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Finding the main drain pipe in my basement floor?

7K views 1 reply 2 participants last post by  almostdone 
#1 ·
Hello,

I am trying to find the main drain pipe in my basement floor to install a bathroom. I thought I knew where it was but after 8 hours of scoring and jackhammering my floor I came up with nothing..! I dug down down 2-2.5 feet under the concrete.

The drain is cast iron. Could I use a metal detector to find it? My floor is 4 inches thick. Would that make

The next time I go at it I want to know exactly where its at before.

In anyones professional opinion what is the best way to find it with out going to pull records.

Thank you!

John
 
#2 ·
You could rent an electric drain cable machine (snake), put a 3" or 4" blade on it, depending on your pipe size and you should be able to hear the blade banging around in the pipe which would give you a general location to dig. There also are contractors like Mr. Rooter plumbing that have line location equipment but that could cost 2 or 3 hundred bucks. Don't know about the metal detector.
 
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