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Old 12-28-2009, 09:43 PM
 
114 posts, read 846,352 times
Reputation: 54

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Our house was built in 1926. We just bought it last month and of course, there's a problem. Our toilet began backing up into our shower. We bought a snake, but at 25ft, is stopped by something. Now we're looking for the trap, and can not find it. The house has a crawl space we have not entered yet, as it opens on the other end of the house.

Curious of there was a way to get the plans of the house somehow. Just thought I'd give it a shot here and see if anyone knows how.

TIA!
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Old 12-28-2009, 10:41 PM
 
Location: Houston, Texas
10,447 posts, read 49,527,050 times
Reputation: 10614
Quote:
Originally Posted by dewdrop74 View Post
Our house was built in 1926. We just bought it last month and of course, there's a problem. Our toilet began backing up into our shower. We bought a snake, but at 25ft, is stopped by something. Now we're looking for the trap, and can not find it. The house has a crawl space we have not entered yet, as it opens on the other end of the house.

Curious of there was a way to get the plans of the house somehow. Just thought I'd give it a shot here and see if anyone knows how.

TIA!
Dewdrop there is no plans. There never was. Plans were not used in 1926 for average homes, they just constructed them. Even if there were some crude plan, architural drawings were not filed with anyone. Hell there wasn't even a code enforcement dept. A bunch of Carpenters might use drawings then toss them when the home was built. Many times they burried the plans inside the walls.

The trap is directly below the drain. Even in those days. The toilet trap is inside the toilet. If a snake can not penetrate the toilet then replace it. The tub trap is directly below the drain. Many times tub traps were burried for life in old homes. You said you have a crawl space. First try snaking from the tub drain. If you can't get through then I advise getting dirty underneith that house.

It's not going to be a clean job and you might end up having to replace a good span of drain line. You will get some advice here to pour store bought chemicals down the drain. Before you do that I would rather you donate your hard earned money to the food bank where it will get more use. Any draino type junk bought from the big orange is just toxic garbage. And if you have a septic system then NEVER EVER EVER put drain chemicals down your waste lines.

This is not a fun job but good luck with it.
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Old 12-29-2009, 01:23 PM
 
Location: Sinking in the Great Salt Lake
13,139 posts, read 22,717,032 times
Reputation: 14115
Quote:
Originally Posted by dewdrop74 View Post
Our house was built in 1926. We just bought it last month and of course, there's a problem. Our toilet began backing up into our shower. We bought a snake, but at 25ft, is stopped by something. Now we're looking for the trap, and can not find it. The house has a crawl space we have not entered yet, as it opens on the other end of the house.

Curious of there was a way to get the plans of the house somehow. Just thought I'd give it a shot here and see if anyone knows how.

TIA!
You have a better chance of finding the Lost Dutchman gold mine than finding origional plans for an old house if they didn't come with the sale. The best advice I can give you.. Hire a plumber.
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Old 12-29-2009, 01:27 PM
 
114 posts, read 846,352 times
Reputation: 54
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertsun41 View Post
Dewdrop there is no plans. There never was. Plans were not used in 1926 for average homes, they just constructed them. Even if there were some crude plan, architural drawings were not filed with anyone. Hell there wasn't even a code enforcement dept. A bunch of Carpenters might use drawings then toss them when the home was built. Many times they burried the plans inside the walls.

The trap is directly below the drain. Even in those days. The toilet trap is inside the toilet. If a snake can not penetrate the toilet then replace it. The tub trap is directly below the drain. Many times tub traps were burried for life in old homes. You said you have a crawl space. First try snaking from the tub drain. If you can't get through then I advise getting dirty underneith that house.

It's not going to be a clean job and you might end up having to replace a good span of drain line. You will get some advice here to pour store bought chemicals down the drain. Before you do that I would rather you donate your hard earned money to the food bank where it will get more use. Any draino type junk bought from the big orange is just toxic garbage. And if you have a septic system then NEVER EVER EVER put drain chemicals down your waste lines.

This is not a fun job but good luck with it.
yes, i've heard about the chemicals a million times. it does look like we're going to go under in the next few days.
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Old 12-30-2009, 01:22 PM
 
Location: Connecticut
34,648 posts, read 56,427,911 times
Reputation: 11151
Quote:
Originally Posted by desertsun41 View Post
Dewdrop there is no plans. There never was. Plans were not used in 1926 for average homes, they just constructed them. Even if there were some crude plan, architural drawings were not filed with anyone. Hell there wasn't even a code enforcement dept. A bunch of Carpenters might use drawings then toss them when the home was built. Many times they burried the plans inside the walls.
Sorry but this is not necessarily true. Most home built at this time did have plans but you are probably correct that they are not on file anywhere. The plans for homes back then were certainly were not of the quality of todays plans though which left a lot of how the home is constructed to the trades.

Growing up I lived in a 1920's home that had a strange layout and we thought for sure was randomly built. Much to my surprise our elderly neighbor was cleaning out their home one day and found the plans for our house (he was the one who had it built years earlier) and gave them to us. I still can not figure out why the house was designed the way it was (strange bump out in the living room, small rooms in odd locations, bedrooms with closets outside in the hall, etc.), but there it was in a blueprint exactly the way it existed. Not sure who drew up the plans or if they were even done by an Architect but plans were made for it. How else would the different trades know what was being built. Jay
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Old 12-30-2009, 02:14 PM
 
24,834 posts, read 37,209,384 times
Reputation: 11538
I would call your local heath department. Also, equalization in some places has this information.
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Old 12-31-2009, 06:54 AM
 
Location: Knoxville
4,705 posts, read 25,195,312 times
Reputation: 6129
Even if you got a copy of the plans, they will likely be of little use to you. While the plans may show where plumbing fixtures were to be located, they will not show every plumbing pipe and fittings. While you may find a location of a clean out on the plans, it does not mean it was actually installed there.

If the house was built in the 20's, and the original pipes are still there, then THATS likely the source of your problem. Your snake may have just hit a bend it the pipes. It may have hit tree roots in the lines.

You may need a longer snake.
You may need a power snake.
You may need to replace some pipes.

Don't be afraid of the crawlspace, its just dirty. I go in them almost every day.
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