Can you push a spiral drain unblocker up a downpipe from below?

Sorry, I can't go up tall ladders. I'm 72 with heart disease and a dislike of heights above 2m.

MM

Reply to
MM
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You might have a point if there was anyone here who uses tampons or any other form of birth control.

MM

Reply to
MM

Want to re-think that?

Reply to
Andy Burns

I had this exact problem a year or two ago and pushing the spiral drain unblocker up the down pipe caused it to collapse back down onto me. I got two rocket launching tubes out of the garage, each about 1.5m long and threaded the spiral into them, this prevented the collapse and I got the blockage (which was in the elbow) sorted. Much easier than going up a tall ladder (which I'm not keen on doing). It's still OK now.

- Mike (Who likes to employ rocket science whenever possible).

Reply to
Mike

You'll be pleased to know that I've cleared the blockage successfully, using a Screwfix spiral drain unblocker.

I am still shaking from the immediate and wondrous effect 30 minutes ago. Takes me back to my first orgasm aged 12.

I got home from Screwfix, had a bacon sarnie, assembled the handle on to the unblocker, stuck the wire up the drainpipe and "rodded" it a bit while turning the handle.

All of a sudden out comes a great shower of water and crud! Bingo!

Job done. The Screwfix tool costs £22.99, so it's money well spent.

To answer to one of the other responders, if it blocks again, well, now I have THE tool to unblock it again.

Plus, while I was at Screwfix I also ordered a half-round scraper to attach to my long pole. I'm going to use that to scrape along the gutters.

By the way, before starting this job I poked a webcam out of the upstairs window on a long selfie stick to spy into the gutter. While there is ~some~ moss in there, it's not too bad after 14 years and never been cleaned out. It's at times like these that I wish I had a little drone with camera.

Right, now it's time to connect up that rain diverter in order to rejoin the cut pipes.

Shame we can't do a smiley face in Usenet. Maybe like this ;)

MM

Reply to
MM

Applause:) :) :) but I'd have used a ladder and you're only a year older than me. Alternatively as you had the downpipe already severed a set of drain rods with a correctly sized disc (or one cut square if the downpipe isn't round) would have been useful and have future potential for other use.

Reply to
Cynic

The down pipe ,but all the flow gets fed into the water butt even when it is full. At that point you need to arrange for it to overflow to go down the drain that pipe originally fed into or somewhere else like a pond or flower bed.

Basically the Butt is in the flow path all the time whereas the diverter if it is installed correctly only feeds the Butt till it is full and then the flow resumes going down to the drain.

Pros and cons for both methods. Full bore can be useful if a large number of butts are linked by piping of a suitable size and all have got low after a dry spell, one good thunder shower can fill them in minutes whereas with a diverter and the small pipe connecting it to the butt a lot of water will overwhelm the diverter and go down the drain to waste. GH

Reply to
Marland

Well, that's exactly what happens with the diverter I bought. But it has to be installed at the correct level compared to the inlet on the butt.

As long as I get a full water butt after a rainy spell, that's all I want.

Without a rainwater diverter, which most households, I reckon, do not have, the entire rainfall is 'wasted' down the downpipe anyway.

MM

Reply to
MM

In an emergency, I'll bet dirty boys have thought of any old excuse...

MM

Reply to
MM

Drain rods are far too stiff. They wouldn't have gone round the elbow at the top of the downpipe. The spiral went up there no problem.

I had previously tried garden hose, feeder rods for laying cables through partition walls, I even shot my Karcher up there. Nothing cleared it. I tried shooting water (albeit only mains pressure) from the top down the downpipe. No joy. That's when I drove to Screwfix and bought the ruddy spiral. A gem.

MM

Reply to
MM

Fine. I?m not trying to convince you to change,just answered your question of where the water in the other. method came from. We use both methods Diverter on the sheds and greenhouse, full bore on the house .

With a lot of blueberry plants and a pond to top up both of which would not like the mains water we have 5 butts connected to the full bore . after a dry spell it can take a while of gentle rain to fill them and raise the pond level, so if you get a heavy but short duration summer downpour I want the lot,not see some going past the diverter and into the soak away because that link pipe isn?t big enough. If their is too much the pond and bog garden absorb it.

GH

Reply to
Marland

Good idea but push the hose up with water turned on. The pressure stops it kinking.

Mike

Reply to
Muddymike

The close fitting disc or square would act like a piston and pressure/suction created by shoving it up and down the pipe dislodge all but the most Stubborn obstruction

Reply to
Cynic

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