Thread: Blocked storm water drain!

I remember getting all sorts of things out of the stormwater system and off the roof when I had children at home. Our house is very high at the back so I had to buy a 24' extension ladder to get balls etc. off the roof and out of the gutters. I hate heights and ladders and have not been on either for years. I am 78 and my days of climbing trees. roofs and ladders are long past. The 24' ladder has not been out of the shed in probably 15 years.

Just cleared a blocked drain using a Karcher drain cleaning attachment (already had the Karcher pressure washer).

Pipe cleaning set, 15 m | Karcher Australia

It has backward pointing jets so it scuttles down the pipe as fast as you can untangle the hose. When you hit the blockage pulling it back & letting it run forward plenty of times can unblock the pipe. You can of course use it up to or down to the blockage.

Some time back had a plumber in to repair a pipe (on insurance), while he was here got him to track a blocked drain. He used a camera but there were issues with 90degree bends, he had to smash a pipe to get access. Couldn't see much with the camera so changed to a high pressure powered unit (like the one I used on the Karcher) but it couldn't get past the blockage, he then used a detector above ground and located where it was stuck.
I then spent a weekend digging down to the pipe in the front garden. Turned out the pipe had been driven over & split when the house was built (25 years earlier) and roots had got into the split and blocked the pipe. Grafted in a new section of pipe and no problems since. Also had to take out the smashed 90degree bend and add two 45 degree bends so access is possible in future, also added an inspection point !




Colin

Ive got a 100m length of Electric fence string that I'd put a float on the end then flush down a toilet etc to trace a sewer .

Oooooh YUK. One trusts you would thoroughly cleanse the string before putting it back in your Lunchbox?

Originally Posted by gromit

Just cleared a blocked drain using a Karcher drain cleaning attachment (already had the Karcher pressure washer).

Pipe cleaning set, 15 m | Karcher Australia

It has backward pointing jets so it scuttles down the pipe as fast as you can untangle the hose. When you hit the blockage pulling it back & letting it run forward plenty of times can unblock the pipe. You can of course use it up to or down to the blockage.

Some time back had a plumber in to repair a pipe (on insurance), while he was here got him to track a blocked drain. He used a camera but there were issues with 90degree bends, he had to smash a pipe to get access. Couldn't see much with the camera so changed to a high pressure powered unit (like the one I used on the Karcher) but it couldn't get past the blockage, he then used a detector above ground and located where it was stuck.
I then spent a weekend digging down to the pipe in the front garden. Turned out the pipe had been driven over & split when the house was built (25 years earlier) and roots had got into the split and blocked the pipe. Grafted in a new section of pipe and no problems since. Also had to take out the smashed 90degree bend and add two 45 degree bends so access is possible in future, also added an inspection point !




Colin

Oh ... I just found a new tool I **need** to have

15M 5800PSI High Pressure Washer Hose Pipe Drain Cleaner Set Kit Fit For KARCHER | eBay

they are less than $50 on ebay!

Originally Posted by 4bee

Oooooh YUK. One trusts you would thoroughly cleanse the string before putting it back in your Lunchbox?

I've gotten a lot of milage out of that Electric fence string, Anything to do with poo seems too fascinate the grandkids but they still keep a good distance from that fence reel in the shed.

Had this at our place.

I worked out which section of pipe under the ground it was in.
Luckily it was a straight section.
I then dug down to access the pipe,where it was easy to access,drilled a 25 mm hole in the top,and pushed a garden hose into the pipe until it hit the blockage.I then pulled the hose out and ran it along the ground above the pipe and worked out where the blockage was.

I dug down to the pipe and found a previous owner of the place had run an Aggie pipe into the 90 mm stormwater,and this was causing leaves,etc to get caught up at this point and block it.
I pulled the aggi pipe out as it wasn’t needed,cut a 90mm joiner up and screwed it and glued it over the hole,job done.

Luckily I could dig down,as the blockage was under a garden bed.

Under paths,etc is going to be a PITA.

At one of my sons places,he had a stormwater pipe block,between his house and the outlet on the street,luckily also a straight run.We shoved lengths of electrical conduit up the drain,from the street end,kept glueing lengths together until we reached the blockage and then bashed it through the blockage.
That was about 8 yrs ago and it hasn’t blocked again.

I think we used about 6 of 4M lengths of conduit.

Conduit is very cheap,maybe 2 to $3.00 a length at the most.

Plumber has been with hi pressure hose, camera etc, entering drain from street outlet. Unable to go far enough.
So, an access point has to me made in another section of the drain, in the middle of lawn so no tile removal etc, plumber feels that from this point proper access will be achieved which will enable resolution of problem, ...good to have an access point too I suppose, in case of any future dramas,......but the whole issue is a pain in the arse.
Pickles.

.but the whole issue is a pain in the arse.

A pain in the drain falls mainly on the plain. Or a pain in the arse falls mainly on the grass.


Sounds a bit Audrey Hepburn-ish in My Fair Lady.