I have a leak coming through my basement wall beneath where the drain pipe leads through the wall and out to the main sewer.  I thought it might be ground water, but noticed recently the leak seems to come back most aggressively when we are using high amounts of water in the house at the same time (like both showers running simultaneously).  The water coming from the wall looks clean though, and doesn’t smell like sewage water as I would expect if the drain pipe were leaking, but then again, I know nothing about plumbing, really.  On the other side of this wall, in the yard is a covered concrete slab patio which extends about 12′ from the foundation wall and out into the yard.  About another ten feet from that is a tree which is approx. 50′ wide by 50′ tall.  All of this is directly above where I believe the main drain runs into the sewer system.  Also, the house was built in ‘51 and the pipes leading out look to be cast iron.  I don’t even know who to call for help at this point, but I know the water saturating my block basement wall must be STOPPED!  Any help you can offer will be appreciated.

- Bill

Bill, you may have two separate problems. It might be best to first determine if you have a leak in either your water service or a partial plug of your sewer line (with a sewer back up, you would typically experience the back up directly into your home). I would suggest getting a pressure test on your water service to determine if it has a leak. Make sure it’s performed by someone reputable and that they have the right equipment. This is the best place to start –determine if this is the problem (and repair it), it may take care of the seepage issue. If not, and water is coming in from the outside, you probably have a subsoil drainage problem where ground water is not being displaced by your basement’s waterproofing. In that case you should consult a waterproofing company.

-Brian

A sinkhole showed up in my garden, so I dug a hole until I found the problem - a small crack in the underground sprinkler system PVC pipe.  The crack is about a quarter-inch long and emits a fairly strong spray. What is the easiest way to correct the problem?  Will epoxy and duct tape work?

-Dave

Dave, a crack in PVC pipe will continue to spread –much like a crack in a car windshield. Rather than replacing the entire length of pipe you can dig down and cut out a section to replace, I’d recommend at least a foot length.

-Brian

I just found out that a slab foundation summer house we just purchased has orangeberg (fiber conduit) drain pipes.  I am told by my plumber that these drain pipes will need to be replaced within the next 10 years; but I do not want the expense and headache of tearing out the cement slab to replace it.  Can you offer any suggestions?  I understand that the orangeberg is very brittle and will not withstand an epoxy sleeve. Please help!

-Gigi

Gigi, because Orangeburg pipes are made of layers of wood pulp and pitch they’re not repairable. Epoxy lining is not an option, but if enough of the Orangeburg pipe is intact, it’s possible that sock lining might be. Sock lining consists of a felt sock being pulled through an existing pipe and then inflated/expanded to fill the width of the old pipe. The sock cures in place and you have a new pipe inside of your old one. I recommend contacting a reputable trenchless technologies company that offers sock lining services. You may be able to find someone through the website of the North American Society for Trenchless Technology, www.nastt.org.

-Brian