Clearing hair from pipes

[Nick Drew]

Hi all,

I'm looking for suggestions on how to clear a drain of clogged hair.

The bathroom in my flat has an electric pump, for pumping the waste water (ie toilet and shower) to the waste pipe for the block. The pump is next to the toilet and about 4' from the shower drain.

It all worked great when new, but since then hair has got down the shower drain and clogged it all up. What's the best way to clear the hair?

I've heard a) bleach b) sulphuric acid (which appears to be mostly not recommended...) and various manual techniques. Unfortunately, with the position of the pump, there's not much chance of getting a pipe cleaner down there from the shower. So.... help!

TIA

Nick

[Matt]

Nick -

Call a plumber. Probably run ya about $85, and if something gets screwed up in the process, you don't have to pay for it.

[Lola]

What's wrong with the Liquid Plumber? That stuff can eat through a brink wall.

[Matt]

Zactly.

And it can also sit in a pump and eat through it.

[willshak]

On 1/13/2005 5:38 PM US(ET), Nick Drew took fingers to keys, and typed the following:

When I lived in a flat (apartment), I would just call the Superintendent (the owner's agent) when I had a problem.

[RobertPatrick]

"Nick Drew" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Ask the hardware store if they have a can of pressurized air. I used that to clear the hair from my sink.

[Jeff Wisnia]

You probably mean you won't have to pay for it if the guy admits he screwed it up and doesn't convince himself "It was shot anyway" to justify charging you for fixing whatever broke. At least that's the way it seems to work around here, maybe you are located where the nicer people live.

Jeff

[Richard J Kinch]

NaOH. Bleach is a mess and doesn't work. Acid will eat your pipes.

[Richard J Kinch]

A compressed air source of any power is likely to find the weakest, least accessible joint in your drain system, and turn it into an inaccessible and leaky joint.

[RobertPatrick]

Richard J Kinch wrote in news:Xns95DDCFCB687E9someconundrum@216.196.97.131:

I already checked and the pipes are strong. I only use the air in emergencies, not all the time. Robert

[saphire_1975]

cleaner down

[MrAoD]

Is this a basement or below-grade flat? Cos it sounds like what you've got is an ejection pump (US-speak) setup, which is used when the drain is either beneath or insufficiently above the main drain stack.

Depends on where the hair clog is. Have you opened the pump and confirmed that the hair is clogging the pump/impeller?

If the impeller blades or intakes are clogged, manual cleaning is required. And you'll need to open the pump housing. If the clog is in the pipes leading up to the pump you can try a wet-dry vacuum cleaner. Fill the pipe with clean water and vacuum. Lather, rinse, repeat.

If you know the make of the ejection pump see if it's rated for drain-cleaning solution (this side of the pond reference - Liquid Plumber or equivalent).

I strongly suspect that the impeller blades are clogged though, which mean you'll either have to have the unit replaced or, at the least, professionally serviced.

Best,

Marc