Heavy limescale in waste pipe from toilet

tvjunki

Have you any suggestions as what I can use to clear heavy lime scale in the toilet waste pipe?

The toilet bowl is clean of limescale but have noticed very slow draining so opened up the ridding eye outside and found limescale further up the pipe to the toilet. A piece of limescale that looked like a piece of ply and it had broken off blocking the flow of waste water. It had quite thick with layers of limescale. Very hard to access.

I tried baking soda vinegar, dishwasher tablets, and calgon.

Any suggestions welcome.

cap.in.hand.

I use spirits of salts/muriatic acid...it completely dissolves limescale especially in toilet bowl but should continue down the line when flushing toilet... it probably shouldn't be allowed to go into septic tank but what can you do.

The Continental Op

I'm guessing here that this heavy limescale has built up because the toilet must overflow into the waste pipe so you have like a stalactite on the side of the pipe. Nothing will clean that because it will just wash over the surface and go down the drain.

If this is set up is like I think it may be then you could block the pipe at the "riddling eye" end and then flush the limescale remover so it stays in the pipe. Leave it a few hours or overnight then remove the plug and repeat as many times as necessary.

Not sure what drain cleaner I'd use but you used to be able to get one that was mainly sulfuric acid (handle with care) that would do the job and you can get an expanding rubber plug used for drain testing to block the drain in a builders merchants.

Power washing with a suitable drain attachment might do some good.

tvjunki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310806#Comment_119310806

That would make sense as once you have flushed the toilet and the tank is filled you will hear like the overflow is kicking in. There would be a trickle of water running in the back of the toilet into the waste and then nothing. This happens every few minutes or so.

The Continental Op

Probably wrong about the sulfuric acid, although its in some drain cleaners, its hydrochloric acid that seems to be in commercial lime scale removal products.

Obviously you need to fix that overflow.

The Continental Op

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310774#Comment_119310774

Muriatic acid = Hydrochloric acid

cap.in.hand.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119311122#Comment_119311122

I don't know to be honest... after looking it up there and your right they are same thing

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310898#Comment_119310898

I had a drain surgeon here once and he mentioned something about water leaks which cause a limescale to build-up in sewer pipes, even in soft-water areas. It was a brown-like layer which he also observed within my pipes, and I had been having a tricking leak for just over a year before that. From what I could deduce, it's some type of leaching reaction between the fresh water and the sewage residue where the biological material is carried away leaving the calcium-heavy material to congeal with the pipe and strengthen. That's all I know, but he said that he commonly saw it where there was an ongoing water leak from the back of a cistern.

Muriatic acid (HCL/brick cleaner) breaks down the lime bonds and creates a soluble calcium salt, weakening the remaining limescale.

Sulfuric acid (drain cleaner) breaks down the fat and grease residues into a soap substance which can be washed away.

OP having had some pretty serious issues recently with a toilet/shower in line with what you are describing get a plumber out and have them remove the jax and ubend to get rid of the massive ball of crud that has likely built up there in them and replace them. What came out of ours was a ply/chipboard looking mass that you'd wonder how anything passed, super hard water here too and that mass didn't form over night.

tvjunki

Thank you all. I will let you know how i get on. I have booked a plumber to remove and fix the pipe.

Just one thing would i be better to replace the vogue low flush toilet now with something else?I think i will replace the flooring while I am at it.

Got another large price of limescale(4inches by 12inches and thickness of around 5mm. Definately been dripping in the pipe a while. There feels like there is very little force for the water to leave the tank. I think the value opens and closes slowly so the pressure is not there.

The Continental Op

Don't forget to get the plumber to fix the ball valve leak which is causing the problem.

tvjunki

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119360474#Comment_119360474

Yes will do. I have noticed that when I flush the toilet and the water tank is filled I can hear a trickle every so often so thought it might be the water in the pan running slowly out. I have a pressurized system so wonder if this was always the problem? I replaced the value in the boiler and now I have to get the pressure value replaced as well. All happening at the same time.

The Continental Op

Most modern cisterns don't have a separate overflow, instead the overflow is directed into the toilet pan. Your problem is caused by that overflow down the toilet pan. Half an hours work and about a euro of materials to fix.

tvjunki

Thank you for explaining it to me.