About a week or two ago, I noticed some slime on a drain grate, which
I removed. Then I noticed some more two days ago --- photo he

https://www.ducksburg.com/diy/2020-07-slime.jpg

white pipe: combined drain for kitchen sink, washer-dryer, dishwasher;
not very long.

blue pipe with short outlet: from a hopper higher up the wall, fed by
separate pipes from the bathroom sink, shower/bath (it's a shower over
a bath, but we only use the shower), & boiler condensate pipe.

blue pipe with long outlet: rain from the bathroom roof, through a
water-butt diverter.


Nothing seems to be plugged up or draining slowly, & I cleared out the
traps for the kitchen (which was clean), bathroom sink (some gunk), &
bath (some hair & gunk) about a month or two ago.

Do I need to care or do anything about the slime other than throw it
away when it comes out?

Thanks.

Have you checked the guttering above the bathroom? If you have any trees nearby then leaves can gather in the gutter and recent heavy rains may have dislodged it, though saying that leaf mould tends to go black that looks rather pale. Domestic management hasnt been emptying the chip pan down the sink? To eliminate the dishwasher and washing machine, run them separately and see what comes down the pipe.

On 01/07/20 10:36, Adam Funk wrote:
About a week or two ago, I noticed some slime on a drain grate, which
I removed. Then I noticed some more two days ago --- photo he

https://www.ducksburg.com/diy/2020-07-slime.jpg

white pipe: combined drain for kitchen sink, washer-dryer, dishwasher;
not very long.

blue pipe with short outlet: from a hopper higher up the wall, fed by
separate pipes from the bathroom sink, shower/bath (it's a shower over
a bath, but we only use the shower), & boiler condensate pipe.

blue pipe with long outlet: rain from the bathroom roof, through a
water-butt diverter.


Nothing seems to be plugged up or draining slowly, & I cleared out the
traps for the kitchen (which was clean), bathroom sink (some gunk), &
bath (some hair & gunk) about a month or two ago.

Do I need to care or do anything about the slime other than throw it
away when it comes out?

What happens if you pour boiling water on it? I wondered if it was a
mess of semi-congealed soap and other stuff. If it's that, the boiling
water will dissolve the soap and break up the slime. If it does,
although it is wasteful, quarter-fill the bath with water from the hot
tap then pull the plug. Any residual slime in the pipes should get
washed through. Repeat for the kitchen sink.

--

Jeff

On 2020-07-01, Tricky Dicky wrote:

Have you checked the guttering above the bathroom? If you have any
trees nearby then leaves can gather in the gutter and recent heavy
rains may have dislodged it, though saying that leaf mould tends to
go black that looks rather pale. Domestic management hasnt been
emptying the chip pan down the sink? To eliminate the dishwasher
and washing machine, run them separately and see what comes down
the pipe.

No trees near the house are tall enough to get in the gutter, & I
agree that leaf mould is darker. We don't deep-fry, but any other
excess oil goes in the compost caddy, not the sink. From the position
of the slime, I think it's very unlikely that it came from the kitchen
pipe. I think the "soap gunge theory" is more likely, but thanks for
replying.

On 01/07/2020 13:13, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2020-07-01, Tricky Dicky wrote:

Have you checked the guttering above the bathroom? If you have any
trees nearby then leaves can gather in the gutter and recent heavy
rains may have dislodged it, though saying that leaf mould tends to
go black that looks rather pale. Domestic management hasnt been
emptying the chip pan down the sink? To eliminate the dishwasher
and washing machine, run them separately and see what comes down
the pipe.

No trees near the house are tall enough to get in the gutter, & I
agree that leaf mould is darker. We don't deep-fry, but any other
excess oil goes in the compost caddy, not the sink. From the position
of the slime, I think it's very unlikely that it came from the kitchen
pipe. I think the "soap gunge theory" is more likely, but thanks for
replying.

dead lichen and decayed moss?


--
"Anyone who believes that the laws of physics are mere social
conventions is invited to try transgressing those conventions from the
windows of my apartment. (I live on the twenty-first floor.) "

Alan Sokal

On 01/07/2020 10:36, Adam Funk wrote:
About a week or two ago, I noticed some slime on a drain grate, which
I removed. Then I noticed some more two days ago --- photo he

https://www.ducksburg.com/diy/2020-07-slime.jpg

white pipe: combined drain for kitchen sink, washer-dryer, dishwasher;
not very long.

snipped

Dunno about the slime, but is that white pipe UV resistant? If not
it'll crumble eventually, probably just before you want to sell the house.

