Q. My waste line is VERY slow. My last 2 fixtures before leaving the house are a tub and a toilet. There's a 4" clean out between them where a plumber power snaked the drain before (with a Spartan I think). I want to rent a Mini Rooter from Home Depot, bcause Draino failed; http://homedepotrents.com/diyTools/mini_rooter.asp?cm_sp=tool_rental-_-overlayE-_-mini_rooter Is this a good idea? How do I do it, any tips and tricks? (I'll wear rubber gloves and glasses) CORRECTION: It's a 3" plastic drain not 4".

A. I use one like this all the time to unstop sewer lines.. This type of sewer machine is really designed for drain lines, and not sewer lines, but I've unstopped many sewer lines with a 3/8 sewer machine. You need to be really careful wearing gloves , because if the gloves gets caught up in the cable it'll rip your finger right off your hand

Q. I bought a house that is 400 feet from the main sewer line. Now, I'm afraid that over time, it will clog up. It is beneficial to have a septic tank like system where waste pools in a tank and the overflow (hopefuly only water) spills over into the sewer. Then have the tank cleaned every year? The difference between this proposed system and a septic tank system is that there is a sewer line instead of a drain field.

A. Most municipalities require that you hook up to a sanitary sewer if it is available, and that any existing septic system be abandoned at that time. Long leads require the installation of cleanouts every 100 feet or so, to ensure the entire length of the lead can be serviced in the event of a blockage. Hope this helps.

Q. At my house rain water goes thru gutters into the sewer., so when it rains too much the sewer get flooded. Can i change the rain gutters, so the rain water goen into the street not the sewer.. I live in New York City

A. You can try, but they might make you change them back. You can add a sleeve onto the bottom of them to redirect the flow to wherever you want it.

Q. My son rented 1/2 a duplex house. Drains in bathroom all drain good and toilet flushes good BUT wicked sewer fumes from bathroom sink. Used baking soda and vinegar, and a drain cleaner in sink and tub, still smells. No back ups, just odor. What can be causing this? BTW.....it is on city sewer line. New sink and piping installed just before he rented it. No nothing in basemnet, no critters, etc....

A. The sewer vent is clogged . Tell the landlord you can't fix it from inside. It could also be that the installation of the P trap is not to code as it is supposed to trap vapors. Drains aren't supposed to have an air passage to the sewer. The P trap is designed to have a low spot that doesn't drain and stays full of water to stop the vapors. Look under you sink at home and you will see what I mean and then look under your son's sink.

Q. I'm looking at buying a house that will be connected to a new sewer district. But, the sewer line will be 350 feet long, with two sharp angles and several "cleanouts" along the way. How likely is it that a line of this length will need cleaning out on a regular basis? Are problems likely? Slow drains? Clogs?

A. That's a little more than problem if repairs ever need to be done. Yes your looking at many problems. Better get you a good long snake to keep on hand. I had allot of problems at my old home it was 400 feet. The drain had little slant as well.

Q. I have a drain in the floor of the basement and yesterday it started bubbling up water from the sewer main. it left a ring of brown stuff, presumeably crap, and has covered the entire floor at one point. Do i need to higher a professional to come clean it up, or is there a way i can do it myself?

A. Do it yourself . Go to the hardware store and buy a plug for your sewer which allows water to flow into the drain and closes when the sewer backs-up . Install new plug. If you can, hose -down the contaminated area down the drain. Put straight bleach in a garden sprayer and wearing old clothes spray the contaminated area. Repeat process IF NECESSARY ,which I doubt you'll have to do. Enjoy the rest of your day . Good Luck!!!!!

Q. I want to keep main line clean by using it in the toilet in the basement .

A. Yes there are root destroyers for sale in most hardware stores or plumbing shops.I've sold it for years and it does help.Best cure is sewer replacement.

Q. I have partial clog in my main sewer line from roots from an adjacent tree. I since removed the tree so essentially the remnant roots will eventually die and decompose. However, I want to get rid of the roots before the drain clogs up once more. I was advised not to use a drain root cleaner containing copper sulphate.

A. Well I had this same problem 10 years ago and decided to dig up the sewer line at the point of entry and correct the problem once and for all. This was a tremendous amount of work which included shoveling (of course), cutting off the root a few feet back, cutting and glueing the sewer line. I was glad that I took this approach because the root had grown into my sewer pipe and was over 10' long! It was also getting to be quite large in diameter at the point of entry taking up 50% of the available pipe. Now keep in mind that my line is exiting my home on a walkout elevation so I did not have to dig more than a few feet down.