Plumber Question: Had a sewer line explode

[Holladay]

I have an old (120+yrs) office building. 45 minutes ago the workers heard a large explosion in the basement that shook the building, then heard water blasting. They called the city to turn off the water then called me.

I went down in the basement and saw the shattered 4 inch sewer line. It blew it up the pipe and its' brackets. It collapsed the 30' run, snapped all the 2" lead in lines from sinks at their elbows, and snapped off the hot water heater supply line. All are PVC, installed within the last ~20 yrs.

There is 2 toilets, and 3 sinks. They said the toilet had been sluggish as of late. I looked at them a few months ago and could not find anything wrong. Last year I had a clog in the sewer line. Evidence of "wet wipes" was found. I got it all snaked out and fixed.

One bathroom is for the 18 employees. The other is for the general public. They get a fair amount of walk in traffic.

My guess is that there was a methane pocket built up and blew. But how? Magnesium and silver nitrate? The shattered part is 15' down from the toilets in the middle of a straight run. Could have it "floated" back up from the city side? It should be vented. At this time, I don't know if any other adjoining buildings have leaks in their basements.

In the end, I am glad it happened on a Friday afternoon and my plumber is fixing it now. If it happened over the weekend, the basement would be under water and have a large water bill.

Thoughts?

[MTG#10]

I'd burn the building to the ground and collect the insurance.

[KCUnited]

Shitty news.

[sd4chiefs]

I am sorry that your weekend is going to be so sh*tty.

[srvy]

Holy shit

[Hog's Gone Fishin]

That's weird, you'd think it would have to have an ignition source. Maybe somebody took and dump and lit a match to burn of the stank.

[Holladay]

ignition source

You are correct sir. Lit cigarette down the toilet? Match? That is why I referenced magnesium and silver nitrate.

Dunno.

My first response was "holy sh#t?!".

[Buehler445]

Boo. Enjoy your weekend!

[Holladay]

Fun weekend...rats. Guess I need to go buy a large wet/dry vac. I don't think there is drain in the basement. Old building cement floor. I am glad it is not a dirt floor though. Many in town are.

[HemiEd]

That's a bunch of crap.

[vailpass]

Something doesn't sound right here. You need to call the sewer hazard inspection team.

[bigjosh]

M80?

Sent from my LGMP450 using Tapatalk

[T-post Tom]

Tell employees to stop eating tannerite muffins and nitroglycerin bagels. And maybe take smaller dumps?

[Holladay]

Cops are coming.

[KCUnited]

Raiduhs:popcorn:

[srvy]

Cops are coming.

To get to the bottom of this shit storm?

[BlackHelicopters]

Start drinking heavily.

[notorious]

Gat dam!

[tmax63]

Offer a reward for whoever it was that "blew that bathroom up"

[Holladay]

City Sewer dude said it was not methane. The "impact" section was directional not cylindrical. Thus not a methane issue. Something was flushed. Cops are not plumbers. Work in progress. The Captain of the Police is a good friend of mine. He will talk with the City Sewer guy on Monday. It will cost me 1K to get the line fixed. It is done. So workers can do their business.

[Holladay]

Start drinking heavily.

Started. Going home to watch "Dark" in the Man Cave and chill.

I am pissed though. There is a background story behind this. Teaser!! Mudane though.

[srvy]

Auto repair or paint shop near your business?

[threebag]

That's the shits

[BlackHelicopters]

Start drinking heavily.

The ultimate solution for everything.

[bevischief]

Stop lighting farts in the bathroom

[digger]

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[Kman34]

Old cast iron drain pipe can get brittle at a weak point in the casting...... I think a stress point just finally let go and can make a big sound... especially if there is a back up of some sort...some of the straps or brackets holding the pipe up could of been corroded and broken to add more stress to the pipe... I really don't think you were sabotaged....

[cooper barrett]

I assume this was cast pipe and the sewer inspector said that the blast was contained to a small area yet you replaced 45' of cast iron pipe. Correct?

Did he go in to the facts with you behind the statement? I asked a Master Plumber I know and he asked "What proof"

Did the police take the clay pipe for testing that the "sewer guy" referenced? Sewers never get wet on the upper 2-3rd unless there is a back up so there should be residue. Without it (a positive test result) you just have decide if you're filing an insurance claim.

Voo daja' Never seen shit like that before..

Did you get pics?

[ping2000]

I bet Taco Bell is involved somehow.

[bevischief]

So yet the gerbil on fire?

[cdcox]

Why is your sewer connected to your hot water heater?

[FlaChief58]

You are correct sir. Lit cigarette down the toilet? Match? That is why I referenced magnesium and silver nitrate.

Dunno.

My first response was "holy sh#t?!".

Impossible to get a lit match or cigarette down a sink or toilet. My guess is that you had a sewer line stoppage and the weight of the sewage in the old pipes caused them to collapse

[Pasta Little Brioni]

Grab some french bread and have a shit sandwich

[MahiMike]

Taco Tuesday strikes again.