--
Cheers
Clive

On 2020-07-01, The Natural Philosopher wrote:

On 01/07/2020 13:13, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2020-07-01, Tricky Dicky wrote:

Have you checked the guttering above the bathroom? If you have any
trees nearby then leaves can gather in the gutter and recent heavy
rains may have dislodged it, though saying that leaf mould tends to
go black that looks rather pale. Domestic management hasnt been
emptying the chip pan down the sink? To eliminate the dishwasher
and washing machine, run them separately and see what comes down
the pipe.

No trees near the house are tall enough to get in the gutter, & I
agree that leaf mould is darker. We don't deep-fry, but any other
excess oil goes in the compost caddy, not the sink. From the position
of the slime, I think it's very unlikely that it came from the kitchen
pipe. I think the "soap gunge theory" is more likely, but thanks for
replying.

dead lichen and decayed moss?

I have occasionally (not recently) seen bits of moss from the rain
pipe, but this stuff definitely isn't lichen or moss.

The best advice I have ever followed was to ditch bar soap and only use
liguid soap.

Adam Funk wrote:

I have occasionally (not recently) seen bits of moss from the rain
pipe, but this stuff definitely isn't lichen or moss.

The 9x9" gulley surround at the bottom of my downpipe is packed full of
the stuff at the moment ...

On 01/07/2020 15:06, John wrote:
The best advice I have ever followed was to ditch bar soap and only use
liguid soap.


Then you are adding to the global problem of single use plastic :-(

Surely the problem is people running washing machines at low temp ?.
In the 'good old days', washes were done at ~60 C so the drains got
a regular hot flush of water and detergent.

If all else fails and you have an external hopper or gulley then
sodium hydroxide is quite effective (with eye protction and old
clothes).

On 01/07/2020 15:26, Andy Burns wrote:
Adam Funk wrote:

I have occasionally (not recently) seen bits of moss from the rain
pipe, but this stuff definitely isn't lichen or moss.

The 9x9" gulley surround at the bottom of my downpipe is packed full of
the stuff at the moment ...


Local Sainsburys is selling off their garden stuff cheap at the
moment. Lots of readymix sprays for killing moss and weeds.

On 01/07/2020 11:20, Tricky Dicky wrote:
Have you checked the guttering above the bathroom? If you have any trees nearby then leaves can gather in the gutter and recent heavy rains may have dislodged it, though saying that leaf mould tends to go black that looks rather pale. Domestic management hasnt been emptying the chip pan down the sink? To eliminate the dishwasher and washing machine, run them separately and see what comes down the pipe.


Here in Essex where it has only rained for a couple of days in the past
few months my gutters are full of dead moss that has dried off and
parted from the roof tilrs. A recent quick downpour has routed a lot
down the drainpipe.

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 2020-07-01, Jeff Layman wrote:

On 01/07/20 10:36, Adam Funk wrote:
About a week or two ago, I noticed some slime on a drain grate, which
I removed. Then I noticed some more two days ago --- photo he

https://www.ducksburg.com/diy/2020-07-slime.jpg

white pipe: combined drain for kitchen sink, washer-dryer, dishwasher;
not very long.

blue pipe with short outlet: from a hopper higher up the wall, fed by
separate pipes from the bathroom sink, shower/bath (it's a shower over
a bath, but we only use the shower), & boiler condensate pipe.

blue pipe with long outlet: rain from the bathroom roof, through a
water-butt diverter.


Nothing seems to be plugged up or draining slowly, & I cleared out the
traps for the kitchen (which was clean), bathroom sink (some gunk), &
bath (some hair & gunk) about a month or two ago.

Do I need to care or do anything about the slime other than throw it
away when it comes out?

What happens if you pour boiling water on it? I wondered if it was a
mess of semi-congealed soap and other stuff. If it's that, the boiling
water will dissolve the soap and break up the slime. If it does,
although it is wasteful, quarter-fill the bath with water from the hot
tap then pull the plug. Any residual slime in the pipes should get
washed through. Repeat for the kitchen sink.

A kettle full (1.7 L, I think) of boiling water didn't dissolve it all
but broke it up so it was easy to wash through the grate with a garden
hose. The slime certainly stank. I'll try your idea later. (I'll
also get the ladder out & look in the hopper.)

What I really want to know is whether there is any reason to care that
this stuff is forming. It's must be happening in the hopper or the
pipee down from there, because nothing is draining slowly inside.

