay them?

speedball1 · Feb 24, 2010, 10:12 AM

my plumber found the lateral is also orangeburg

Are you saying the city connecrion from the street main is Orangeberg.
I did Orangeberg sewers back in the 60's and the street raisers were always clay or Terra Cotta. Doesn't sound right to me.

If it's on your property then it's part of your sewer system. However, the section beyond the property line's the citys responsibility. Have your plumber check again. Good luck, Tom

Petra1 · Feb 24, 2010, 11:42 AM

Originally Posted by speedball1

Are you saying the city connecrion from the street main is Orangeberg.
I did Orangeberg sewers back in the 60's and the street raisers were always clay or Terra Cotta. Doesn't sound right to me.

If it's on your property then it's part of your sewer system. However, the section beyond the property line's the citys responsibility. Have your plumber check again. Good luck, Tom

Yea, our plumber said that the connecting part to the city's main is orangeberg. The city sewer manager came out today and said that I need to pay the city to install a tap since I don't have one. All of this doesn't make sense to me. It is on my property, but this is a city pipe. Anyway thanks even if you don't have anymore input.

speedball1 · Feb 25, 2010, 07:39 AM

The city sewer manager came out today and said that I need to pay the city to install a tap since I don't have one.

Of course you have a tap. It's old Orangeberg pipe and you're not asking for a new tap, you simply want the old city tap brought up to code so you can connect back to it.
I would'nt back down from this. It's not your responsibility to have to pay fro a new sewer tap. It's their responsibility to furnish you with one. Good luck, Tom

Petra1 · Feb 25, 2010, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by speedball1

Of course you have a tap. It's old Orangeberg pipe and you're not asking for a new tap, you simply want the old city tap brought up to code so you can connect back to it.
I would'nt back down from this. It's not your responsibility to have to pay fro a new sewer tap. It's their responsibility to furnish you with one. Good luck, Tom

OK so I have new issues now lol, the city's sewer superintendent came out and stated that the clean out the plumber installed is pointed towards our house which makes no sense, he said if we ever had to stick an auger in there we would push it back into the house not out to the man hole. But isn't the clean out just a pipe leading to a horizontal pipe? He said that the plumber couldn't fix the lateral leading to the tap (which is orangeberg) because they don't want him touching the city's sewer pipe. The city has to do it themselves.

Milo Dolezal · Feb 25, 2010, 01:36 PM

City may be very "touchy" about homeowner and his/her contractor working on their sewers. Latteral is City's pipe. In my area City allows only those City permission (... and additional training) to work on City pipes.

The reverse clean out is more-less homeowner's solution - not something suggested or mandated by plumbing Codes for residential properties.

Petra1 · Feb 25, 2010, 02:41 PM

Originally Posted by Milo Dolezal

City may be very "touchy" about homeowner and his/her contractor working on their sewers. Latteral is City's pipe. In my area City allows only those City permission ( ... and additional training) to work on City pipes.

The reverse clean out is more-less homeowner's solution - not something suggested or mandated by plumbing Codes for residential properties.

Can you explain to me what's a reverse clean out? Is this a bad thing to have?

speedball1 · Feb 25, 2010, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by ;

the city's sewer superintendent came out and stated that the clean out the plumber installed is pointed towards our house which makes no sense, he said if we ever had to stick an auger in there we would push it back into the house not out to the man hole. But isn't the clean out just a pipe leading to a horizontal pipe? He said that the plumber couldn't fix the lateral leading to the tap (which is orangeberg) because they don't want him touching the city's sewer pipe.

I can't blame the city for not wanting your plumber work on their sewer.
Look what he's done to yours,

the clean out the plumber installed is pointed towards our house which makes no sense, he said if we ever had to stick an auger in there we would push it back into the house not out to the man hole

Your plumber installed the tee ,(see image) backwards in your sewer before he brought it the surface with a cleanout.
As you can see by the image I've put up the tee directs the direction of flow and also the direction the snake will take. This makes your cleanout useless. You won't be able to snake to the street and if you snake against the flow back into the house you'll risk of damaging your fixtures.
My advice? I would get a plumber that understood how drainage works and repair the screw-up. I would then contact the Building Department and ask that they replace the old sub standard Orangeberg raiser with Terra-Cotta or cast iron.

Petra1 · Feb 25, 2010, 05:45 PM

Originally Posted by speedball1

I can't blame the city for not wanting your plumber work on their sewer.
Look what he's done to yours,
Your plumber installed the tee ,(see image) backwards in your sewer before he brought it the surface with a cleanout.
As you can see by the image I've put up the tee directs the direction of flow and also the direction the snake will take. This makes your cleanout useless. You won't be able to snake to the street and if you snake against the flow back into the house you'll risk of damaging your fixtures.
My advice? I would get a plumber that understood how drainage works and repair the screw-up. I would then contact the Building Department and ask that they replace the old sub standard Orangeberg raiser with Terra-Cotta or cast iron.

I just looked down the cleanout and I think it was installed correctly, if I were run a snake down it it would Have to go towards the neighbors (the lateral line). I'm not sure why the superintendent would say its backwards when its not.