Exhausted wrote:
Exhausted wrote:
David in Normandy wrote:
Exhausted wrote:
My drain from the kitchen to the main drain is blocked. It looks
like it’s down to hard fat … AGAIN……….

Last time, I removed the fat by putting on a long glove and putting
my hand down the drain and then up the u bend and scraping the fat
with a piece of old electric cable from an old shower. This worked,
but was especially nasty when I got some of the drain water up my
glove.
Despite telling swimbo not to wash fat down the kitchen drain the
drain is blocked again. Not wanting to repeat the experience I made
the mistake of believing the guy in the diy store when they
recommended a chemical to pour down the drain to clear the fat,
despite several attempts no luck. Subsequently I have added 1KG of
caustic soda, still nothing.
My problem is now I don’t have the option of putting my hand down
the drain. What can I do?
I tried jet washing from the man hold last time to no avail. All I
can think of is digging up the patio and drilling a hole in the pipe
to allow me to put a piece of metal in the pipe to break up the fat.

Any other ideas, apart from replacing the pipe.

Thanks

What about a plumbers snake? If you undo the u-bend / trap wearing
gloves to avoid any caustic, then you could push the snake into the
waste pipe and slowly rotate it as you push it in. It should push
straight through the fat and hopefully dislodge it, or at least make
a hole the caustic soda can get through. After that maybe some very
hot water would soften it enough to clear it out.

Wickes sell the plumbers snakes, probably other sheds too and they
aren't too expensive. A lot less hassle and cheaper than digging up
the drive!

Thanks by the ubend is underground ,can't be undone i.e is not on the
sink

IF i dig up the pipe, and apply heat (blow torch) to the outside of the
clay pipe, will it crack, or melt the fat ?
STOP Panicking!

Lay out some hose above ground from the blockage to the first manhole.
Mark the hose with some tape at the manhole.
Lift the manhole, push the hose back up the drain until the marker lines
up with the manhole. Now the end should be at the blockage.

Use the hose like drain rods pushing back and forth; when you can go no
further connect the water. Cold to start with to keep the hose stiff.
you might see some debris flowing back down the drain with luck. Switch
to hot water down the hose and this should start melting the fat. Get
your wife involved so she can see why fat must not be put down the
kitchen sink but instead left to solidify and then put in the dustbin.
We save ours and cook with it for the extra flavouring- I can't remember
the last time we bought any cooking fat/oil.

Bob