Basement floor drain backs up from kitchen drain. Are they connected?

[Reach4]

I am thinking either whole-house trap or 2-way cleanout.

 

[Mnalep]

If my older cast iron pipe is a version of one of those, do you think that the hole at the bottom in picture #3 is a broken pipe, or just rusting around the perimeter of the opening at the bottom of the 'U'? How can I verify?

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Mnalep]

I am thinking either whole-house trap or 2-way cleanout.

Hi Reach4, I don't see the image you posted....

 

[Mnalep]

Ah. There, I see the image now. That pipe appears to be a connector, between two other pipes, as well as a 2 way clean out. My pipe seems to be more of a 1 wsy clean out, and 1 way drain opening. I also think my pipe has only 1 exit in the straight pipe, not 2 as that image does. (I could be wrong, of course). Would old cast iron pipes, from around 1928, exist that are like that PVC pipe you posted?

I tried taking some pictures, and a video, with a small endoscope camera, I borrowed from my son. But I was not able to see much of anything whene I put it on my pipe, other than what I think is likely a hole/crack near the bottom of the rounded piping.

The three images below are from that endoscope. The first picture is from above the pipe. The next two pictures are just inside the pipe, about 8-10 inches.

I took a video, but it shows really nothing once the camera is under water.

 

[Mnalep]

This link shows a video and some still pictures I tried to take of inside the pipe. If you click on the first image, it will open another page with the video, and audio...

https://photos.app.goo.gl/nrS9NLaNm9Sk112o7

 

[Mnalep]

The DRAIN ROD was a success. I put it down the floor drain, and worked it back and forth, for about 10 feet down the pipe, and it opened up the clog! That's the good news.

The bad news, is after the water drained away, i saw a small chunk of debris in the opening of the floor drain. It was at the entry to the floor drain, in the section of pipe coming from the kitchen drain line. I managed to poke it with a piece of steel molding, and get it into the bottom of the floor drain. It was too big to pull out. I did manage to tap it with the piece of steel molding, and break a small piece of it off the larger chunk, and sucked that small piece out with a shop vac.

I'm not sure what it is, but there are picture at the link I've inserted. It almost looks like a piece of red brick!

I put the hose down the PVC wye clean out, and the water flowed through the floor drain, to the main. I could see the water flowing past the chunk of debris, so I might be ok to leave it in there. (SO, the kitchen drain line DOES go through the floor drain, which goes to the main drain!)

I am brainstorming ideas of how to either break it up, and vacuum it out, but I don't want to bang too hard on the debris through the floor drain, as I don't want to risk braking the pipe at the bottom of the floor drain.

Or, maybe use something to reach down from the PVC wye and try and pull it out. It appears to be about 3 inches in diameter. (Maybe something like a small fish net taped to the end of the sewer rod?)

Any ideas?

BTW, now that I can see the bottom it appears to be material that looks like it is 'dotted' - like a black and orange color mix. That does not seem like cast iron, does it? A few of the pictures at the link sort of show the texture of the bottom of the drain pipe.

I am also thinking of taping the endoscope camera to the drain rod, and putting it down the pipes and see what is going on in there, Maybe now that the water is out - I can see some clearer images?

There are two videos among the still pictures, at the google photos link below. I've also inserted a blow up of the picture with the debris in the drain pipe, and another one showing the 'mottled' substrate of the drain pipe, showing the spotted texture (maybe it's orange and black, or orange and white colors?) - not sure that is cast iron pipe?

https://photos.app.goo.gl/baKpnDnRBJmnTUfr7

 

[Cacher_Chick]

Clay pipe is orange/red and feels like brick or soft stone.
You can use a magnet to see if the pipe is cast iron or something else.

It wouldnt be uncommon to find a big flake of cast iron or clay pipe in a line when they are in poor condition.

 

[WorthFlorida]

Almost certain the waste line past the foundation wall is collapsing. There are no quick and cheap fixes. It would be either cast iron or clay The laundry sink is not an original. The floor connection was either a floor drain or clean out. How old is the house?

 

[Mnalep]

Clay pipe is orange/red and feels like brick or soft stone.
You can use a magnet to see if the pipe is cast iron or something else.

It wouldnt be uncommon to find a big flake of cast iron or clay pipe in a line when they are in poor condition.

Any good ideas for retrieving it? Or, does it even matter if I leave it in?

 

[Mnalep]

Almost certain the waste line past the foundation wall is collapsing. There are no quick and cheap fixes. It would be either cast iron or clay The laundry sink is not an original. The floor connection was either a floor drain or clean out. How old is the house?

The house was built in 1928.

I've inserted two pictures.

One picture shows the existing kitchen drain (PVC PIPE), along with a hole that may have been an old kitchen drain, or vent for the 2nd kitchen ( the hole with red test plug in it), and the regular floor drain that was where the backup was.

The 2nd picture shows what looks like a combination was hole/ clean out that the PVC kitchen wast line drains into,

I'm not sure the locataion when you said the 'waste line past the foundation is collapsing'? Do you mean where the kitchen drain enters the floor, or do you mean the main drain leaving the house going to the street, or somewhere else?

 

[Reach4]

Any good ideas for retrieving it? Or, does it even matter if I leave it in?

Adapt a tube to a vacuum cleaner with tape if your vacuum cleaner pipes don't fit, and try to suck up what can fit through the hole?

 

[WorthFlorida]

Old homes are nice in many ways but a 90 year old home will have 90 problems. All those pipes must lead to the main drain going to the street plus who know what was added or capped off 60 years ago or more? One cause of blockage is a slow drain because solids stay behind. You may clear this blockage but if your main is pretty well filled up the problem will come back. You might check county records if a permit was ever pulled to replace the pipe to the street?

 

[Mnalep]

Adapt a tube to a vacuum cleaner with tape if your vacuum cleaner pipes don't fit, and try to suck up what can fit through the hole?

I will try that vacuum idea...