Any clever people out there?

[ChrisR]

ALmost completely blocked 28mm copper discharge pipe, mostly under a laminate floor. No access to the far end.

From the volume of water poured in until it fills (blue) the blockage is about 1.4 metres in. Unless it's further down, and partly full before I poured mine in

I can reach the pipe further along, with difficulty (can't easily cut it), under the shower (bubbles area). I heated it with a blowlamp there, and reckon the pipe is empty but with a slow flow of water running through it once the blue water's in. The pipe cooled too quickly to be empty, but heated too quickly to have much water in it. The blue water I poured in was boiling, but the accessible pipe didn't noticeably warm up.

The blue water only drops about 1mm a second, or less.

The top of the pipe is a tundish, like a funnel, and I've tried a vac on it. The pipe just gurgles a bit. I reckon a small child posted something down there...

The blockage appears to be under a less difficult floor to remove, but still not easy.
I could cut the vertical part of the pipe near the (grey) floor, and perhaps get some sort of tube down the pipe and suck on that. But what sort of tube??
Things poked down so far haven't got round more than the first elbow in the pipe.
I don't want to put pressure on the pipe, as the blockage could go somewhere worse to reach.

I thought about dropping a super-magnet in, which would be possible to search for, but the underfloor part of the pipe doesn't have much if any fall at that point.
A thin drain spring might go down - I could sharpen the end corkscrew stylie and try to twist it, or fix a resistor on the end with wires down the middle, and maybe melt my way into it if it's plastic.

If it's not plastic, OneShot drain cleaner would dissolve it, but could give me problems elsewhere, and a pipe full of nasty acid if it doesn't run through.

Ideas?

 

[picasso]

if you have a dry test kit, connect to end that does not have the tundish if possible and pressurise the pipe ,it went in and should come out the same way, good luck with this one

 

[Norcon]

An air blast using a mechanics (hgv) tubless tyre blast tank.
Maybe ?.
Surely you can access the end ?.

 

[wiggikins]

PANGO With reducing adapter

 

[WDIK]

I think id go with the cut idea Chris, try the spring from the cut end.

 

[ChrisR]

There's NO access from the far end, it goes into an internal stack.

I can only cut the pipe below the tundish, no way after that.

I need a PanCome, not a PanGo!

 

[sooey]

Have you got a decent vacuum, something like a george. If so maybe you could adapt the hose onto the 28mm after cutting it near the floor and give it a good old sucking.

 

[clf-gas]

Appears you could be right on the small person posting theory Chris.
More than likely a superball or a marble, either way you got yourself one here.

No way you could remove soil and come at it that way, maybe with sparks rod kit and some excedingly sticky stuff on the end.

 

[Kristoflampie]

Ive unblocked some strange things using a roll of solder, its so flexible it goes round all sorts of corners if you form a rounded end loop. Mostly choked condense pipework but its worth a try!! And if it is an object it may get past and hook it back the way......... nothing ventured. Good luck.

 

[Norcon]

One of these perhaps........

http://www.mypipelines.com/SpringMachine1.htm

or ......
http://www.anthire.co.uk/productdetail.php?prodid=309&catid=40&level=0

I could envisage elbows being a problem though on 28mm pipework. Its not expensive though.

Or a kinetic water ram...........

http://www.anthire.co.uk/productdetail.php?prodid=358&catid=45&level=2

This company also supplies/hires the Rigid drain cleaning equipment .

Also...
http://www.monument-tools.com/index.html

 

[picasso]

seal the end with the tundish , then heat the pipe , the expanding water might be enough to get it moving.

 

[plplumber]

Compressed air on the tundish end or mains water

 

[ditto]

Try Fish tape from screwfix. (£10)

I'd consider cutting pipe under shower and join pipe with compression fittings to extend and bring pipe out from under shower to give you more space to try compressed air/water pressure/fish tape to push blockage back the way it came then remake pipe connection under shower with compression fitting - if this seems feasible though difficult.

Alternative is to come in from underside (ceiling) if this is upstairs.

Good Luck.

 

[Blasphemous]

Chris,

I find a length of plastic coated 'Curtain Wire' an excellent unblocking tool on small bore pipes. Fish Tape is very good but the end won't go round a sharp bend or elbow in a small bore pipe. This stuff (as you probably realise/know), has an internal spring design so it has strength but is also flexible. It'll even go round 15mm elbows!

Similar to this...

Hope that helps.

 

[ChrisR]

Thanks for the ideas.
Camera too short and wouldn't go round an elbow.
I tried a vac on the pipe but will try that approach harder.
I can get a hand to the pipe under the shower tray but that's about it, very hard to do more.
The stack is a mystery, it seems to be buried within a 13" wall, totally invisible.
Downstairs is another dead posh flat.

I did think of using something like Blaspemous's curtain wire with a sharp end, and sticking the other end in a drill to bore a hole through the obstruction.
I am afraid of pushing it further down though.

WOndered about a firework and a 28mm speedfit cap....

Latest thought:
I have one of these

which is about 80mm diameter
(didn't cost me the £70 they are now though!)
and found Fermco couplings etc to get me down to 28mm.
The syringe thing has a tight rubber piston which sucks as well as it blows, so I can have a good hard go at sucking at the pipe. If air doesn't do it I'll try filling the pipe with water, so I'm more directly connected.

I'll keep you posted!


As an aside - the curtain wire is brill for clearing blocked flexy pipes on expansion vessels, or bowden cable for really thin ones.