Blocked drain - what equipment?
Discussion
We have a drain that I suspect has two distinct blockages.
From the back of the house, the kitchen and bathroom waste pipes and gutter from the roof all feed into a surface drain that feeds into the main drain that also carries sewage.
The back drain goes down about half a meter vertically and then 90 degrees to horizontal for a meter and a half or so, another 90 degrees and a meter later there's an access point. It is blocked between the surface and the access point. I had some success clearing it, but it became blocked again, I poured a bucket of drain cleaner solution (NaOH) down it but to no avail.
Past the access point, there is standing water in the main drain which indicates a smaller blockage downstream, there were a couple of turds there as well indicating some back-flow.
We had a more serious blockage a couple of years ago (induced by paper towels down the bog) which resulted in my hiring some drain rods which while very effective was the most horrible job I have ever done, I had to keep taking trips down to the bottom of the garden to gag into the bushes.
Currently the blockage is no-where near as bad, but needs clearing. Should I accept I have to rod the drain? An alternative seems to be to get a pressure washer and a drain clearing attachment which seems a far less unpleasant way of doing it. Is it? Would it work?
From the back of the house, the kitchen and bathroom waste pipes and gutter from the roof all feed into a surface drain that feeds into the main drain that also carries sewage.
The back drain goes down about half a meter vertically and then 90 degrees to horizontal for a meter and a half or so, another 90 degrees and a meter later there's an access point. It is blocked between the surface and the access point. I had some success clearing it, but it became blocked again, I poured a bucket of drain cleaner solution (NaOH) down it but to no avail.
Past the access point, there is standing water in the main drain which indicates a smaller blockage downstream, there were a couple of turds there as well indicating some back-flow.
We had a more serious blockage a couple of years ago (induced by paper towels down the bog) which resulted in my hiring some drain rods which while very effective was the most horrible job I have ever done, I had to keep taking trips down to the bottom of the garden to gag into the bushes.
Currently the blockage is no-where near as bad, but needs clearing. Should I accept I have to rod the drain? An alternative seems to be to get a pressure washer and a drain clearing attachment which seems a far less unpleasant way of doing it. Is it? Would it work?
t all over the courtyard and still had to rod it myself to sort the problem out.
Thanks for the replies chaps. I am now the proud owner of a set of rods that can be used for drains and chimneys - £20 from B&Q plus about £4 for a metal screw thing that I didn't actually need (when I rented a set it was £10 for about 4-5 hours).
The first small blockage took about 2 seconds to clear with a single push and the next in about 15 mins of mainly messing about rather that active "rodding". The best technique was to get the missus involved (as I suspect it was her dropping kitchen towels down the loo that did it again), she threw buckets of water down on command and held the hose and cleaned the rods as they emerged from the hole which meant she had first-hand experience of her actions and I kept relatively clean and odour free
The first small blockage took about 2 seconds to clear with a single push and the next in about 15 mins of mainly messing about rather that active "rodding". The best technique was to get the missus involved (as I suspect it was her dropping kitchen towels down the loo that did it again), she threw buckets of water down on command and held the hose and cleaned the rods as they emerged from the hole which meant she had first-hand experience of her actions and I kept relatively clean and odour free
I had a similar problem with a waste outlet from my kitchen/utility; being mainly due to the washing machine outlet, soap powder solidifying, going rock hard like cement in the outside “S” bend. I tried various chemicals, including caustic soda, ended up using rods and cracking the “S” bend, having to replace the same.
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