Outside drain - blocked?

moneyistooshorttomention

I can see a rather higher water level than I am used to seeing when I lift up the manhole cover for an outside drain, complete with toilet "stuff" there, ie shreds of toilet paper and, shall we call them, human waste products:cool:?

Yuk.

Obviously wondering if it might overflow and/or stuff stop going down the kitchen and bathroom waste pipes.

What next please?

a. Can I tackle it myself_pale__pale_ and at minimal cost and, if so, how?

b. If I cant, then how much should I expect to pay for a plumber (standard, not emergency rates)?

Mrs_Boo_Boo

We had this a few years ago.
You can do it yourself,although not very pleasant with drain rods. I think we bought them in B&Q. You screw flexible poles together to push through the drain. There are various attachments too to clear the blockage like a metal claw. You could borrow some rods off a neighbour to save costs.
Good Luck or shall I say Yuch

moneyistooshorttomention

Yuch indeed.

Am planning on starting with working my way "up the ladder" of thoughts by getting "down and dirty" with a bent wire coat hanger (with hook end furthest from me) and hope that will at least do the job for free.

ariba10

It will need to be a very, very long coat hanger!

Davesnave

ariba10 wrote: »

It will need to be a very, very long coat hanger!

:rotfl:

There's nothing to it if the blockage can be reached with a few rods and a twisty metal thing on the end, but it depends if the block has been caused by a fault in the drain or just inappropriate use of the sewer.

For example, we recently rodded our septic tank run-out. In one direction, we managed 19 rods, but in the other, only 3, because of bad construction. To do that bit we'd have needed a hot-rodding device like the pros use, and having paid £120 for one clearance, we decided to dig the thing up and replace.

So that's possibly the sort of price you might pay for a normal clearance, but bear in mind I'm rural, so travelling time included. OTOH, no one rips people off around here and stays in business.

Personally, I'd buy some rods + some rubber gloves and have a go, especially as it's Sunday. Whether you'll want to depends on your normal handiness. I use my rods to clean the chimney as well, saving another £45 a time.

This is the sort of kit: http://www.toolstation.com/shop/p37178?utm_source=googleshopping&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=googleshoppingfeed&mkwid=Thi0mrlp&pcrid=46330094183&gclid=CKLA4KXv_sECFWTHtAodbzgA5g

Meanwhile, "if it's yellow let it mellow," or your garden may be receiving some extra nutrients!

EDIT: If you don't buy locking rods, remember only to turn them clockwise.

rach_k

I've called out a guy to clear the drains here in SW London - he charges £70 and comes round the same day. He clears it and gives the drains a good wash down through all of the access points you have. A lot more expensive than doing it yourself but money well spent for me

trailingspouse

Our water board has an offer on at the moment for their 'Home Serve' insurance, which includes sorting out blocked drains. £9 for the year (will rise to £96 in year two, but hey).

You can't claim immediately, for obvious reasons, but the wait period is only two weeks. It might be worth seeing if your local water board is offering something similar.

moneyistooshorttomention

Thank you everyone for suggestions - am googling and investigating them.

For right now, I think (fingers crossed hard) that I might have been able to manage it with just that short coathanger:D. Cautiously optimistic that its done the trick to:
- bale out and chuck water (and yuk) elsewhere
- poke around with coathanger
- flush through madly

So far..so good and I think its running smoothly now...fingers crossed again.

Think it was a combination of twigs and disposable paper (hmm...wonders whether I shouldn't chuck used kitchen paper towels down the loo, having read a few comments now that it doesn't "dissolve" like the cheap loopaper I buy for "other" purposes).

Thought it must be okay to chuck that kitchen paper down the loo because a couple of my workmen chucked loads down and....errrr...workmen know what they're doing...errr...don't they?:o Duh!

EDIT: One advantage to more "countryish" living then Dave....ie "other" ways to dispose of errrm...waste products....in extremis..

Davesnave

moneyistooshorttomention wrote: »

EDIT: One advantage to more "countryish" living then Dave....ie "other" ways to dispose of errrm...waste products....in extremis..

Yes, one of my farming friends expressed surprise when I said I'd had the septic tank emptied professionally. I could have phoned them....:o

"Oh, when ours gets too full, us just hooks 'un up t' the slurry wagon, sucks 'un out and then blasts it over the furthest field that don't have animals in it!" :eek:

Errata

Davesnave wrote: »

Yes, one of my farming friends expressed surprise when I said I'd had the septic tank emptied professionally. I could have phoned them....:o

"Oh, when ours gets too full, us just hooks 'un up t' the slurry wagon, sucks 'un out and then blasts it over the furthest field that don't have animals in it!" :eek:

Human waste has no more and no less 'germy' stuff than animal waste, although tomato seedlings can pop up where they're not expected;)

moneyistooshorttomention

ie who says its only the Chinese and nearby nations that go in for "night soil" on the fields.

Quite put me off buying food from those countries when I read they don't leave it to "ripen" etc first...yuk!

Hadnt occurred to me that maybe some of our farmers do that too:eek: - even if I am currently reading that book the "Humanure Handbook" and coming to conclusion of "probably not for me".