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DIY Dilemmas: This Week: 20 YEARS OF DIY EXPERIENCE DOWN THE DRAIN |
I get so many questions about drain related problems, there is not a standard, simple answer to any drain problem you may be having. But this is kind of a guide of action to be taken and also to be aware of the warning signs.
Most homeowners over the years have experienced a temporary blockage or sluggish drains in their plumbing systems. Simple minor blockages often can be cleared with the minimum of fuss.
Safety First
When you are doing any type of drain related work it is sensible to wear the proper protective clothing. It is most important to wear a pair of rubber gloves for hygiene purposes. You must always disinfect your hand and all equipment after completing of the work. I would personally recommend also the use of a protective face mask.
Indicators
If your drain has become blocked you usually know because your waste water will have stoped going away when you flush the toilet the man-hole and gullies may also start to overflow. There will also probably be a smell. In cases where sewers serve a number of properties you may not see these signs, as they may only directly affect properties closest to the blockage. If your property is connected into a private sewer upstream of a blockage you may have a shared responsibility for removing the blockage.
Responsibility
A private sewer may be defined as a pipe which is taking waste water from more than one property, but which is not a public sewer. This sewer pipe is usually the joint responsibility of each of those properties that are connected to the sewer main. This responsibility continues up to the point where the private sewer including the connection joins into the main public sewer pipe. This means that often, people are responsible for the repair and maintenance of drainage pipes that are beneath land owned by somebody else, such as a neighbour.
Main Causes
Cooking grease, hair, food particles, toilet paper and roots are too often the main causes for sluggish or blocked drains. If they happen near the drain opening or toilet bowl, a plunger may be effective in clearing them. However, if the problem is some distance down the drain, it may require a professional plumber to locate and resolve same.
Preventing Blockages
While inconvenient and messy, blocked drains usually are easy to unblock, provided that you has the proper equipment and technical knowledge.
It's by far easier to open a drain than to clear a clogged one. Scalding water can clear drains of grease. Installing a strainer in kitchen and bathroom sinks can help to prevent hair and soap, or other items, from entering your drain.
Tools Required
Drains always seem to back up at the least convenient times, so be well prepared. To clear a blockage, here are some of the basic tools required to complete the job. You will require a set of drain rods with assorted type heads if you do not have a set of drain rods they are always available to hire from your local hire centre. You may also require a plunger or drain auger (snake) all these tools can be purchased at your local DIY store.
Action to take
If you have a blocked or stubborn drain, the first thing you must do is reduce or eliminate the water you empty in the drain or pipe-work to minimize the amount of damage you may do. Obviously, if you keep flushing a slow-moving toilet, it will overflow the toilet bowl, and result in damaging your flooring.
Washing machines can create one of the biggest problems when your drains are running slowly. Washing machines can use 15 to 20 gallons a load a lot of water. This water could back up into toilets or showers, possibly causing overflow damage.
Manhole
The fist thing to do is to remove the manhole cover. This may be a two-man job as some covers can be very heavy. There are usually two lifting points in the cover of the manhole. These tend to get filled with dirt and debris and will need to be cleared. Depending on the type of cover, you may also need a cover lifting tool. This is a key type device which is inserted into the socket to enable the cover to be lifted safely.
When you lift the cover clear, you will often see a single channel through which the waste flows. There may also be one or more pipes running in different directions. The manhole could also be very deep or extremely shallow.
Blocked Manhole
If the manhole is blocked and you cannot see the outlet, you will need to judge at which end it is likely to be. This can usually be established by looking for other manholes along the same line and then working out which one feeds which and therefore the direction of flow.
Using Drain Rods
Assemble several lengths of drain rod. If the outlet is an interceptor trap (like a large- scale version of the trap under the sink, use the rubber plunger end to pump the blockage through the trap. If it is a straight outlet, use the screw claw end. Push this down into the outlet, turning clockwise only. Turning counterclockwise will unscrew the rods and you'll then be faced with the task of their retrieval! When you feel it reach the obstruction, turn it gently and use it to push and pull. Be careful, as when the blockage clears, the retained waste water can be drawn away at quite a rate, pulling on the rod as it does so.
Remove the rods and flush the drain with water from a hose. Now replace the manhole cover, making sure it sits flat in its frame the job has now been successfully completed well done.
WC Blockage
If the water from your WC fails to drain away easily or, worse still, overflows completely, there is a blockage. Frequently this will be in the water trap in the toilet pan itself and can readily be cleared.
But, before proceeding, check the flow from other waste pipes to establish whether the blockage is affecting all the pipes. If it is, then the obstruction will be further down the line. If not, carry on as follows.
Plunger
Use a large plunger for this. Hold it so that the rubber end covers the waste outlet at the base of the pan and pump several times. Repeat as needed. Once the blockage is clear, the waste water should flow rapidly away - it's all downhill from here.
Auger (snake)
If this doesn't clear it, the blockage may be further along, in which case, you can hire a large Roding auger (snake) to reach further along the pipe work. This consists of a flexible rod which can be inserted. Push the auger (snake) down the pipe until you feel it reach the obstruction. Then turn the handle to dislodge the blockage.
Cast Iron Soil pipe
Old cast iron soil pipes rarely have serviceable access points in it so the Roding out of such pipes may need to be undertaken from another access point.
Modern Soil pipe
Fortunately, on modern plastic systems, access points are provided at pipe junctions. Before unscrewing one of these, consider the consequences. It is quite possible that there is a column of sewage sitting in the pipe above and this will come out at quite a speed. Unscrew it slowly and do your best to contain the result
Gullies
The gulley can easily become blocked at this time of year with a build up of leaves and other debris.
Remove the grate. If you have use of a Roding auger (snake), this can be used as for Roding a soil pipe by inserting it and turning until the blockage is removed.
If you do not have one, protect your hands with thick rubber gloves before starting. There is every possibility of coming across sharp objects.
Remove as much water as you can by using an old plastic container. Then reach into the gulley, which is like a giant version of the trap under your sink. Fish out the debris until the bend is clear. Flush through with running water before replacing the grate.
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