Cast iron drain pipe disaster

I got a cast iron drain pipe 3" diameter thats taking sink water and it appears out of the wall with a 90 degree bend and goes straight down about 3 meters and into concrete.

Someone opened the 90 degree bend cover and tried to unblock a blockage further down. But they seem to have used what looks like a 15mm copper pipe and left it stuck inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An inspection camera locates it about 1 meter below the access hole.

doh!!

How does one get this out?

Its cost 150 quid so far for someone to come clear it from what I thought was a normal blockage only to be told about this major blunder and that the job can't be done until its taken out.

Reply to
7
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Borrow a set of drain rods and see if any of them can grip it or try pushing a probe (fence wire) to the bottom end of the pipe perhaps with a hook end and try to pull the copper pipe up.

I got a cast iron drain pipe 3" diameter thats taking sink water and it appears out of the wall with a 90 degree bend and goes straight down about 3 meters and into concrete.

Someone opened the 90 degree bend cover and tried to unblock a blockage further down. But they seem to have used what looks like a 15mm copper pipe and left it stuck inside!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

An inspection camera locates it about 1 meter below the access hole.

doh!!

How does one get this out?

Its cost 150 quid so far for someone to come clear it from what I thought was a normal blockage only to be told about this major blunder and that the job can't be done until its taken out.

Reply to
Stewart

If the end of the 15mm copper isn't jammed against the side of the cast iron, could you fit a push-fit 15mm coupler to another length, lower it onto the piece in there and push the coupler on, and then pull the two out?

Probably need the camera in there too, to get the two lined up, and/or some other type of guide to align them.

Reply to
Andrew Gabriel

That is a brilliant idea - though I fear that pipe is not lined up straight to allow the coupler to just slide in without a struggle. I ordered a 7M USB endoscopic camera from Ebay for about 30 quid - it needs another look to see if it can work out.

I thought about taking a long wood and use a band saw to cut a long taper and push it into the pipe opening and jam it and then drag both pieces out.

Reply to
7

That is a good idea. I got flexible segmented drain rod set. If I can form a loop with fence wire at the tip of the drain rod, then hook the loop around the pipe, and then push the drain rod and loop 1 to 2 meters down, and then yank at the drain rod, it should catch the pipe if the loop is tight enough and bring both the drain rod and pipe up at the same time!

Reply to
7
7 submitted this idea :

I've never tried this. I'm making it up as I go along. Get two thin strips of metal, thin enough that they can easily fit side by side into the copper pipe. I?m guessing they should be about 11 mm wide and 8 mm thick. One of them should be cut short, like about 16 mm long. The short one will become a hook on both ends. One end with a point and the other with a sharp edge where it was cut off horizontally. The second strip should be long enough to be used as a handle to push the short one into the copper pipe and to pull the copper pipe out when the hook is set.

Drill a hole near each end of the short strip. One hole should be big enough to hold a bolt or a piece of thick wire, like baling wire. The hole on the other end of the short strip should be smaller, to accommodate a string or fishing line. Grind a shallow point on the end of the short strip nearest the small hole. On the long strip, drill a hole to hold the bolt which will connect the two strips.

Connect the strips together using baling wire or a nut and bolt. The bolt must be well shorter than the interior diameter of the copper pipe because it will be going into the copper pipe in a horizontal position. Make the bold as short as possible, barely leaving enough room for the nut. The nut must be left loose enough that the hook can rotate on the bolt freely. Glue the nut onto the bolt with Loctite or any other glue.

Run a long piece of string or fishing line through the small hole in the pointed end of the short strip. The string has to be loose and has to be long enough so that both ends run outside of the drain pipe when the hook is lowered into the copper pipe.

