"MM" wrote in message ...

On Sat, 7 Apr 2018 07:31:18 +0100, Richard
wrote:

On 07/04/18 06:46, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 06/04/18 22:41, MM wrote:
I think a gutter downpipe on my house is blocked. When only a small
amount of water is fed into the gutter (garden hose on a ~very~ long
pole), water spews out of the elbow just beneath the gutter and hardly
any comes down the pipe at the bottom.

So I reckon moss or maybe a dead bird has lodged in the downpipe,
probably in the elbow itself, or just below.

I don't have a long ladder. So I wonder whether I could push a spiral
drain unblocker, the sort with the handle to turn, UP the downpipe
from below. The distance from the ground to the underside of the
gutter is 4m.

Or would the spiral wire just collapse back on itself due to gravity
and weight?

The two spiral unblockers I have my eye on are the Screwfix one for
£22.99 or the much cheaper Silverline for around £8.

By the way, my downpipes are round white plastic 68mm in diameter.

Any other suggestions most welcome!

Thanks again.

MM

Push the hose UP the pipe towards the blockage

Works with pipes full of turds and sanitary towels

WTF? I hope *his* downpipe isn't.

I thought I had made it clear that this is a gutter *downpipe" here,
not a toilet drain!

MM

Buy or borrow a ladder and dismantle the down pipe to clear it. Re-fit and
put a wire cage into the top of the down pipe where it exits the gutter.

You are going to need that ladder in the future for gutter maintenance
anyway, they are a long term investment - I've only just replaced the one I
bought when we were first married, and that was 44 years ago !

Andrew