I bought a forclosure a year ago. It was built in 1953. The sump pump was illegally tied into the sewer line in the basement so I disconnected and rerouted it outside the house and down the driveway. I noticed I had a lake at the bottom of my driveway even though it hadn't rained for days. The sump pump kept kicking on after my family took a bath or washed clothes. After seeing soap bubbles in my sump pit I called a plumber. He confirmed a break about 69 inches out from the clean out cap in my basement. The water is escaping the sewer pipe and collecting in the drain tile. I was quoted $2400 to fix this. Just outside the basement wall there are cement steps with the pipe under the second or third step. Just outside the steps is an old black asphalt driveway. It seems the break is located where the driveway meets these cement steps. The driveway is a little lower than the cement steps so I'm guessing the asphalt sunk slowly and caused the break.
It gets 'better'. I have a catch basin in the front of the house. It was all sludges up so a septic tank truck sucked it out. Then the plumber found a clog between the house and the inlet to the catch basin. It turns out there is a kitchen sink drain that ties into the the larger sewer pipe. This junction is closer to the catch basin and downstream from the broken section. The problem is that the sink drain protrudes 2 inches into the larger pipe making it a perfect spot for plugging up. Once the clog was jetted out we did see some water getting into the catch basin (not sure what % is leaking through cracked section but I would guess 25-50% if there is no clog).
And here's the big kicker. They tried scoping the outlet of the catch basin and instead of going to the street the plumber stopped after 1 foot and said the outlet pipe was snapped off. I thought it was strange that my front steps were slanted. The sidewalk up to my steps are also slanted toward the basin suggesting there is a sinkhole waiting to be found. To fix the outlet I was quoted $4500 and to bypass the catch basin it would cost $8400 because they would have to dig on both sides.
Does anybody have some inexpensive ideas or a smart long term strategy? In a few years I would consider taking a large loan to tear up the driveway, the front steps/sidewalk, remove or fill basin and bury my sump outlet pipe.
Thanks for your time,
Mike
It gets 'better'. I have a catch basin in the front of the house. It was all sludges up so a septic tank truck sucked it out. Then the plumber found a clog between the house and the inlet to the catch basin. It turns out there is a kitchen sink drain that ties into the the larger sewer pipe. This junction is closer to the catch basin and downstream from the broken section. The problem is that the sink drain protrudes 2 inches into the larger pipe making it a perfect spot for plugging up. Once the clog was jetted out we did see some water getting into the catch basin (not sure what % is leaking through cracked section but I would guess 25-50% if there is no clog).
And here's the big kicker. They tried scoping the outlet of the catch basin and instead of going to the street the plumber stopped after 1 foot and said the outlet pipe was snapped off. I thought it was strange that my front steps were slanted. The sidewalk up to my steps are also slanted toward the basin suggesting there is a sinkhole waiting to be found. To fix the outlet I was quoted $4500 and to bypass the catch basin it would cost $8400 because they would have to dig on both sides.
Does anybody have some inexpensive ideas or a smart long term strategy? In a few years I would consider taking a large loan to tear up the driveway, the front steps/sidewalk, remove or fill basin and bury my sump outlet pipe.
Thanks for your time,
Mike
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