JONES-SMITH

I m live Los Angeles
I have a full bath in the basement. Doing renovations there and the shower stall has rust/something coming up from the pipes. My h. thinks they can just put a snake down there and clean it out? Is this the case?

I know it could be roots but I refuse to tear a tree down. We get water through the city- can they help me with this- help- any plumbers out there??

glennjanie

Welcome Jones-Smith:
Sorry, most cities and municipalities end their responsibility at the meter, which is usually near the street.
You can rent an electric snake and let H. see what can be done with it. That way, it won't cost so much and, if it fails, you haven't lost a lot. It is not necessary to take out a tree, just clear the drain and then put a cup of salt pellets in the drain once a month (the pellets you would use in a water softener).
Glenn

majakdragon

A drain snake "may" work if it is a clog in one of the smaller diameter pipes. If it is in the main drain, he will need to rent an auger with larger cable and cutting heads. If it is tree roots, this will solve the problem for a while, but will need to be done again later. I did this yearly for a friend of mine. One thing you must remember about tree roots is that they have entered the line and this is weakening the structural strength of the line.

__________________
if you have never made a mistake, you probably haven't done much.

MoreTime

My suggestion for this situation would be run an electric auger with a root cutter and the best thing for roots is Copper Sulfate at a constant feed through the toilet. good luck. MT