Sewer blockage

Manholejohn

Anyone help. I have a main sewer in my garden, standard type, gulley into hole, U trap with overflow above. Trap was blocked, but cleared handy enough with a few plunges short plunger secured to a long handle. Before I cleared it, it was clearing ok via the overflow. So it is blocking in the trap any ideas ? Wondering would it be snagging on something in the trap a burr or something ? if so could one of the drain clearing guys sort it.?

Bonzo Delaney

Manholejohn wrote: »

Anyone help. I have a main sewer in my garden, standard type, gulley into hole, U trap with overflow above. Trap was blocked, but cleared handy enough with a few plunges short plunger secured to a long handle. Before I cleared it, it was clearing ok via the overflow. So it is blocking in the trap any ideas ? Wondering would it be snagging on something in the trap a burr or something ? if so could one of the drain clearing guys sort it.?

Stick up a pic of what you mean by the u traps blocked it's supposed to have water in it about 4-6 inches or else I'm missing something in the op is it the trap under the sink or the gully trap outside that's blocked.

Manholejohn

Thanks for the reply This is the main sewer. Dont have a pic (dont really want one) :-( Foul waste all going through all right until it gets to the chamber in garden.
Apparently the trap and overflow is fairly standard. There is water in the trap. It had been only taken away by the overflow as the trap itself had been blocked. When I plunged it , it cleared ok down the hole through the trap. It is fine at the moment and I can see the hole into the trap with water. What I am concerned about is why it would get blocked in the trap, its such a short distance to travel into the main line, out to the road. This section is ok as it clears out the overflow, so it is only blocking in that short section through the trap. The chamber is 3 or four feet deep so I am not worried about it coming up to the garden. The main section to the road would have to block for that to happen. Just concerned if the trap keeps blocking, I am depending on the overflow to take it away, not ideal. Thats why I was wondering if something was snagging it through the trap.

65535

It is possibly a Buchan Trap (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buchan_trap)
I had one of those and had it replaced, no problems since.

Manholejohn

Was it a major job having it replaced would imagine it would be a last resort. Had drains Co. out yesterday had all the lines pressure cleaned, including the trap, rodding point, line out to road etc. Guys said there was some debris/rubble and grease in the trap which could have been causing the blockage. It got a really good cleaning, and lads said that it is in good shape now, also said that some people that have these dont even bother with keeping traps clear as long as it is clearing away through the overflow. Will keep an eye on it, worse case scenario, need a plunge few times a year. I can live with that.

65535

I know your pain
Outside in all weathers with rods trying to clear the blockages.

In the end I called in this fellow - http://blockagebusters.ie/
First visit he confirmed that it was a trap problem and suggested replacement which involved removal of the original trap and installing 2 inspections covers, one for sewer and other for storm drain.
Like your guy he blasted it all and it was working away again for a while but it clogged up again.
Called him out again to replace the traps.
He also did a camera check on all the piping and he found a kink in the pipe which did not help.
Following week he replaced the traps and I have not had any issues at all since. (this was last year)
He marked the tarmac where the pipe is kinked but I did not resolve that yet however no problems with the sewer since I replaced those Buchan trap things.
It cost over a grand at the time and I was not happy to be parting with that amount of money but he did put a lot of work into it down to even putting on grass seed at the end to regrass the area that was disturbed.
He did say that without those traps being changed he would lose a lot of business...

Manholejohn

Dont think its a Buchan Trap. Looks more like Interceptor, see diagram page 17 of this Document "Dublin City Council Drainage and Waste
Water Disposal Regulations 2010." sorry wont allow me post link . Doesnt look lts the same type. See how it goes anyway.

65535

You could be right, I only do 'diy' plumbing
But my one was and when it was replaced it solved all my problems.