Blocked outside drain

zerosugarbuzz

Outside drain from roof gutter is blocked. Already used a bottle of Zep Pro Drain unblocker to no avail. Is there anything stronger or do i need the professionals. It seems to be a muck like substance in it, dead leaves etc I'd imagine. Water is seeping down but very slowly. thanks.

rje66

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

Outside drain from roof gutter is blocked. Already used a bottle of Zep Pro Drain unblocker to no avail. Is there anything stronger or do i need the professionals. It seems to be a muck like substance in it, dead leaves etc I'd imagine. Water is seeping down but very slowly. thanks.

Lift the grate off and just scoop out the mud/leaves with hand. It should only be about a foot deep.It's easy enough and nothing sinister down there. Then flush out with a bucket of water after.

naughtysmurf

Before I’d call the professionals in I’d just stick my hand down as far as I can & take out what I could, I’ve had a similar issue to you once in the past on one drain, & that sorted it

tromtipp

If there's still a lot of wet and oozy stuff that you want to remove after the more solid matter is lifted out, a 1 or 2 litre plastic milk container can be cut down into a bailer - leave the 'handle' bit and cut out the rest of the top, leaving a waterproof mini bucket.

barneygumble99

As the lads said I’d try remove the blockage as opposed to break it down and send it further down the drainage system.

Baybay

Put a plastic bag over your hand, up to your elbow.

athlone573

If its the type of drain trap that takes kitchen waste as well as surface water, it may be clogged with grease and need water jetting.

delly

Just to add, if it's the more common plastic grate most houses have, while it may appear to be immovable, it will come up if pulled with enough force, but at the same time, don't snap the plastic bars.

blackbox

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

Outside drain from roof gutter is blocked. Already used a bottle of Zep Pro Drain unblocker to no avail. Is there anything stronger or do i need the professionals. It seems to be a muck like substance in it, dead leaves etc I'd imagine. Water is seeping down but very slowly. thanks.

If you have a tiled roof, the sandy dust from them settles in the u bend and has to be dug out from time to time. Chemical drain unblocker will have no impact on this.

Be careful if you are scooping out as that drain unblocker you put in it is very corrosive. Wear gloves and safety glasses unless you are certain it has all been washed away.

zerosugarbuzz

Thanks for all the advice, much appreciated. I would be fairly sure there is still plenty of the drain unblocker left in the drain so I'll leave it a few days before putting my arm down with the plastic bag on. Its the drain at the front of the house so no grease involved. As there are no suggestions for good drain unblockers should I take it that none of them would work? I'd be reluctant to keep trying considering they are quite expensive plus needless use of chemicals.

athlone573

Drain unblockers will dissolve grease (to a certain extent) and human skin but not stone dust. I'd suggest maybe another go with hot water and wear gloves when you do go poking around.

phelixoflaherty

Happened to me on Friday. Used a plunger for clearing sinks.
Took up grate, bit of force needed, pull at the corners.
The stuff that finally unblocked was like the ****e from a WashiNg machine plus some fat I suspect.

Pushed the plunger down the pipe and pulled it up quickly a good few times.
Don't wear your best clothes or footwear.

magicbastarder

pour a small bit of vinegar into the drain; if the drain unblocker you've used is bleach based, the vinegar should fizz if the unblocker is still present.
though best to hold your breath if you do this, it probably won't smell great.

zerosugarbuzz

magicbastarder wrote: »

pour a small bit of vinegar into the drain; if the drain unblocker you've used is bleach based, the vinegar should fizz if the unblocker is still present.
though best to hold your breath if you do this, it probably won't smell great.

Interesting, the Science bit;), based on that advice I can confirm the unblocker is gone... thanks!

Run a hose through it but block the nozzle before you do.

magicbastarder

zerosugarbuzz wrote: »

Interesting, the Science bit;), based on that advice I can confirm the unblocker is gone... thanks!

as mentioned - check what the drain cleaner is made from first!
if it's made from bleach, you'll get a reaction; and this is why i specified a small amount and to hold your breath - bleach plus acid can release chlorine gas.

if it's not bleach based, there might not be a reaction.

you wouldn't want to do that indoors - people have made the mistake of assuming bleach cleaner + acid cleaner gives you turbocharged cleaner, but it can end badly.

49801

Soda, salt, squeezeleamon and vinegar... makes a good drain cleaner

Jim_Hodge

49801 wrote: »

Soda, salt, squeezeleamon and vinegar... makes a good drain cleaner

Not for a silt filled rainwater run off.

SparrowHawk

phelixoflaherty wrote:

Pushed the plunger down the pipe and pulled it up quickly a good few times. Don't wear your best clothes or footwear.

+1 to this. Had similar situation and this worked. Used septic tank rods

CoBo55

Just get down n dirty, not nice but very satisfying when you dig out a bucket load of silt and gunge and see that water disappearing:D I have one drain out the front that needs to be done every autumn, where the gunge comes from is a mystery although as was said earlier it's probably from roof tiles.

listermint

SparrowHawk wrote: »

+1 to this. Had similar situation and this worked. Used septic tank rods

Ya it's a solid way to push solids further into the drain .


Scooping out the **** where you can reach it is the best approach. And then make sure there is a decent grill grate over the opening to minimise reoccurence.

magicbastarder

listermint wrote: »

Ya it's a solid way to push solids further into the drain

yeah, often there's not enough 'head' on water coming off the roof to wash the solids efficiently further down the drain if you do push them through - depends on the drop and the distance from your drain into the municipal part of the drain.

tromtipp

Ah the luxury of urban life. The nearest municipal drain to me is 12 kilometers away. Soakaways and the septic tank.

CoBo55

tromtipp wrote: »

Ah the luxury of urban life. The nearest municipal drain to me is 12 kilometers away. Soakaways and the septic tank.

Not without its problems either, myself and the houses each side of me were within a hairs breadth of being completely flooded a few years ago during a cloudburst only for the intervention of his boss with a diesel pump we were fcuked. I heard afterwards some dumb council worker tipped a dumper load of twigs and rubbish into a storm drain by accident. There was so much water built up in a school playground the retaining wall collapsed which blocked the drain even further.