Just when you least expect it, something unexpected comes up. Our laundry drain had begun slowing down a year ago, we snaked it out and that seemed to alleviate it, but this year it became a serious problem. It's especially rough when you're trying to wash cloth diapers and the wash water floods the laundry room. This was unacceptable. So after spending the good money on the diagnosis ("yep, it's really clogged.") The smart choice was to dig a whole new line and connect with a known, functioning sewer line. The plumbing co. offered to do it for $500, or $250 if we dug it-- cuz digging in the Oregon clay in the fall sucks. We picked a sunny afternoon to do it and go it all done in short order--even busting out some concrete. Turns out the giant redwood 20 yards away had found a reliable source of water--and nutrients I guess-- through a crack in the cast iron pipe under a concrete pad. It's quite a load off to know our dirty laundry water is going where it supposed to now.
Some pics of the ditch for the new line and after fill in:
