Okay to pour boiling water into drain cleaner in blocked gully?

sourpuss2021

I’m trying to unblock a gully that is fed into by a drainpipe and kitchen waste. 

First I poured a jug of boiling water and poked around with a wire sink unblocking tool I have (though I don’t have proper drain pipes). 

That didn’t do anything so then I poured in 1 litre of drain cleaner which has been sitting there for 20 minutes.  I can see it’s foamed up.

I’m thinking to pour in another kettle of water onto the drain cleaner (plus blockage water) that’s in the gully. But if I do that will I get knocked out by chlorine gas etc?!

Eldi_Dos

Whatever you do now, there is chemical drain unblocker down there and you need to wear suitable eye protection and gloves.

sourpuss2021

Eldi_Dos said:

Whatever you do now, there is chemical drain unblocker down there and you need to wear suitable eye protection and gloves.

Sadly I didn’t do that but I stood well back! Have tried with a hosepipe but still haven’t managed to unblock it.  I guess drain rods and/or an expert are needed…

GDB2222

Do you have a wet and dry vacuum cleaner?  

Apodemus

If this is simply a kitchen waste, the blockage should be soft enough that you can clear it with your garden hose, rather than needing drain rods.  The difficult bit is often getting the hose round that initial bend in the trap.  In your shoes, I think I would empty as much of the water out as you can and then feel around with my hand, so that I know where I am trying to go with the hose.  As mentioned above, now that you have drain cleaner in there, you will want to suitably dilute that before putting hands into it.

sourpuss2021

GDB2222 said:

Do you have a wet and dry vacuum cleaner?  

 

I’ve just got a Henry hoover which I don’t think would like being taken outside!

MikeJXE

Are you certain it's the gully blocked or is it the drain run to the inspection chamber ?

With there being a gully for surface water that usually means it's a dual sewer,  are you certain about that also ? 

sourpuss2021

Apodemus said:

If this is simply a kitchen waste, the blockage should be soft enough that you can clear it with your garden hose, rather than needing drain rods.  The difficult bit is often getting the hose round that initial bend in the trap.  In your shoes, I think I would empty as much of the water out as you can and then feel around with my hand, so that I know where I am trying to go with the hose.  As mentioned above, now that you have drain cleaner in there, you will want to suitably dilute that before putting hands into it.

Thanks for the advice!  Yes it’s definitely just drain water and kitchen (so could be cooking fats and detergent powder).  The bathroom/toilet feeds into a separate soil stack.   The drain hole is on the outer edge of the gully, I seem to remember.

I’m a tenant, and it’s the typical poorly maintained Victorian conversion.  When this happened years ago I think I might have got on my knees with my arm in a binliner,  and poked around till I unblocked it.   Possibly finding a decomposing frog in the process.

I don’t know if I would show such willingness again!  So if another go with the hosepipe doesn’t shift it, I will tell the LL I’ve made an effort but really need to get someone in!  Though not sure if a regular jobbing plumber would do this, or would need a drain company (who I suspect would have a branded van etc and charge more).

Eldi_Dos

Once you have your goggles and marigolds on, get a soup ladle and attach to a pole and use this to bail out trap into a bucket, then clear out bottom of trap of any debris.Then push hose up drain till it hits blockage, turn on and push back and fore, hopefully blockage will clear.

If you do need to buy drain rods, 1/2 inch ferret type rods are good for this type of problem. Might seem expensive but will be cheaper than a callout, and you would have them for future use.

sourpuss2021

Eldi_Dos said:

Once you have your goggles and marigolds on, get a soup ladle and attach to a pole and use this to bail out trap into a bucket, then clear out bottom of trap of any debris.Then push hose up drain till it hits blockage, turn on and push back and fore, hopefully blockage will clear.

If you do need to buy drain rods, 1/2 inch ferret type rods are good for this type of problem. Might seem expensive but will be cheaper than a callout, and you would have them for future use.

Thanks for the detailed instructions!  I do have a soup ladle and a bucket.   Guess it’s time for another coffee and then another try

I’ve got what I think is called a drain auger, but  I didn’t find it rigid enough to use on a gully, I think it’s more for sinks.   Thanks for the recommendation what drain rods to buy for future use.

MACKEM99

Eldi_Dos said:

Once you have your goggles and marigolds on, get a soup ladle and attach to a pole and use this to bail out trap into a bucket, then clear out bottom of trap of any debris.Then push hose up drain till it hits blockage, turn on and push back and fore, hopefully blockage will clear.

If you do need to buy drain rods, 1/2 inch ferret type rods are good for this type of problem. Might seem expensive but will be cheaper than a callout, and you would have them for future use.

Don't make any soup for a while after.