Andrew wrote:

Andy Burns wrote:

The 9x9" gulley surround at the bottom of my downpipe is packed full
of [moss] at the moment ...

Local Sainsburys is selling off their garden stuff cheap at the
moment. Lots of readymix sprays for killing moss and weeds.

I doubt the sprayer is powerful enough to reach the roof, I suspect the
dry spell followed by a couple of downpours loosened it (with assistance
from the jackdaws).

On 01/07/2020 15:30, alan_m wrote:
On 01/07/2020 11:20, Tricky Dicky wrote:
Have you checked the guttering above the bathroom? If you have any
trees nearby then leaves can gather in the gutter and recent heavy
rains may have dislodged it, though saying that leaf mould tends to go
black that looks rather pale. Domestic management hasnt been emptying
the chip pan down the sink? To eliminate the dishwasher and washing
machine, run them separately and see what comes down the pipe.


Here in Essex where it has only rained for a couple of days in the past
few months my gutters are full of dead moss that has dried off and
parted from the roof tilrs. A recent quick downpour has routed a lot
down the drainpipe.


There was a program on BBC4 last night about the M25 and the presenter
was fascinated by the lichen on the Ove Arup flyover near Runnymede
next to Lutyens original bridge.

She visited an expert at the Science Museum? who showed how quickly
'dead' moss recovered when water was added, and pointed out that
samples over 50 years old in display cabinets came back to live just
as quickly !.

It happens that Adam Funk formulated :
What I really want to know is whether there is any reason to care that
this stuff is forming. It's must be happening in the hopper or the
pipee down from there, because nothing is draining slowly inside.

That looks like the detritus from your kitchen sink...

Are you sure it is acceptable in your area, to put grey waste (sink)
down what is a rain water drain? Many places have one system for
sewage/grey water and another for rain water, the latter needing no
treatment and is discharged straight into rivers. It is illegal to mix
the two.

If it is acceptable, cut a suitable notch in the iron grid and pipe the
sink waste through the notch so it discharges under the grid.

On 01/07/2020 15:35, Andrew wrote:



There was a program on BBC4 last night about the M25 and the presenter
was fascinated by the lichen on the Ove Arup flyover near Runnymede
next to Lutyens original bridge.

She visited an expert at the Science Museum? who showed how quickly
'dead' moss recovered when water was added, and pointed out that
samples over 50 years old in display cabinets came back to live just
as quickly !.


Yellow coloured litchen is still on my roof but large clumps of once
dark gree moss are not. Water may revive it but it's now in the gutter
and I need to get the ladders out to clear it. I'm waiting for for the
family of sparrows that hatched in a small space between my neighbours
gutter and roof to disappear. Currently the young are bouncing along my
and my neighbours gutter waiting for their parents to feed them (minus
one that ended up in my water but after a recent 2 minute downpour)

--
mailto : news {at} admac {dot} myzen {dot} co {dot} uk

On 01/07/20 15:31, Adam Funk wrote:
On 2020-07-01, Jeff Layman wrote:

On 01/07/20 10:36, Adam Funk wrote:
About a week or two ago, I noticed some slime on a drain grate, which
I removed. Then I noticed some more two days ago --- photo he

https://www.ducksburg.com/diy/2020-07-slime.jpg

white pipe: combined drain for kitchen sink, washer-dryer, dishwasher;
not very long.

blue pipe with short outlet: from a hopper higher up the wall, fed by
separate pipes from the bathroom sink, shower/bath (it's a shower over
a bath, but we only use the shower), & boiler condensate pipe.

blue pipe with long outlet: rain from the bathroom roof, through a
water-butt diverter.


Nothing seems to be plugged up or draining slowly, & I cleared out the
traps for the kitchen (which was clean), bathroom sink (some gunk), &
bath (some hair & gunk) about a month or two ago.

Do I need to care or do anything about the slime other than throw it
away when it comes out?

What happens if you pour boiling water on it? I wondered if it was a
mess of semi-congealed soap and other stuff. If it's that, the boiling
water will dissolve the soap and break up the slime. If it does,
although it is wasteful, quarter-fill the bath with water from the hot
tap then pull the plug. Any residual slime in the pipes should get
washed through. Repeat for the kitchen sink.

A kettle full (1.7 L, I think) of boiling water didn't dissolve it all
but broke it up so it was easy to wash through the grate with a garden
hose. The slime certainly stank. I'll try your idea later. (I'll
also get the ladder out & look in the hopper.)

If it stank it means it's been there for quite a time. At least you've
got rid of it, if only temporarily.

What I really want to know is whether there is any reason to care that
this stuff is forming. It's must be happening in the hopper or the
pipee down from there, because nothing is draining slowly inside.

I always believe these things are a bit like clots inside blood vessels.
While everything is flowing well there is no problem, but once the clot
starts to form, watch out! It's similar with the slime thing - there is
no problem until the first bit of whatever it is gets stuck in the
gutter, pipe, hopper, etc. After that, there is a substrate for further
formation, and it builds up until the flow of water breaks some of it
off, and that gets stuck on the drain grid. But the stuck bit is still
there, ready for more slime to form. That's why I suggested a /lot/ of
hot water.

--

Jeff

Andrew wrote in news:rdi6g1$lff$1
@gioia.aioe.org:

On 01/07/2020 15:06, John wrote:
The best advice I have ever followed was to ditch bar soap and only use
liguid soap.



I buy Sanex and decant it onto old Hand Wash pumps

On 01/07/2020 10:36, Adam Funk wrote:
About a week or two ago, I noticed some slime on a drain grate, which
I removed. Then I noticed some more two days ago --- photo he

https://www.ducksburg.com/diy/2020-07-slime.jpg

white pipe: combined drain for kitchen sink, washer-dryer, dishwasher;
not very long.

blue pipe with short outlet: from a hopper higher up the wall, fed by
separate pipes from the bathroom sink, shower/bath (it's a shower over
a bath, but we only use the shower), & boiler condensate pipe.

blue pipe with long outlet: rain from the bathroom roof, through a
water-butt diverter.


Nothing seems to be plugged up or draining slowly, & I cleared out the
traps for the kitchen (which was clean), bathroom sink (some gunk), &
bath (some hair & gunk) about a month or two ago.

Do I need to care or do anything about the slime other than throw it
away when it comes out?

Thanks.

Do you mean the white stuff? It doesn't look particularly slimy to me,
more granulated. It looks to me more like fat than anything else. You do
eat bacon, don't you?

I would examine a sample much more closely.

It will be the detergent from something. I get it every so often. A cycle in
the washing machine with disinfectant seems to help.
Brian

--
----- --
This newsgroup posting comes to you directly from...
The Sofa of Brian Gaff...

Blind user, so no pictures please
Note this Signature is meaningless.!
"Tricky Dicky" wrote in message
...
Have you checked the guttering above the bathroom? If you have any trees
nearby then leaves can gather in the gutter and recent heavy rains may have
dislodged it, though saying that leaf mould tends to go black that looks
rather pale. Domestic management hasn't been emptying the chip pan down the
sink? To eliminate the dishwasher and washing machine, run them separately
and see what comes down the pipe.

On 2020-07-01, Andrew wrote:

On 01/07/2020 15:06, John wrote:
The best advice I have ever followed was to ditch bar soap and only use
liguid soap.


Then you are adding to the global problem of single use plastic :-(

Depends on what the bar soap is wrapped in!

I find the idea strange that solid soap, once dissolved in water &
rinsed down the drain with more warm water, is going to precipitate in
the pipes.


Surely the problem is people running washing machines at low temp ?.
In the 'good old days', washes were done at ~60 C so the drains got
a regular hot flush of water and detergent.

I use 60°C or higher about once a week, but I wash most outer clothes
at low temperatures because they last longer that way.


If all else fails and you have an external hopper or gulley then
sodium hydroxide is quite effective (with eye protction and old
clothes).

A bit of slime (not much) appeared again a couple of days ago; from
the way it's positioned I'm almost certain it's come from the bathroom
hopper (so nothing to do with laundry). I've run some sodium
hydroxide through the shower drain.

On 2020-07-01, Harry Bloomfield Esq wrote:

It happens that Adam Funk formulated :
What I really want to know is whether there is any reason to care that
this stuff is forming. It's must be happening in the hopper or the
pipee down from there, because nothing is draining slowly inside.

That looks like the detritus from your kitchen sink...

Are you sure it is acceptable in your area, to put grey waste (sink)
down what is a rain water drain? Many places have one system for
sewage/grey water and another for rain water, the latter needing no
treatment and is discharged straight into rivers. It is illegal to mix
the two.

This house is too old for separate drains.

If it is acceptable, cut a suitable notch in the iron grid and pipe the
sink waste through the notch so it discharges under the grid.

I'll just turn the grid so the slots are parallel to the outlet I
think it's coming from.