Author Topic: Tracing Sewage Line?  (Read 962 times)

BudgetSlasher

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Tracing Sewage Line?
« on: July 04, 2020, 11:24:04 AM »
The extra time COVID is having me spend at home is letting me knock big and small things off my to do list.

One that is coming up is that our home was marketed as having an RV hookup to our septic system. Apparently that was simply carried over from prior listings and the owners we bought the house from could not say where it might be (and it isn't apparent).

Now I know that is might not be there at all, but there is reason to believe that it might be. Our front yard includes a gravel RV parking pad with a 50A circuit with RV receptacle placed run via buried conduit (and labeled as RV pad on the breaker box). So it stands to reason that if a prior listing mentioned an RV septic hookup, there is a designated RV parking area (which some effort of went into filling and leveling), and there is dedicated power for an RV, that chances are better than not that there is in fact a hook up.

I cannot figure out a way to look for the line without A) paying someone to come out and trace it with specialty tools, B) digging up a good portion of the yard, or C) guess that it is near the RV outlet (which is on the power company's pole where all utilities go underground for the last 100 feet to the house) and I really do not feel like digging blindly around buried utilities.

Any ideas? or am I SOL?

Fishindude

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #1 on: July 04, 2020, 12:50:06 PM »
There is a tool called a "tile probe".  Septic guys, tile contractors, excavation contractors that install much underground piping, etc. have and use these.
It's nothing more than a stiff metal rod with a tee handle on the top pushing end and a ball bearing welded to the bottom probe end.   You shove this tool down into the earth to locate pipes by feel.   You can't use them in some really hard soils and rocks can confuse you, but they do work.   If you know a for sure location of any of the buried pipe, start there, then keep probing and follow the pipe, marking the surface of the ground as you locate it.

NaN

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #2 on: July 05, 2020, 12:17:48 PM »
Sewer line cameras. Most home inspectors have them.

lthenderson

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #3 on: July 06, 2020, 08:13:00 AM »
I have used a DIY probe in situations like this as well. At least in my soil type, it works best if you go out after a large rain and the ground has been softened up some.

I wouldn't assume that the sewer hookup is right next to the electrical hookup. Most RV's come with some length of tubing so it might be a number of feet away.

lthenderson

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #4 on: July 06, 2020, 08:14:40 AM »
It wasn't specified, but if you septic tank has an accessible cover, you may be able to shine a light down into it and see the general direction the RV pipe is heading off towards.

bacchi

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #5 on: July 06, 2020, 10:47:50 AM »
Sewer line cameras. Most home inspectors have them.

+1

The local Big Box store rents drain line cameras. Start at the street clean-out and work from there.

Sibley

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #6 on: July 06, 2020, 10:54:33 AM »
In my area, you can call and have the underground utilities marked (for free). It picks up my sewer line. Do you have similar? Worth a try if so.

Milspecstache

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #7 on: July 06, 2020, 12:23:02 PM »
What type of soil do you have?

As a previous poster said, as long as you don't have rocky soil you should be able to take a piece of rebar and push down in the soil until you find a long pipe heading the direction of your sewage/septic line.

Fishindude

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #8 on: July 06, 2020, 01:39:34 PM »
In my area, you can call and have the underground utilities marked (for free). It picks up my sewer line. Do you have similar? Worth a try if so.

Indiana Underground (call 811) only locates public / municipal utilities.   They won't locate private utilities like septic systems, the water line from your well, etc.

Plastic lines like septic systems are not the easiest to locate.   I don't see how a sewer cam would help much either, they just scope out the interior of the line for damage, obstructions, etc.

NaN

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #9 on: July 10, 2020, 07:24:27 AM »
Plastic lines like septic systems are not the easiest to locate.   I don't see how a sewer cam would help much either, they just scope out the interior of the line for damage, obstructions, etc.

What do you mean "plastic lines"? Just sewer PVC line?

A sewer cam can have a locator beacon on it to use outside with an RF wand to locate obstructions. If the septic line for the RV hook up is a junction of the main sewer line and not an extra dump into the septic tank then you can stop where you find the junction by using the wand. Which direction (left/right off pipe) the septic line comes from could also be deduced. If possible, might be even able to go up stream of the tank and fish it into the RV line junction.

But I agree, a soil probe after some rains would be the simplest DIY.

BTDretire

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #10 on: July 11, 2020, 01:13:30 AM »
 I have a 4ft 1/4" rod that I use to probe the ground. I used it it find my sewer line to the road, when I needed to do a cleanout. I did make something like an arrow head point on it with a rounded tip, (I heated it and pounded it flat then ground the shape) Then I put it in my cordless drill and drill it into the ground. I have the rounded tip so as to not put a hole in the pipe. Kind of a minor concern, you can feel when you hit something.
 Make a line where you think it might be and drill every 2 ".
  I have even found a 3/4" conduit in the ground use my rod, but I knew it was only 1ft deep.
Is it possibe the pipe runs out of the basement or crawlspace, you might getting a bearing using that as a guide.

BudgetSlasher

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2020, 10:25:54 AM »
First to all, thank you for the replies and sorry for the delay in responding. I hadn't intended to disappear for days (and days) but life and other projects kept me busy.

There is a tool called a "tile probe".  Septic guys, tile contractors, excavation contractors that install much underground piping, etc. have and use these.
It's nothing more than a stiff metal rod with a tee handle on the top pushing end and a ball bearing welded to the bottom probe end.   You shove this tool down into the earth to locate pipes by feel.   You can't use them in some really hard soils and rocks can confuse you, but they do work.   If you know a for sure location of any of the buried pipe, start there, then keep probing and follow the pipe, marking the surface of the ground as you locate it.

Thanks for the tip. I used something similar to locate and dig out the septic lid for pumping a few years back (I wasn't going to pay for that). Only I used a large piece of rebar (and had a good idea where the lid was)

I do not think it will work for a larger project, as you point out rocky soil can be a problem; I know in my yard the septic tank top is 2.5+ feet deep, the fill above it contains softball sized rocks, the rest of the yard ... well Maine "grow" rocks every year new rocks appear at the surface thanks to freeze thaw cycles. I also have an (abandoned) concrete vault leach field and shallow ledge in one spot. I am afraid too many false positives will occur.

Sewer line cameras. Most home inspectors have them.

Could you elaborate? I have only known these to be uses to search for an obstruction/inspect pipe condition. How do I correlate what is on the screen for the camera with what is in the yard (edit: just got to the point in the thread where you mention RF location)? Can they be "steered"? (if the RV line is real it either joins the house line a a sharp angle or has its own connection to the septic system).

It wasn't specified, but if you septic tank has an accessible cover, you may be able to shine a light down into it and see the general direction the RV pipe is heading off towards.

the lid is 2.5+ feet below ground (without a riser) and made of concrete. When I dug it up for my last septic clean out, I could not make in budge. If I dug a bigger whole perhaps I could get better body mechanics and *maybe* lift it ... I think I'll wait a couple years until the next clean out is scheduled and just ask them to take a peak.

In my area, you can call and have the underground utilities marked (for free). It picks up my sewer line. Do you have similar? Worth a try if so.

Good idea, unfortunately that will only work here if we were on public water/sewer (we are on neither). We have a similar dig safe program here, but it only marks buried public utilities. We have had them out before and they marked power/cable/phone; I know for a fact those line crossed our plumbing at at least one point, but it remained up marked.

As this is not urgent, I guess I will wait until I have the septic pumped again ... unless the rf probe seems viable.

Thanks again for the all the input.

Fishindude

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #12 on: July 13, 2020, 11:53:47 AM »
Worst case scenario, you simply locate the buried line at a known point, excavate and follow it.
I've done this plenty of times.

BudgetSlasher

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Re: Tracing Sewage Line?
« Reply #13 on: July 13, 2020, 12:15:39 PM »
Worst case scenario, you simply locate the buried line at a known point, excavate and follow it.
I've done this plenty of times.

The thought has crossed my mind. And, if it is the only way I I come to need the connection, I will do it.

But getting the wife's approval to tear up a good portion of the front yard will be difficult ... especially without a suggestion of "while you are already digging ... you should do X" where X is at least as much work tracing the pipe.