Cleaning sewerage drain

Liam C Ryan

Is there any cleanser for cleaning a sewerage pipe between the inspection manhole at the house and the septic tank. The main problem is lime scale on the pipe.
Liam C

Poor Uncle Tom

Caustic Soda may do the job for you if you can direct it to where it is needed.

baords dyslexic

Set of drain rods would do the job. Depends if the pipe is plastic or not as can be easier to clean the inside of plastic pipe, ceramic pipework might take a bit more effort. Any caustic chemicals will mess up the septic tank big time. For lime scale I think you'd want some form of acid again something that will be disaster for a sceptic tank.

Start by pushing the rods through on their own with no tool on the end to get a feel for the pipe to check for any problem areas where a tool might get stuck and how many rods you need to reach the tank from the manhole. Then I'd put down a very soft rubber plunger (or a hard one cut to half its normal diameter) again to be sure of whats going on in the pipe and to check you won't get more solid tools stuck. Finally if everything has worked out so far you can use a scraper and work it back and forward along the pipe or a use much stiffer rubber tool. Don't forget to keep turning the rods clockwise as you push them down or pull them back to keep the rods from unscrewing.

If you can get a stiff rubber plunger that is the same size as the pipe up and down it then I can't see a need for chemicals, but if your pipe is badly blocked please don't rush at it and come back asking how to get the rods you've got stuck down the pipe out.

DoneDL

baords dyslexic wrote: »

Set of drain rods would do the job. Depends if the pipe is plastic or not as can be easier to clean the inside of plastic pipe, ceramic pipework might take a bit more effort. Any caustic chemicals will mess up the septic tank big time. For lime scale I think you'd want some form of acid again something that will be disaster for a sceptic tank.

Start by pushing the rods through on their own with no tool on the end to get a feel for the pipe to check for any problem areas where a tool might get stuck and how many rods you need to reach the tank from the manhole. Then I'd put down a very soft rubber plunger (or a hard one cut to half its normal diameter) again to be sure of whats going on in the pipe and to check you won't get more solid tools stuck. Finally if everything has worked out so far you can use a scraper and work it back and forward along the pipe or a use much stiffer rubber tool. Don't forget to keep turning the rods clockwise as you push them down or pull them back to keep the rods from unscrewing.

If you can get a stiff rubber plunger that is the same size as the pipe up and down it then I can't see a need for chemicals, but if your pipe is badly blocked please don't rush at it and come back asking how to get the rods you've got stuck down the pipe out.

+1, avoid chemicals that will affect the bacteria in the tank.

fryup

DoneDL wrote: »

+1, avoid chemicals that will affect the bacteria in the tank.

you need the bacteria to break down the solids??

StevenSimmons

I am not sure but there are various types of Caustic Soda available in a market with less concentration. You need to check what type of pipe you have and according to the type and quality of plastic choose your material to clean pipe. I don't think it will harm a pipe or create a bacteria into a tank.For more information visit http://www.thertastore.com

Liam C Ryan

Thanks for the replies, it seems I won,t be able to use any type of chemical to clean the pipe so I will try to get strong rods and make a good scraper and see will it remove the limescale.
liam C

mathepac

No acid, no caustic, into septic tank and BTW no toilet cleaners either, they mess up he bacterial balance required to keep the tank(s) working optimally.

The one thing you can use is good old vinegar. The acetic acid in vinegar is mild enough not to interfere with tank operation but strong enough to clear / weaken lime-scale. It is also one of the most effective toilet cleaners and lim-scale clearers, while remaining harmless.

If your tank stops normal operation, try throwing some road kill into it to get the bacteria growing and working again.

baords dyslexic

Liam C Ryan wrote: »

Thanks for the replies, it seems I won,t be able to use any type of chemical to clean the pipe so I will try to get strong rods and make a good scraper and see will it remove the limescale.
liam C

Just take it easy and make sure you aren't going to get any rods stuck. You probably don't want to do it this way around but if you can rod up from the septic tank end with water running into the manhole then you can do a rods length then pull the rods out and let the water flush out what you have scraped off. When you are cleaning thick crap out of a drain its easy to try and pull out to much in one go and then get the tool/scraper stuck. If you are disloging much and work from the top of the drain you can push a pile of crap into total blockage which is then difficult to clear.

You could also try one of the drain clearing accessories that go on a pressure washer, if you already have a pressure washer then something like this might help

http://www.espares.co.uk/drain-cleaning-kit

just an example from a quick google.