Any plumbing/drain blockage experts?

Chalky

I use Sulphuric Acid. Can't remember the name. White box with black lettering, about 8 inches high and 4 inches square, costs a tenner. Exothermic on contact with water so clear any standing water first - read the instructions! Plastic fittings and piping only! Thick gardening gloves are best.

Only available at plumbers merchants these days. Its about 90 percent concentration so clears anything in literally a minute or two but I leave for 30 mins usually. Then flush lots of cold water for maybe 30-60 seconds to clear it.

octatonic

Chalky said:

I use Sulphuric Acid. Can't remember the name. White box with black lettering, about 8 inches high and 4 inches square, costs a tenner. Exothermic on contact with water so clear any standing water first - read the instructions! Plastic fittings and piping only! Thick gardening gloves are best.

Only available at plumbers merchants these days. Its about 90 percent concentration so clears anything in literally a minute or two but I leave for 30 mins usually. Then flush lots of cold water for maybe 30-60 seconds to clear it.

That is One Shot that I referred to earlier, I think.

Neil

Old fashioned plunger has always worked for me.

Make sure you have water in the tray or at least to the top of the waste and pump vigorously (!)

Cleans away the gunk by water pressure and no chemicals needed.

Chalky

That's the one @octatonic !

octatonic

Chalky said:

That's the one @octatonic !

Yeah that clears most things.

Dominic

ONE SHOT ...without a doubt ;use it all the time and the spring -flexi unblocker too but be careful with the acid

Evilmags

fretmeister said:

The traps are mainly there to stop sewage smells coming back up.

They are definitely needed.

This is very true. A common cost cut in the boom years of Spanish housebuilding that very quicky becomes a fuck awful problem as the sceptic tank fills 

octatonic

Evilmags said:

fretmeister said:

The traps are mainly there to stop sewage smells coming back up.

They are definitely needed.

This is very true. A common cost cut in the boom years of Spanish housebuilding that very quicky becomes a fuck awful problem as the sceptic tank fills 

Greece too.

joneve

One shot sounds like a winner if I can't get rid eu natural. 

octatonic

joneve said:

One shot sounds like a winner if I can't get rid eu natural. 

As others have said, be very careful with it.
Even a drop of it on your skin will be decidedly unfun.

jamiexsilver

I work at a plumbers merchant and we won't sell the acid cleaner to the general public, you've got to be trade. We've got to keep it out of sight in a locked room! Due to a branch down south spilling a bottle the whole branch had to be evacuated. 

Serious stuff.

the Power Plumber on the other hand is totally safe. 

Col_Decker

Our shower sounds exactly like yours and had the same issue. We used some bathroom/kitchen sink unblocker and it worked a treat. Instructions said leave for 15 mins, I left it for 30 then ran the shower a little to run the fluid along the pipes in case it got stuck at a bend. Left it for another 30 mins. Shower was fine after.

EricTheWeary

Just used the bathroom buster stuff from the supermarket. If my son's girlfriend is visiting after a few days her very long hair causes problems but a bottle shifts it. I have some drain rods for outside, have volunteered to use them on other people's houses as I find it quite fun.
Supposedly you can come a cropper with plungers as the force can break any weak joints, I imagine the pressure washer approach has similar issues if you aren't careful. 

rlw

octatonic said:

joneve said:

One shot sounds like a winner if I can't get rid eu natural. 

As others have said, be very careful with it.
Even a drop of it on your skin will be decidedly unfun.

And on some plastics it marks so be very careful pouring it.  I know this......

octatonic

rlw said:

octatonic said:

joneve said:

One shot sounds like a winner if I can't get rid eu natural. 

As others have said, be very careful with it.
Even a drop of it on your skin will be decidedly unfun.

And on some plastics it marks so be very careful pouring it.  I know this......

Yup same here- I have a box of disposable funnels- they cost something like £10 for a box of 200.
Make sure you get something that is resistant to the acid- IRRC mine are polypropylene.

Rocker

fretmeister said:

The traps are mainly there to stop sewage smells coming back up.

They are definitely needed.

Our shower has a U bend trap under the shower tray. I would have expected that all such installations were done properly. Seems that they are not. Scrub my suggestion then and get in a plumber to do it right. If it is not put right now it will continue to give this problem.

cj73

rlw said:

Several kettles full of boiling water might do it - usually works for me anyway.

Extreme showering!!!

boogieman

octatonic said:

boogieman said:

I wouldn't use a pressure washer. You've always got the chance of forcing a joint apart, then you're in a whole world of shit (excuse the pun). 

You adjust the flow so it isn't full power.
I've done it a dozen or so times in the rental flats with no issue.




Fair enough if it works for you. Ours is fairly simple, the only settings it has are "on" and "off". 

rlw

cj73 said:

rlw said:

Several kettles full of boiling water might do it - usually works for me anyway.

Extreme showering!!!

NOT when I'm in the shower...............

joneve

UPDATE: Used something called "BUSTER" from Tesco, which DISSOLVES HAIR AND SOAP SCUM - so I guess is specifically made for showers.

Left it in the pipes overnight as instructed - had a shower this morning after flushing loads of hot water down and is definitely a marked improvement - so it seems to have solved the problem.