Adding cleanout to sewer line

[Jon229]

I'm planning on adding an ABS wye into an iron pipe sewer line (lateral) because my present cleanout is no longer accessable. It's 2ft below the surface of a lawn, just outside my foundation. I'm going to use Fernco rubber coupling to make the transitions.

I am concerned about roots working their way in through the Fernco. I recently observed a street repair to a lateral where a street repair contractor patched a section of an iron pipe sewer line they damaged while digging in the street. They used plastic and Fernco couplings and then encased it in concrete. When I inquired as to why they poured concrete they said it was to stabilize that section of pipe in the roadbed.

I would like to know if it is a good or bad idea, and why, if I were to pour some concrete around the area of the couplings of my cleanout to keep roots from entering the line at the Frenco couplings. I don't want to do something dumb but I don't see how this would be a bad idea.

thanks, jon

 

[Patrick88]

if you know the location of the clean out in your yard you could open it and use a male adapter then a short piece of pipe and a new clean out on the surface of your yard. If it is plastic pipe you could cut off the cleanout and glue on a coupling and run up a new clean out.

Ferncos are not the best choices i would use a mission coupling. they do sell them a the box stores and they are alot stronger. Ferncos have the two small bands holding and a mission has one band that covers all the rubber and two bands to squeeze the larger band. If you look at them in the stores you will be able to tell the difference and see why mission couplings are much better.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[GrumpyPlumber]

Patrick, and here's the funny irony - drainlayers use fernco's all the time per town engineers.
We are responsible for ten feet outside, we take painstaking care to backfill & use appropriate pitch, fittings & pipe...then the GC or drainlayer come along and connect us to the sewer with a fernco, and it's inspected/passed by the towns engineer.
Why? I dunno, and ironically you need a special license to do it too.
In this case, he states it's only a few feet outside the house, so a fernco is a no-no.

 

[Jon229]

if you know the location of the clean out in your yard you could open it and use a male adapter then a short piece of pipe and a new clean out on the surface of your yard. If it is plastic pipe you could cut off the cleanout and glue on a coupling and run up a new clean out.

This won't work for me. The cleanout is in a crawl space in a very difficult to reach location. Once you get there you have all of 3 inches of clearance. That is why I'm installing a new cleanout in the yard.

Ferncos are not the best choices i would use a mission coupling. they do sell them a the box stores and they are alot stronger.

Thanks, I am not impressed with the 2 "hose clamps" on the Ferncos. I'll go on shopping trip to a different store.

What about the concrete? Yes or no on that? I figure no matter how tight I get those clamps a root will still get through and start growing bigger once it gets going.

Jon

 

[Patrick88]

If you can't find a Mission coupling at the box stores then go to a real plumbing supply house and ask them for what you need. I believe the concrete is used to mainly help keep the pipe from moving around.

It has taken X years for your old pipe to crack and let roots in. If you install everything right you wont have problems for years.

Mission coupling are not a one size fits all like ferncos. you need to ask for the one thats for the pipes you are connecting. Cast iron to plastic or plastic to plastic or cast iron to cast iron.

 

[MACPLUMB]

go with the fittings as above, do not use concrete!!!

if you are relley worryed about roots growing back into line??

just get a couple pounds of rock salt and pour over your joints roots won't
be able to grow though salt and if you have to dig up again you won't have to bust concrete out of the way

JERRYMAC AKA MACPLUMB

 

[Jon229]

just get a couple pounds of rock salt and pour over your joints roots won't
be able to grow though salt and if you have to dig up again you won't have to bust concrete out of the way

JERRYMAC AKA MACPLUMB

Interesting. I like that idea but wonder if it will kill the plant and/or tree.

Thanks, Jon

 

[Toolaholic]

My own root problem

Had roots entering terra cotta joints. Used ferncos to tie in 6 ft. of abs to terra cotta. then at new couplings brought up 3/4" pvc to surface. These have removable end caps .Now once a year I dump hot water with calsumn cloride
down pvc . No root problems