70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.... 17882631264a

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.
Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
wrote:

70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.... 17882631264a

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.
Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce

When everything is working properly there shouldn't be *any* water in the
inspection chambers apart from what is running through the invert[1].

If chamber 3 is half full, there is a blockage *downstream* of that which is
preventing the water from getting away properly. You need to find the first
downstream chamber which is *not* full (or half full) and rod in an upstream
direction from that to clear the blockage. If it's a piece of brick or
similar, as soon as you push it into the next chamber, water can flow round
it - and you can retrieve it after things have settled down. Be prepared for
quite a rush once it starts flowing.

[1] the half-noon shaped channel in the bottom
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

On 19 Jan, 17:48, " bruce_phi...@my-
deja.com wrote:
70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk....read/8d6910d8f...

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.
Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce

There should be no water in an inspection chamber.

Its either blocked in the chamber, or the blockage is further down the
run - lift the next cover down-flow and have a look.

dg

In article ,
" writes:
Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

There should be no standing water in inspection chambers
and yes you should be able to see all the pipes.

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?

Sounds like you have an obstruction after the last one
you opened, as they were all backed up.

But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Probably overflowing past the inspection covers.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

HI Bruce

On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 09:48:58 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.... 17882631264a

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.
Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce

All the inspection chambers that I've owned g have been just that -
a way of 'inspecting' the flow through the sewer pipework.
Usually, all you'd see in them is a trickle of water through the
channel at the bottom of the chamber. Seeing the chamber at all full
is generally bad news - and indicates a blockage 'somewhere'..
especially if there's toilet paper in there as well.

Difficult to know what's going on without knowing what happens after
the 3rd chamber (which I wouldn't expect to have any significant water
level in it - though with the recent rainfall, who knows...) - but the
way you describe it it does suggest that there's a partial blockage
between chambers 2 & 3.

Drain rods would be a good start - cheap enough to buy - but take note
of which way they screw together and don't, in a moment in
inattention, turn them the wrong way once they're in the drain, as
you'll end up with them stuck down there !

Hope this helps - good luck !

Adrian

When everything is working properly there shouldn't be *any* water in the
inspection chambers apart from what is running through the invert[1].

If chamber 3 is half full, there is a blockage *downstream* of that which is
preventing the water from getting away properly. You need to find the first
downstream chamber which is *not* full (or half full) and rod in an upstream
direction from that to clear the blockage.

Thanks, Roger. The next chamber is in the road somewhere. Is this the
responsibility of the water company?

You say there shouldn't be any water in the chambers. What about
surface water due to heavy rain? The concrete caps on the chambers are
cracked and one has a small hole. However, presumably this should
drain away if the system is working OK.
Thanks
Bruce

wrote:

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Sounds like a blockage, as others have already said. I attempted to use
sewer rods and a plunger to clear it then, but it didn't help. In the
end I bought a few bottles of bleach and drain cleaner and emptied them
down the drain closest to the blockage, and this cleared it. I figured
it was caused by grease or oil accumulating and eventually sealing the
drain.

wrote:
70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.
http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.... 17882631264a

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.

At least a months backed up turds didn't leap out and attack you like
one time I did this.


Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?


As others have said, no water should be in any inspection chamvr, unless
running through.


Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
wrote:

When everything is working properly there shouldn't be *any* water
in the inspection chambers apart from what is running through the
invert[1].

If chamber 3 is half full, there is a blockage *downstream* of that
which is preventing the water from getting away properly. You need
to find the first downstream chamber which is *not* full (or half
full) and rod in an upstream direction from that to clear the
blockage.

Thanks, Roger. The next chamber is in the road somewhere. Is this the
responsibility of the water company?


Possibly - though not necessarily. If it's a public sewer which serves
multiple properties, it's the water company's responsibility - but
occasionally you get private sewers extending under public roads. The branch
which serves your property is almost certainly a private sewer, and is your
responsibility. However, it is quite possible that it's the public sewer
which is blocked, and is simply backing up into your branch. If the one in
the road is running clear, it's pretty certainly your branch which is
blocked. If the one in the road is full, the public sewer may well be
blocked - in which case you should call out the water board to clear it at
their expense. Have any of your neighbours got similar problems?

