Hydro-jetting gone bad

marieb

A few pictures to show what I'm trying to explain.

Attachment 22210

At this very moment I have a restoration clean up company cleaning up the mess from yesterday. I'll try to keep this short. The plumber did hydro-jetting from the floor drain in my garage. When he was done he asked us to flush the toilet in the basement to check the flow of water. That is when we discovered the disaster. Sandy, granular dirt sprayed (more like exploded) everywhere. Water/dirt sprayed through the toilet, the bathroom sink drain, the shower drain, the kitchen sink drain, the laundry tub and the floor drain in the laundry room. All the drains are on the basement level, one step up from the garage. The dirt is EVERYWHERE.....walls, ceiling floor, etc.

What caused this. The plumber had few words after this happened. He left without explanation. I called the plumbing company. I was told to file a report and they would get back to me next week. I am also without hot water. The"spray" shut my tank off and now it will not go back on.

Thanks for any advice/responses.

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oh'mike

Wow---That plumber should have had a helper watching the house drains.

Good luck with that! Let us know how things turn out.--Mike--

rustyjames

The water from the jetting chose a path of the least resistance, in this case through your fixtures, not out into the sewer. The plumber's approach going through the garage floor drain was probably the wrong one.

marieb

That's what I thought. The restoration people just left. I have a lot a head of me to clean. They got up about 85%, so the hard part is done. There is dirt in every little crack possible. It's like someone took a hose full of sand and blasted the room. I cannot even begin to describe it. This never should have happened. Hopefully this post will educate others before they get hydro-jetted.

That makes sense. I never would have expected this to happen...not when you hire a professional.

Scuba_Dave

2 threads on the same subject merged
Please only start one thread on an issue
Thanks

nap

are you saying this happened when you flushed the toilet or you just noticed it when you flushed the toilet?

I cannot see how flushing the toilet would have cause or allowed that to happen. I can see where the plumber could have screwed up while he was doing the work that might have caused that.

It sounds like he might have gone the wrong way in the drain line when he fed his nozzle into the drain line.

the big question:

is the drain he was attempting to clean clean now?



I can't think of any reason this should have affected your hot water though. The water supply is totally isolated from the drainage system and there is no way he should have been able to do anything to the water supply I can think of.

rustyjames

The plumber told her to flush the toilet when it was discovered, not from the flush. He should of had someone watching the lower floor fixtures while he was jetting. All that water could have knocked out the pilot on the gas heater (if that's what type); sometimes they are tricky to re-light.

marieb

Sorry for the confusion. I have yet to go to bed so my brain is sluggish.

The "explosion" from the drains was happening while the plumber was jetting the garage drain. However, it was not discovered until he asked us to go inside and flush the toilet.

The spray of water was so forceful it even sprayed the ceiling and sprayed into the "vents" of the hot water tank, which tripped the circuit breaker and shut off the pilot. I ran a dehumidifer through the night in front of the tank to help it dry out. It finally lit about 20 minutes ago.

marieb

I don't know the situation with the drain other than water is draining. I have to call another plumber to camera that drain to see what's going on. I actually thought that the jetting may have ruptured part of the drain, sending all that dirt/sand everywhere.

rustyjames

Bottom line: the plumber should have known better. I can imagine what you're going through, especially on a holiday weekend.

oh'mike

Marie---It sounds to me like you have done well with this situation--Getting a crew in fast to get the water out. What a mess.

I've hired plumbers to Hydroblast.-----I never thought of this kind of calamity. If I need to get the service again I'll be on site myself to watch out.

Your bad luck may have helped a few others here. Hydroblasting is a good way to clear pipes.
Serious operator error here.---Mike---

LateralConcepts

If you haven't already, SHUT THE GAS VALVE OFF TO THE WATER HEATER!

He wasn't jetting the "garage floor drain", he was jetting through the main line cleanout to clear an obstruction in the building sewer between the house and the street. By looking at the pictures, it appears the line is most likely Orangeburg pipe. A jetter will destroy that kind of pipe. The line is most likely collapsed. Not necessarily from the jetter, but that contributed to the problem. The water he was jetting into the line (most likely @ 3000+ psi) had to go somewhere (path of least resistance). It didn't make it to the street, thus the mess. Bottom line is you have a much bigger problem than a mess. Sewer line repair/replacement.

As far as whether the plumbing company is responsible, that would be a question for an attorney. You most likely signed a work authorization that said they weren't responsible for damage, unforeseen problems, etc. Nevertheless, the plumber should have taken more preventative measures to avoid the backup and had another person watching while he jetted.

__________________
Brad Penske, Operations Manager - Coeur d'Alene, ID
LateralCONCEPTS,LLC - Sewer & Septic Line - Video Inspection, Locating, Consulting
(208) 818-8241

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marieb

OMG...I didn't think I could feel worse about this, now I do! But, I am so thankful to get opinions and comments. Wow, what if there is damage to my line?

The insurance adjuster was here today. I think my insurance company is going to handle everything, meaning dealing with the plumber. I've spent the day cleaning after the restoration people cleaned....so much to be wiped.

The plumbing company actually called today. The bottom line is they wanted to know what I wanted/compensation. I'm just in a state of confusion now and told them I have to have another plumber come out with a camera to check the line. They want me to call them back after that happens.

marieb

Dear LateralConcepts, my water heater is gas but does not have a continuous pilot. It only lights when needed. Should I still not heat my water and why? Thanks.

marieb

OK, I just shut the electricty AND the gas supply to OFF.