Should be at least as deep as your basement wall is below the exterior grade.
There is probably a hardware store or rental company in the area that you can rent a snake.
Bob gave you good advice, but for the time and effort, if you could rent a snake (they are not hard to use) should be able to get it cleared easily
Unless it is like the last one I worked on where the pipe broke due to a concrete slab at the wall where it exited the house what a nightmare.
Good luck getting it cleared
We actually have two snakes in the house. Both are hand-held. One is manual, in that you turn a handle to snake it. The other is the kind you hook a drill up to. The problem is that since we can't get the clean out plug out of the floor drain, we would have to go through the trap at the bottom of the drain. We can't get either snake up through the bend in the pipe. I'm pretty much at my wit's end. I think we're going to have to break down and call a plumber, but I have no idea how we're going to afford it. :banghead:
Have you put heat to the plug? Be sure you don't have sewer gas build up before you try.
That could make for a really crappy outcome.
Have you put heat to the plug? Be sure you don't have sewer gas build up before you try.
You might try tightening the clean out plug first. A lot of times that will break them loose. They are pipe threads and are tapered. Tightening for some reason almost always works. You should use a large correct size wrench or a pipe wrench though instead of a hammer and chisel.
:wack:
I can tell, there`s not a plumber in the bunch! okc was fairly close, rrr was in there a little too, most of the other ones were shots in the dark. first off, it does sound like a mostly plugged drain, not a vent problem. second, you can`t go down thru ur washing machine drain-as there is a ''should be 2" p-trap at the bottom of the stand pipe. if ur floor drain is cast iron, the plug should be brass, not ductile iron, it could even be pvc if it has been changedby some one. does ur house have studor vents in the attic? if not there should be more than one vent exiting the roof, "if" ur grand pa or who ever plumbed it new what he was doing, unless all the plumbing is bunched up real close together and not scatered all over the house(a lot of distance between fixtures). you can take a small torch and heat the clean-out plug inthe floor drain(get it hot!), that way u won`t be trying to shove ur snake -garden hose or what ever u use thru the floor drain trap. and it is supposed to be hooked in w/ the house plumbing! if that doesn`t work, ur going to have to find the spot that the trunk line exits the house. dig it up, make a hole in it drill-it or whatever(depends on the mat`l ) if it is clay tile u can use a masonary blade carefully to make a small hloe, of the old-old fashoned way and chipp it very slowly a bit at a time w/ a sharp little chisel an a medium size hammer. careful, u don`t want to break that pipe! use ur snake both ways, in toward the house and out toward the yard---u still might need an auger type sewer machine!--if u have to u can bend some scap metal that won`t rust quickly and fashion a cover for it to keep dirt out of it, obviously a clean out tee would be better!---good luck-----bob
No, because I don't have anything to use to put heat to it.
A BernzOmatic hand held propane torch is cheap. I paid around $20 for mine with a spare bottle at Lowes.
http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay...gId=10051&cmRelshp=req&rel=nofollow&cId=PDIO1
Drill many holes in the plug, chisel and beat and break out the plug! Clean out the threads and replace with a $2 PVC plug.
Man, we can walk you through this......or at least I will. I'll be glad to do it over the phone. Just think of it as big fuel line plumbing. All you need to do is cut out that clean up access and clamp a PVC one in its place. What diameter pipe is it? 4"?
Ummm
All drains in your home eventually lead into your main sewer line, which connects to a city sewer line or a septic tank. Every plumbing fixture including floor drains have a trap. The purpose of a trap is to prevent foul-smelling sewer gas from coming back in to the house.
Drill many holes in the plug, chisel and beat and break out the plug! Clean out the threads and replace with a $2 PVC plug.