You say there shouldn't be any water in the chambers. What about
surface water due to heavy rain? The concrete caps on the chambers are
cracked and one has a small hole. However, presumably this should
drain away if the system is working OK.
Thanks
Bruce

Do you have a combined sewer which carries both foul and storm water, or
have you got two separate systems? If it's a combined sewer, the water level
may rise a bit when there's a high flow due to heavy rain - but in that case
the water will be rushing through the chamber - not just sitting there. Your
symptoms sound like a blockage.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

Geronimo W. Christ Esq wrote:
wrote:

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Sounds like a blockage, as others have already said. I attempted to use
sewer rods and a plunger to clear it then, but it didn't help. In the
end I bought a few bottles of bleach and drain cleaner and emptied them
down the drain closest to the blockage, and this cleared it. I figured
it was caused by grease or oil accumulating and eventually sealing the
drain.

Yup. The Christmas turkey crap shoot.

I've blocked sinks with congealed lamb fat before now..

wrote:

70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.
8----

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.
Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce


I'd ask the water/sewage company at this point. It sounds as though
there is a problem downstream from you.

Of course it could be a blockage in your sewer but I suspect, after all
the rain we've been having, the sewers have flooded. If you really
don't want to ask the company see if you can look into some other
manholes nearby and roughly on the same level as yours - ask the
neighbours. Be very careful opening manholes as it could pour out in
large quantities and the neighbours won't be pleased.

If they are flooded they may take anything you put down them but slowly.
Maybe someone lower down has a flooded garden? If it goes on it may
turn into a blockage as solids aren't going to be carried away
properly.

Tell the company now and leave it to them - you've done your bit.

Edgar

On 19 Jan, 17:48, " bruce_phi...@my-
deja.com wrote:
70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk....read/8d6910d8f...

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.
Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce

You need a medal or just maybe a Darwin award for poking around down
there with your hands! Was it your own household **** (you may be self
immune from any bacteria in that) or shared from several others?
The chambers should be "empty" and the actual half round run from
inlet to outlet visible. Running a tap or flushing a toilet should
display a flow of water etc through the run.
From your description it sounds as though the sewerage including
solids is obstructed between the last full chamber and the half full
one (if that is in fact in the same drain run). Use a decent set of
rods to poke through and ensure a clear passage. A decent set will
connect together with lockfast connections and fasten with a spanner,
rather than the el-cheapo version which only have a screw thread and
as commonly happens the unwary try to withdraw or free sometimes by
turning the exposed bit anti clockwise resulting in the sections
parting somewhere underground with obvious results and may need
digging out - a major undertaking!
The half full of clean water sounds suspiciously like a problem under
the road, possibly due to excess rainfall backing up in the main drain
and this should clear as the rainfall contribution ceases or reduces.
Commonly however there are foul and clean main drains and this may be
the case in your street. Some areas do use combined sewers though this
means the hydraulic load on any treatment plant surges during
rainfall. Another problem is the habit of householders or even some
pro builders and plumbers of sticking surface water into foul drainage
systems and vice versa.
All in all a crock of ****!g

On Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:24:11 -0800 (PST), a particular chimpanzee,
" randomly hit the
keyboard and produced:

The next chamber is in the road somewhere. Is this the
responsibility of the water company?

Not necessarily. The only things that are the responsibility of the
sewerage undertaker (usually, but not always, the same as the water
supply company) are the adopted sewers, and any sewers constructed
before 1937 serving more than one property. The chamber or manhole on
a sewer is their responsibility, but the un-adopted drains into it
aren't.

You can usually get a sewer map from them showing where the adopted
sewers are, and if it's one of theirs that is blocked, they should
clear it. If it's not adopted, you'll probably have to pay and
re-claim part of the cost from your neighbours who also share that
drain (good luck with that!).

You say there shouldn't be any water in the chambers. What about
surface water due to heavy rain? The concrete caps on the chambers are
cracked and one has a small hole. However, presumably this should
drain away if the system is working OK.

