Seeking advice for preventing clogs in Orangeburg pipes

[Old Tar Pipes]

The title says it all. My spouse and I are renting a very old house that we unfortunately discovered, after moving in, has failing bituminous fiber pipes going out to the city sewer line.

The Roto Rooter guy has been out to the house three times to snake out the line due to sewage backups into the shower (gross), and said we should definitely expect to see him again.

Obviously we will move at the end of the lease, but I was wondering if anyone had any tips as to what we can do to minimize blockages in the line while we're here.

Things we do just out of habit ordinarily are:

1.) Tub, shower and sinks have strain filters so that hair, debris, food particles, etc. don't go down the drain.

2.) Cooking oils get put into an old coffee can and thrown out.

3.) No sanitary products get flushed. We only flush Scott single ply toilet paper.

Is there anything we can do as tenants to maintain these failing pipes for the duration of our lease? Are there any commercial products that you would recommend? Would things like pouring vinegar or very hot water down the drain help move things along, so to speak, or would that just make the matter worse?

Three bouts of backed up sewage in the shower have me pretty grossed out, and I'd love to know if there are any tips until we can move!

Thanks for taking the time to read this.

 

[hj]

There is NO way to cure problems with Orangeburg pipes. They have been "crushed" by the weight of the earth covering them and I am surprised the company could even get an adequate cutter through it, but maybe they can't which is why it stops up so quickly. YOU are not the problem, so nothing you do can prevent it from happening. Roots have infiltrated the pipes and there is no way to clear them out properly so the just come back each time, and probably more aggressively each time.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Old Tar Pipes]

There is NO way to cure problems with Orangeburg pipes. They have been "crushed" by the weight of the earth covering them and I am surprised the company could even get an adequate cutter through it, but maybe they can't which is why it stops up so quickly. YOU are not the problem, so nothing you do can prevent it from happening. Roots have infiltrated the pipes and there is no way to clear them out properly so the just come back each time, and probably more aggressively each time.

I really appreciate your reply. I sort of expected it, but was holding out a glimmer of hope that there was something I could do. Just counting the days until we can move. Thank you again.

 

[Themp]

Two ideas based on Googling:

http://books.google.com/books?id=as...HvKiyDA&ved=0CFkQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.roebic.com/root-killers.shtml

http://www.foamingrootkiller.com/

 

[hj]

A friend had a four inch Orangeburg sewer line and when I dug it up it looked like a "double barreled shotgun" and two 2" pipes.

 

[Old Tar Pipes]

Two ideas based on Googling:

http://books.google.com/books?id=asNJEcPdIFgC&pg=PA309&lpg=PA309&dq=rock salt sewer&source=bl&ots=mv-hPPKcRH&sig=cNSfNcejNyA6pzvvsqTAkQsBzv0&hl=en&sa=X&ei=9BoEUMCWDZPwrAGHvKiyDA&ved=0CFkQ6AEwAjge#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://www.roebic.com/root-killers.shtml

http://www.foamingrootkiller.com/

Thank you! I had looked into something like this, but I'm worried it could possibly disintegrate the already disintegrated fiberglass any further. I don't know enough about these type of pipes to be sure.



---

A friend had a four inch Orangeburg sewer line and when I dug it up it looked like a "double barreled shotgun" and two 2" pipes.

I believe it! A google image search has some amazing pictures of them!

 

[hj]

I doubt that you could "damage it further" because it should be about damaged as much as possible. EVERY time a snake is run into the pipe, it has a possibility of drilling through the sidewall and burrowing into the earth, which can sometimes create an interesting situation trying to retrieve it from the pipe. As a side bar, when Orangeburg was introduced it was touted as the "perfect replacement for cast iron pipe", because its tar coating would repel roots and it would not corrode. The cast iron institute then produced a motion picture showing ALL the things that could happen to Orangeburg pipe, such as delamination and the pipe filled with a honeycomb that looked like a spider web.

 

[Old Tar Pipes]

I doubt that you could "damage it further" because it should be about damaged as much as possible. EVERY time a snake is run into the pipe, it has a possibility of drilling through the sidewall and burrowing into the earth, which can sometimes create an interesting situation trying to retrieve it from the pipe. As a side bar, when Orangeburg was introduced it was touted as the "perfect replacement for cast iron pipe", because its tar coating would repel roots and it would not corrode. The cast iron institute then produced a motion picture showing ALL the things that could happen to Orangeburg pipe, such as delamination and the pipe filled with a honeycomb that looked like a spider web.

OK that's good to know. I'll give a root killer a try if the worst that could happen is that I wasted my money. We've only got six months left on the lease, and if I could avoid even one more sewage clog, it would be worth it.

I had never heard of these pipes before moving here. Trying to find a silver lining in this, at least I've learned when it's time for us to start househunting, I'm feeling it would be worth it to us to pay for a camera inspection of the sewage line of any house we're seriously interested in.

Thanks again!

 

[hj]

The interesting thing about Orangeburg is that it was not used for over a decade, but then the Government decided to "sponsor" low income housing and in order to minimize costs and lower the price, INSISTED that Orangeburg be used for the sewers, meaning that the people least likely to be able afford stoppages or sewer replacement would be the ones stuck with them.

 

[Old Tar Pipes]

The interesting thing about Orangeburg is that it was not used for over a decade, but then the Government decided to "sponsor" low income housing and in order to minimize costs and lower the price, INSISTED that Orangeburg be used for the sewers, meaning that the people least likely to be able afford stoppages or sewer replacement would be the ones stuck with them.

Oh wow that's fascinating. What decade did that happen in?

 

[hj]

1970's. They were something like "title 935 homes".