Pull the string ends so that the pointed end of the short strip furthest from the long strip is pointed upward as the assembly is lowered into the drain pipe. Hold the point upward as you lower the assembled strips into the copper pipe. Shove the assembly in well enough to be sure that the short strip is fully in the copper pipe. Pull out the string, releasing the short strip hook. The hook will fall against the inside surfaces of the copper pipe so that both ends touch the pipe with the pointed end a bit higher. When the string has been pulled out, jerk sharply upward on the long strip to set the hook. Don?t let up on the upward pressure or the hook will have to be re-set. Pull up on the long strip, pulling the copper pipe out.

If it doesn?t work the first time because it doesn?t grab, adjust the length of the short strip. Cut a bit off if it remained too vertical to jam into the sides of the pipe. Replace it with a slightly longer strip if the hook was set but the upward pressure forced the hook past the horizontal and it slipped out, non-pointed end first.

Let us know how it works.

McGyver

Reply to
McGyver

What is needed is some kind of device that can be expanded inside the jammed pipe. I'm sure such a device exists, but the question is what would you ask for? Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

In message , Brian Gaff writes

Something like a Rawlbolt?

I made one for shotgun barrel dent removal but suspect that the OP will not have the equipment or skills.

Reply to
Tim Lamb

Get a basin wrench such as

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fabricate a suitable long handle. Hold the swivel head at 90deg with some tape and turn it onto the pipe. The grip will help rotate the pipe and pulling upward at the same time should free it.

Reply to
Peter Parry

McGyver submitted this idea :

8 mm thick was an error. It should have said 3 mm thick.
Reply to
McGyver

I got big rawbolts - probably need smaller ones, but now idea how it could be operated 1 meter below the access hole.

Reply to
7

Can you see the open end of the copper pipe? Is the pipe jammed in position?

If the answer to both is yes, then how about finding a very course thread screw that will screw into the end of the pipe and then once it is as tight as you can manage pull it out? You would need to fix the screw onto the end of some form of rod, do you know any friendly welders?

Failing that maybe a long length of something very stiff, [calm down at the back please, ] form a U shaped bend at one end a couple of inches long and small enough to just push down the inside of the pipe and push it all the way through and then pull back so that the bent end hooks over the far end of the pipe.

Reply to
Bill

In article , Andrew Gabriel writes

Lasso noose on end of garden cane[1]?

[1] or length of plastic plumbing pipe or conduit or drain rod or elect cable fishing rod
Reply to
fred

How about a big coach bolt welded to the end of a suitable bar and screwed in to the 15mm, then pulled/levered out?

Steve

Reply to
shazzbat

Way over my talent - what I need is a coach bolt type of mechanism that closes some fingers as opposed to opening them and with a long long extensible handle. A bit like a fruit picker but strong jaws that can close with a ratchet action so that it won't let go until the ratchet is released. The closest I have is 1M long rubbish picker. Its jaws are too big for entering 3" pipe and its gripping action is weak with no ratchet action.

Reply to
7

So you don't have a rawlbolt that will go inside the end of the copper pipe? That you could fix to the end of a rod or such, rotate the rod so the bolt does up and expands inside the pipe?

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

oh yes, you should try uk.d-i-y.

Andy

Reply to
Andy Champ

OK then, how about this? Drill or cut a hole in the drainpipe after carefully working out where the top of the copper pipe is. Make your hole well below the top of it, and well above ground level. Then you can drill a hole in the copper and lever it up, after that it should be plain sailing. Of course you'll need to make the hole in the drainpipe with a view to how you're going to seal it up afterwards.

Steve

Reply to
shazzbat

Didn't mean to insult:-)

Basically you need a tube which will fit inside the copper pipe and is long enough to reach. Cut slots in the end. You then need a rod which tapers to a larger size at the end such that when you draw it inside the slotted pipe the tube end expands to grip.

Reply to
Tim Lamb

Angle grinder! Cut a section of the waste pipe out, grab hold of the copper thingie and pull the bugger out. Fit a flexi waste coupling to replace the removed section, job's a good 'un.

Reply to
Harry

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