A brief overview of drainage: Sewerage systems are either combined,
partially separate or separate.

-Combined is where everything, foul and surface water, goes into the
same pipes. Most common in older urban areas, inner cities, etc.

-Separate is where there are two drains, one for foul and one for
surface water. More common in new towns, newer suburbs, etc.

-Partially separate is where the drainage from the houses goes to
separate drains, but the two drains will combine at the end of the
road or the estate. Mostly on brownfield and infill developments in
urban areas.

Unless your drainage is combined, there shouldn't be much rainwater in
there. Sometimes it can get in through seepage, or through
cross-connections (some rainwater will be 'allowed' into foul drains
from small extensions, etc).

If your area is flooded, and your sewers are combined or partially
separate, it's possible they could be backing up, but I would have
thought that this shouldn't last more than a few hours.
--
Hugo Nebula
"If no-one on the internet wants a piece of this,
just how far from the pack have you strayed?"

On 19 Jan, 20:06, "Geronimo W. Christ Esq"
wrote:
wrote:
Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Sounds like a blockage, as others have already said. I attempted to use
sewer rods and a plunger to clear it then, but it didn't help. In the
end I bought a few bottles of bleach and drain cleaner and emptied them
down the drain closest to the blockage, and this cleared it. I figured
it was caused by grease or oil accumulating and eventually sealing the
drain.

Thanks for your reply. I'll try that. But I'm suprised that grease
could seal off such a large outside pipe. A sink waste trap inside,
maybe.
Bruce

On 20 Jan, 07:39, Edgar wrote:
wrote:
70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.
8----

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.
Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce

I'd ask the water/sewage company at this point. It sounds as though
there is a problem downstream from you.

Of course it could be a blockage in your sewer but I suspect, after all
the rain we've been having, the sewers have flooded. If you really
don't want to ask the company see if you can look into some other
manholes nearby and roughly on the same level as yours - ask the
neighbours. Be very careful opening manholes as it could pour out in
large quantities and the neighbours won't be pleased.

If they are flooded they may take anything you put down them but slowly.
Maybe someone lower down has a flooded garden? If it goes on it may
turn into a blockage as solids aren't going to be carried away
properly.

Tell the company now and leave it to them - you've done your bit.

Edgar

Thanks Edgar.
I'll give it a go with the rods to ensure my drains are not blocked.
Then call in the water company.

Bruce

On 19 Jan, 20:40, "Roger Mills" wrote:
In an earlier contribution to this discussion,

wrote:
When everything is working properly there shouldn't be *any* water
in the inspection chambers apart from what is running through the
invert[1].

If chamber 3 is half full, there is a blockage *downstream* of that
which is preventing the water from getting away properly. You need
to find the first downstream chamber which is *not* full (or half
full) and rod in an upstream direction from that to clear the
blockage.

Thanks, Roger. The next chamber is in the road somewhere. Is this the
responsibility of the water company?

Possibly - though not necessarily. If it's a public sewer which serves
multiple properties, it's the water company's responsibility - but
occasionally you get private sewers extending under public roads. The branch
which serves your property is almost certainly a private sewer, and is your
responsibility. However, it is quite possible that it's the public sewer
which is blocked, and is simply backing up into your branch. If the one in
the road is running clear, it's pretty certainly your branch which is
blocked. If the one in the road is full, the public sewer may well be
blocked - in which case you should call out the water board to clear it at
their expense. Have any of your neighbours got similar problems?

You say there shouldn't be any water in the chambers. What about
surface water due to heavy rain? The concrete caps on the chambers are
cracked and one has a small hole. However, presumably this should
drain away if the system is working OK.
Thanks
Bruce

Do you have a combined sewer which carries both foul and storm water, or
have you got two separate systems? If it's a combined sewer, the water level
may rise a bit when there's a high flow due to heavy rain - but in that case
the water will be rushing through the chamber - not just sitting there. Your
symptoms sound like a blockage.
--
Cheers,
Roger
______
Email address maintained for newsgroup use only, and not regularly
monitored.. Messages sent to it may not be read for several weeks.
PLEASE REPLY TO NEWSGROUP!

