Clay clean out cap removal

[septimosprime]

After being told by Mike Diamond that it would cost me $2400 to dig, locate, and install a clean out in my main line sewer pipe to fix our draining issues I decided to give it a go myself. My house was built in the mid-50's on a raised foundation. We found the clean out just outside of the house about 2' deep. It's capped with what we believe is clay and we don't know how to remove this cap in order to extend the clean out to the surface for future snaking. The cap is about 7.5" in diameter and doesn't have a raised square lug for a wrench to grip onto. How do we remove it?

 

[Dj2]

If the cap sits on top of a short riser pipe, you can cut it off at its base using a grinder with a masonry blade. Then simply set a clay-to-ABS adopter with an ABS riser above grade.

I guess the "smell good plumber" is using very expensive perfumes and somebody has to pay for them...

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

For $2400.00, I could probably install a new sewer and still have enough left over to make a few truck payments, which may be what he needed the money for. Without seeing it we cannot tell you HOW to extend the CO to the surface, but it would not cost $2400.00 even if you had to cut the main line and install a new fitting.

 

[Smooky]

A picture would help. You might be able to dig around it enough to expose more pipe. From your description I think you are looking at the bell end of a four inch clay pipe. How is it put together? It may be cemented. If you can not get it apart, you could use a diamond blade or carbide blade sawzall or angle grinder to cut the bell off or rent a snap cutter etc and then use a fernco banded coupling to attach a section of pvc pipe.