New Home Sewer Line Clog

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Jocko124

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Folks, I'm a complete novice when it comes to plumbing--I'm hoping to get some advice on issues I'm having at my home.

I live in a suburb of Houston. I purchased a brand new home 2 years ago. The home has 7 bathrooms/toilets. After a year of living in the home, we had 3 backups into the downstairs shower in 2 months. I believe that the line being clogged has the downstairs powder room, 1 downstairs bathroom and 4 upstairs bathrooms feeding it.

The first time the clog occurred, the builder gave me the "tell your kids not to flush foreign objects down the toilet" talk. I explained that my daughters are in their teens and know better than to flush anything down the toilet other than toilet paper.

The second time, they said that the toilet paper we use (Charmin Ultrasoft 2 ply) is the problem and we should switch to a "green" recycled toilet paper that is less likely to clog. We actually did this after the second incident and we had a third clog within a month.

After the third clog, they used a camera looking for a belly or break in the last Y in the line before the sewer line exits the home (this is where the clog always has been) and they said that we may be using too much toilet paper. I believe they also used a brush of some sort to clean the line. They also set the flow of all the toilets (Vortens) to maximum??

9 months later and we have had a 4th clog in exactly the same location. They used a camera to look at the Y and there was no sign of damage. I suggested that the problem may be in the line coming from the powder room and TP may be getting stuck and then coming down in a slug clogging the Y. They went up that line with the camera and there was a "significant" amount of TP sitting in the line. Based on this, they said since there is no apparent defect in the line, it's the amount of TP usage and we should cut back! They also said that they would place 2 pressure assisted toilets in the downstairs bathrooms (powder room and downstairs bedroom) to help flush out the line better.

Problem/questions:

1) My 2 year warranty on the plumbing is up after this warranty claim and I don't want to be left holding the bag on a possibly faulty system.
2) My understanding of pressure assisted toilets is that they help with keeping the toilet unclogged---there's no increase in water volume per flush so I don't understand how this would make the sewer line less likely to clog?
3) There are other homes like mine in the neighborhood and I've spoken to 2 other owners and they do not have this problem.
4) I'm willing to hire a professional who has my best interests in mind, but I'm not sure the best route. Do I need a plumbing engineer to look at the layout (although the layout should not be an issue if similar homes are not having an issues) or plans and see if there's an issue? Is there a specification for sewer line slope and can the slope be measured in my sewer line? I'm at the end of my rope here so all advice is appreciated.
 

Reach4

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I think you are saying that the clog occurs at a 3 x 3 x 3. Looking at the picture below, the bottom of the picture represents the output toward the city sewer, and powder room comes in at 45 degrees. The pipes at the wye are horizontal other than the slight tilt. Right?

wye.jpg
 

Cacher_Chick

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Without seeing how everything was installed we are only left to guess, but I will tell you that most problems in a drainage system are caused by piping that does not maintain appropriate amount of slope. If there is a section of piping that is installed flat, bellied, or worse-yet, sloped backwards, there will be clogs. Every gallon of water flushed down a toilet should flow all the way out of the building by gravity alone, and no particular brand of toilet is going to change that fact.
 

Jocko124

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I think you are saying that the clog occurs at a 3 x 3 x 3. Looking at the picture below, the bottom of the picture represents the output toward the city sewer, and powder room comes in at 45 degrees. The pipes at the wye are horizontal other than the slight tilt. Right?

wye.jpg
Yes
 

Jocko124

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Without seeing how everything was installed we are only left to guess, but I will tell you that most problems in a drainage system are caused by piping that does not maintain appropriate amount of slope. If there is a section of piping that is installed flat, bellied, or worse-yet, sloped backwards, there will be clogs. Every gallon of water flushed down a toilet should flow all the way out of the building by gravity alone, and no particular brand of toilet is going to change that fact.

Is there a way to check the slope? What's the best way to diagnose the problem. Since the Builder has to pay for the fix, I'm not sure he's coming up with the best solutions to this problem.
 

Cacher_Chick

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You might be screwed one way or the other, but if I were you, I would be having a reputable plumber who is not in any way connected to your builder do a camera inspection of the line. If it is retaining liquid anywhere in the line, it is not sloped properly.
 

Dj2

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You need to act fast, before the original warranty is up. It's obvious the builder is waiting for the warranty to expire.

Get 2-3 independent plumbers with cameras to to write detailed reports showing where the clog is and estimate for the repair.
Then get a real estate lawyer's opinion.

We could see a law suit in the making?
 

Jocko124

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You need to act fast, before the original warranty is up. It's obvious the builder is waiting for the warranty to expire.

Get 2-3 independent plumbers with cameras to to write detailed reports showing where the clog is and estimate for the repair.
Then get a real estate lawyer's opinion.

We could see a law suit in the making?


No, per the warranty we go to arbitration.
 

Dj2

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No, per the warranty we go to arbitration.

That's fine.

With 2 reports from independent plumbers, backed by cam videos, you will get the builder to fix it once and for all, IF it's his responsibility.

The arbitrator will have to decide that.
 
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