Thanks Roger.
The road sewer is a public sewer as far as I know.
I think my drainage system is Combined.
In fact, I just looked at the outlet under the fall pipe. It is full.
And the forecast for tonight is heavy rain.
Oh dear.
Bruce

On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:13:27 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On 19 Jan, 20:06, "Geronimo W. Christ Esq"
wrote:
wrote:
Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Sounds like a blockage, as others have already said. I attempted to use
sewer rods and a plunger to clear it then, but it didn't help. In the
end I bought a few bottles of bleach and drain cleaner and emptied them
down the drain closest to the blockage, and this cleared it. I figured
it was caused by grease or oil accumulating and eventually sealing the
drain.

Thanks for your reply. I'll try that. But I'm suprised that grease
could seal off such a large outside pipe. A sink waste trap inside,
maybe.
Bruce

Oh no?


http://www.gnn.gov.uk/content/detail...leaseID=337564

Bovvered? wrote:
On Sun, 20 Jan 2008 09:13:27 -0800 (PST), "
wrote:

On 19 Jan, 20:06, "Geronimo W. Christ Esq"
wrote:
wrote:
Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?
Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.
Sounds like a blockage, as others have already said. I attempted to use
sewer rods and a plunger to clear it then, but it didn't help. In the
end I bought a few bottles of bleach and drain cleaner and emptied them
down the drain closest to the blockage, and this cleared it. I figured
it was caused by grease or oil accumulating and eventually sealing the
drain.
Thanks for your reply. I'll try that. But I'm suprised that grease
could seal off such a large outside pipe. A sink waste trap inside,
maybe.
Bruce

Oh no?


http://www.gnn.gov.uk/content/detail...leaseID=337564

Yup. Always tip a tub of caustic with it..;-)

....snip...
Thanks for your reply. I'll try that. But I'm suprised that grease
could seal off such a large outside pipe. A sink waste trap inside,
maybe.
Bruce

FWIW I found that rodding my drains with a "plunger" cleared the blockage
which returned a few weeks later. This repeated for sometime until I
eventually rolled up my sleeves, put on the rubber gauntlets and gently used
the "spiral" attachment. I then proceeded to remove a carrier bag fully of
baby wipes that had got stuck.

Eventually nothing more came back but I could not get the rods any further
down the drain. It might be a bed, it might be a tree root, but whaever it
was the wipes were building up on it.

Having removed all thus gunk, the pipes have (fingers crossed) been clear
for months now.

Paul DS.

Paul D.Smith wrote:
...snip...
Thanks for your reply. I'll try that. But I'm suprised that grease
could seal off such a large outside pipe. A sink waste trap inside,
maybe.
Bruce

FWIW I found that rodding my drains with a "plunger" cleared the blockage
which returned a few weeks later. This repeated for sometime until I
eventually rolled up my sleeves, put on the rubber gauntlets and gently used
the "spiral" attachment. I then proceeded to remove a carrier bag fully of
baby wipes that had got stuck.

Eventually nothing more came back but I could not get the rods any further
down the drain. It might be a bed, it might be a tree root, but whaever it
was the wipes were building up on it.

Having removed all thus gunk, the pipes have (fingers crossed) been clear
for months now.


Had a similar problem in an ditch that was undergrounded.

Only my miothers house was it suill open, so it fl;ooeded there.

They went down about 50 meters with a spiral, and pulled out a plastic
childs toy.

Now at the time my mother was in her 70's, and no child had been in the
house for YEARS.

I guess someone threw it over the hedge from next door.

Paul DS.

The Natural Philosopher coughed up some electrons that declared:

http://www.gnn.gov.uk/content/detail...leaseID=337564

Yup. Always tip a tub of caustic with it..;-)

Taking of which, I did chuck about 1lb of caustic crystals down my bog,
followed by water and more caustic when the outside bend/rodding point got
blocked. Cleared it overnight. Landlord was happy as he didn't have to get
the drain man in. But the blockage was fairly minor and only about 10ft of
4" pipe away.

