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Hey fellas. I posted the other day asking if anyone had experience with PEX. Well after trying to get under the house I've run into a bit of a problem. There's standing water under there that's not draining anywhere. I found pic related that looks pretty much what under my house looks like, except there's a lot more than the little seen here.
The reason I need to get under there is our washing machine isn't draining to the septic due to a break in the line halfway there (which happens to be in the middle of underneath the house). The drain links up with a drain for a tub via a T that it came disconnected so it just drains out the top of that T instead of going any further.
How can I get this water out so I can get under there to fix this shit? I thought maybe I can dig a hole and then dig a trough to drain it. I can't really afford a pump. What are my options? Please help me.
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>>1025719
a trench
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drag a garden hose under there
put end of hose in lowest part
place brick on hose to hold in place
place other end of hose outside at a lower level than water
use wet/dry shop vac to start siphon
wait for water to drain
use heavy cardboard or light plywood or similar material to make a work path for crawling on
get under there and get it fixed
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>>1025728
yeah...
I'm guessing the tricky bit here is finding one.
>place other end of hose outside at a lower level than water
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaho7JSVS1I
putting together one of these should be less than $20, just add a hose to intake water, and a hose on the other end to get it far away from house. or buy one for $30.
also, if you HAVE a shop vac, just use that.
If you can figure out where the water is coming from, stop it, and the water should drain into the ground over a day or two.
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>>1025719
duct tape a garden hose to a shop vac hose
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>>1025719
My own, non-professional plumber thoughts, in no particular order:
...The water is draining, but it is being replenished as fast as it is draining.
...If it is only a drain line leaking, then you *may* be able to cut the pipe completely through at that spot and just put a rubber patch hose over the cut, until the ground dries out (which may take months, but anyway).
...If you want to do anything about this yourself, you're getting muddy if the water is there or not. Look on the bright side: it looks like greywater. If it was sewage, it would be black.
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I'd hate to suggest it, but maybe replace what you can from the break back up to the house with PVC. In the meantime get a small sump to get the water pumped out. you might be able to find one for a decent price.
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If there is a shitload of water you can rent pumps.
Other option, say fuck it and get wet, have shorts on underneath clothes, drop clothes outdoors, swaddle self in towel then shower inside. Been there, done that, threw away the t-shirt.
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>>1025719
Plumberfag here, a ditch is probably gonna be your best option, but I could give better advice if you would provide pics of your crawlspace and your broken waste lines.
If your lines are cast iron like in your pic then it probably won't be as simple as just putting the pipe back in the T.
Also, try to get as much airflow through the area as you can to help dry out the mud, but expect it to take at least a few days to dry out.
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>>1025719
""""""""""""""house""""""""""""""
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You can rent sumps and pumps for this purpose, but duct tape/garden hose/shop vac will work too. So would a trench.
You're going to have to replace the cast iron at some point with pvc or abs. It's the only thing you can diy easily.
Rent the ratcheting cutter from home depot, break the line, replace with pvc and rubber grommets or sleeves.
If the leak is at the back of that y, it's probably going to be a lot of fun.
If you get super lucky you'll be able to find a rubber grommet you can pound into the break at the y and then press pvc into it, run pvc back and it'll work.
If you get plain old lucky you can break it when the pipe goes back down to regular size between the y and the t, you may be able to get a good gripping surface for the sleeve. Then break it on the longest straight run from the 2 drains and replace with identical pvc.
If you're not lucky I got some bad news dolan, get out a small shovel because you're going to have to dig out where the line runs into the ground.
Repairing cast iron pipe is not cheap, but replacing it is. Repairing it is also not something you can generally diy. It's safe to assume that if one part of that y is rusted out the other part is as well. You might want to consider replacing all of it, but if you're just looking to make it work for now replacing the length that's broken will tide you over.
You can find more in depth info on Google and YouTube.
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>>1027022
>Rent the ratcheting cutter from home depot, break the line
If he is replacing the entire piece he could hit it with a mason hammer and break it up, cast iron is brittle as fuck.
Also I think that pic is just one he found and not his actual crawl space. I hate when OPs do that.
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