Hello. 100 year old house. Red tile drain pipe in corner of basement for water/flooding. It drains extremely slow and I am trying to clear it. Can't find where it drains in the yard. Tried a flat sewer rod and it gets about 3 feet until dirt/roots. Anyone ever try one of the power washer 100' blasting hoses? Any other ideas? If I can find the end and get it cleaned out I would like to run a PVC pipe up in it to keep it draining quick/not have to deal with the tile sections that I am sure have let in dirt/roots. Thank you for your time.

The power washer sounds like it might work.

I've heard of some chemicals you can put down it that will kill the roots. Maybe kill the roots first and then power wash it? Just spit balling.

When I first bought my house, my basement was flooding. I was snaking it and all because like you, I didn't know where it went to.

Come to find out, my basement was flooding because the water was coming up my drain when the creek it drained into got high enough. Just happened to be down there when water started coming in or I'd have never figured it out. I stuffed a rubber ball in the drain and problem solved until we had to dig our yard up for sewage and I eliminated it.

They sell an attachment for the power washer that is like a water jet system. Heard they work well

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Speedway-1-2-in-dia-x-100-ft-L-Music-Wire-Machine-Auger/999972058
See if you can find a place to rent one of these.It will cut the roots off.If it where me I would get a small trackhoe and dig it up and replace with heavy gage plastic.

You can rent one of those mini track hoes here for a weekend for 200 bucks. Trailer included. Costs 200 for one week day. I would take the advice forestman3 gave. Rental place will tell you what each control does. Make sure you not going to dig up a phone electrical or water line. Those things are easy to use. Never hurts to call a quarry and get some rock delivered. Put down 3-4 inchs of 3/4 inch rock. Put in the new line. Cover it 3-4 inchs with rock then fill your hole back in. The rock helps keep the pressure of the dirt on the drain you put back in even. Wont accidentally and unknowingly bust your new drain when you fill the trench back in.

First if YOU are going to rent a back hoe, be sure and call MISS DIG. Put copper sulfate in once cleaned. In the mean time get a piece of PVC pipe that will just fit into the drain and place heat duct tap to make it fit tight and not let water past. IF you try and plug it with a ball etc. the pressure will blow the ball out. Buy using a stand pipe the pressure doe not build up. If you are going to replace the line use schedule 40 it is white. Be sure and put a clean out inside. Not sure about putting any rock around the pipe. Be sure and put your clean out above ground so you can see it if needed. Be safe and always have someone with you!

well if it was me, i'd start digging. red clay pipe is how old? time to replace it! there isn't a snake or pressure washer in the world gonna clean that out without problems down the road.tree roots in there? just gonna grow back again! they've already cracked the pipe and got a way in!.replace it!

Be carful when digging with any type of back hoe. The deeper the hole the more the side slope has to be incase the side cave in.
Seeing it is a basement drain you will most likely have a deep hole. You may want to ask the place you rent the machine from if he
know anyone he could hire to give you a hand. In a lot of the cases it is not that costly because they just love digging. LOL
Just be carful.

That part of the basement is just 4' from ground to bottom.

You can add a foot to the depth when digging. Do you have a cement floor in your basement? If you are going to replace the pipe you may want to remove the cement from the floor first. JMO Remember to slope the sides outward, give yourself plenty of room to work. Be safe!

Cement floor.

Yup, I think, unless tile collapsed

I would try to find where the drain goes, maybe the end is full of dirt, or has gotten covered. . It will be down grade from the house. . Probably if it is very old, you would be best to replace with plastic. put a French drain at the end weeping out to grade. So critters can't come up it to basement. Good time to do it over the summer..old243

You can try something I saw an old farmer do one time. Take a length of barbwire and fold it back on itself 3, 4 or 5 times. Force the wire into the tile and put two bends on the wire sticking out of the tile, kind of like a hand crank. Turn the wire a few times, any roots or fibers will get wound up in the barbwire and you can pull them out. You will have to experiment with length, number of turns, etc. depending on what is obstructing the tile and to what extent.

Catch a muskrat or a gopher put him in the drain and block off the end.He will chew and dig his way out.

Now Boco that would be cool to try.

you will be money and time ahead to dig it up and replace it.

If it has drained in the past and If the pipe isn't collapsed you can rent a power drain cleaner like forestman said. Hopefully you will find the outlet and can keep it clean, but put a screen over the end so it's not a highway for critters.