To the OP:
Not sure that would help you, sounds like you have a *lot* of water backed
up, but perhaps chucking a few pounds of caustic down the last filled
manhole might do it. Careful though, that stuff is highly exothermic.

But if you want to try something whilst gathering devices for other
solutions theres no harm. Rods are still the best bet.

To the OP:
Not sure that would help you, sounds like you have a *lot* of water backed
up, but perhaps chucking a few pounds of caustic down the last filled
manhole might do it. Careful though, that stuff is highly exothermic.

But if you want to try something whilst gathering devices for other
solutions theres no harm. Rods are still the best bet.

Thanks, Tim.
I'll open the last chamber, bale it out a bit, and try the rods before
resoring to chemical weapons!
It might be something obvious.

Bruce

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
wrote:

To the OP:
Not sure that would help you, sounds like you have a *lot* of water
backed up, but perhaps chucking a few pounds of caustic down the
last filled manhole might do it. Careful though, that stuff is
highly exothermic.

But if you want to try something whilst gathering devices for other
solutions theres no harm. Rods are still the best bet.

Thanks, Tim.
I'll open the last chamber, bale it out a bit, and try the rods before
resoring to chemical weapons!
It might be something obvious.

Bruce

I wouldn't rate your chances of baling it out. When you have several linked
chambers which are all full, you'll have quite a few hundreds (if not
thousands) of gallons to deal with. Removing a few bucketfuls will have very
little effect on the level.
--
Cheers,
Roger
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On 19 Jan, 17:48, " bruce_phi...@my-
deja.com wrote:
70s detached bungalow.
I have recently been having trouble with a suspected blocked WC.http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk....read/8d6910d8f...

Having no luck with finding any internal obstructions, I opened the
inspection chamber nearest the house. This is the one that the bath
and WC flow into. The inspection chamber has a concrete access panel
and must be about 1m deep.
It was nearly full to the top with mucky water.
I shoved my hand in and spooned out a shedload of toilet paper. The
water level didn't drop when I did this.
Using a length of batten, I reached under the mucky water and ensured
that the inlet and exit pipe of the chamber were not obstructed. They
seemed OK.
I then opened a 2nd chamber, further from the house, nearer the road.
That too was almost full to the brim. Again I removed a load of toilet
paper and ensured the inlet and outlet were not obstructed. The water
level did not drop.
Finally, I opened a 3rd chamber, the one nearest the road. This was
half full and with reasonably clear water.

Questions: How high should the water level be in an inspection
chamber? Should the inlet and outlet pipes be visible? If there is
heavy rainfall, will surface water fill them up?

Maybe I have an obstruction between chambers 2 and 3?
But bath, basin, sink and washing machine all seem to drain OK. There
is no water backing up into the house.

Thanks
Bruce

OP replies:
It turned out to be a plug of toilet paper lodged in the outlet pipe.
I used a couple of rods + the corkscrew end connector. It came out
just like a plug, and the whole system emptied in seconds.
Total time taken, about 10 mins (not including the cleaning up!). The
hardest thing was lifting the inspection chamber covers. A messy job,
but a lot cheaper than getting a cowboy drain clearance company in.

Trouble is, I have now lost all confidence in the "evacuation
efficiency" of my new WC, which has a smaller cistern than the old
1970s model. I regularily flush twice, just in case.
So much for saving the environment.
Bruce
Bruce

Bruce

OP replies:
It turned out to be a plug of toilet paper lodged in the outlet pipe.
I used a couple of rods + the corkscrew end connector. It came out
just like a plug, and the whole system emptied in seconds.
Total time taken, about 10 mins (not including the cleaning up!). The
hardest thing was lifting the inspection chamber covers. A messy job,
but a lot cheaper than getting a cowboy drain clearance company in.

Trouble is, I have now lost all confidence in the "evacuation
efficiency" of my new WC, which has a smaller cistern than the old
1970s model. I regularily flush twice, just in case.
So much for saving the environment.
Bruce
Bruce

The WC isn't the cause or the solution. The drain may have had a long
standing partial blockage of stones or a brick-end. Just lift the cover
every now and again to re-gain your confidence. A new WC will make no
difference.