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

plumb1_2

MikeJXE said:

sourpuss2021 said:

MikeJXE said:

sourpuss2021 said:

Here’s another action shot.  Should I be able to push this auger all the way through?  As presumably it goes through into some underground cavern.

There was definitely quite a bit of rice when I ladled out the gulley.   Enough for a nice minestrone soup .

That is not a gully it's a silt trap

Foul water gully wouldn't have a hole that high with access to the drain and consequentially the sink or washing machine shouldn't be in there 

A gully that is designed to stop the smell has a U bend similar to toilet, the water covers the hole thus stopping the smell. Plus  and you cannot get rods around it

Ah, interesting!

It’s a Victorian house converted into flats.  Though curiously this kitchen would have been the original one.   So I’m not sure where else it could have drained to.

The kitchens and bathrooms of the flats on other floors feed into the soil pipe which is some way away.

Not just interesting it's a health hazard and illegal 

The black pipe I assume is rain water from the roof

The grey pipe is from the kitchen and should not be into that silt trap it should be in the SVP

Had it been a trapped gully leading to a dual sewer it would have been ok

There doesn't seem to be a way of getting over the problem because the outgoing drain is too high 

The grey pipe is ok into that gully, as it is trapped. It’s old top water and fowl drain. Didn’t have separate in Victorian times except buck house and the like.
The out going drain isn’t to high, because it’s not the out going drain. There are such things as back inlet gulley’s  different from today’s plastic versions.
As FB has posted a picture of the gully, that’s similar what it will be except a older version.

If the OP can manage it, buy some drain rods from SF , put some welly’s on flood the area with water, the more the merrier and give it some gusto with a 4” plunger. I’ve unblocked hundreds of those gully’s.
That’s enough from me today, off  having me tea, tripe and onions, plenty of malt vinegar yum yum.

MikeJXE

sourpuss2021 said:

GDB2222 said:

There’s an interesting assumption in this thread, namely that it is the landlord's responsibility to clean the drain. If the drain is not fit for purpose, then I agree that it is his responsibility. But, if the tenant has put stuff down that has blocked it, surely that’s the tenant’s responsibility?

We are very careful what we put down our drain, and we don’t have a problem with the gully. 

Yes that’s a good point.  Another example would be if a bath/shower gets clogged up with hair.   Or a sink with hair trimmings and shaving soap.   Most landlords would complain about having to pay in those circumstances.

Though perhaps this is different as it’s on the outside of the property, and as stated by a previous poster is possibly illegal, too…

There is no question on the legality it's definitely illegal

The drain, because it runs under the floors was fairly obviously installed when the house was built to service the rear roof water not any foul water 

Even if it terminates in a combined sewer (foul and surface water) the part in question hasn't a trap so it doesn't comply 

Ok the place was converted by the LL and he decided to do whats been done and has got away with it so maybe the pipe from the sink can't get to the SVP ? That's a possible reason and so is it's easier and less costly.

FreeBear

sourpuss2021 said: Though perhaps this is different as it’s on the outside of the property, and as stated by a previous poster is possibly illegal, too…

It is legal to discharge both rain water and grey/foul water in to a sewer if there is no alternative - Combined sewers have been a "thing" for a long while. What is not acceptable is to discharge grey/foul water in to a soakaway without it being treated first.

What you have there, whilst possibly not compliant with current rules/regulations, is not "illegal".

MikeJXE

FreeBear said:

sourpuss2021 said: Though perhaps this is different as it’s on the outside of the property, and as stated by a previous poster is possibly illegal, too…

It is legal to discharge both rain water and grey/foul water in to a sewer if there is no alternative - Combined sewers have been a "thing" for a long while. What is not acceptable is to discharge grey/foul water in to a soakaway without it being treated first.

As long as you use a trapped gully 

plumb1_2

MikeJXE said:

There is no question on the legality it's definitely illegal

The drain, because it runs under the floors was fairly obviously installed when the house was built to service the rear roof water not any foul water 

Even if it terminates in a combined sewer (foul and surface water) the part in question hasn't a trap so it doesn't comply 

Ok the place was converted by the LL and he decided to do whats been done and has got away with it so maybe the pipe from the sink can't get to the SVP ? That's a possible reason and so is it's easier and less costly.

Now I’ve eaten my tripe, now I’ve just read some 😂
How do you know it drain runs under the floors?
How do you know it hasn’t got a trap?
The LL hasn’t got away with anything 
I bet that gully has been there a lot longer than any conversions 
What you have to consider with Victorian houses, is the gully was probably for a lead waste pipe from a Belfast sink to go into. And there wasn’t any inside water closets The water closet would have been in the yard. So no soil pipe, but there could have been a vent pipe.
And Rwp from gutters would have serviced 4or 5 houses and a separate gully would have been used. 

Enough for now er indoors is making crumpets for our suppers yum yum

MikeJXE

How do I know the drain runs under the floor

By your photo the direction you are Roding is towards the house 

It's obvious it don't have a trap or you wouldn't be able to rod it 

Silt trap was probably there originally and whoever did the conversion thought it was a gully 

You do as you wish I'm just telling you what I see 

GDB2222

Probably best to let this one go. The op just wants advice on cleaning the blockage.

Eldi_Dos

Agree, that's a trap that can lead us in the wrong direction.

sourpuss2021

MikeJXE said:

How do I know the drain runs under the floor

By your photo the direction you are Roding is towards the house 

It's obvious it don't have a trap or you wouldn't be able to rod it 

Silt trap was probably there originally and whoever did the conversion thought it was a gully 

You do as you wish I'm just telling you what I see 

Not sure if this was aimed at me or another poster.  

Yes the pipe, not far down, that I got the drain augur into goes under the house.

But surely that can’t be the only exit as it’s so high up.  I think there must be another drainage point near the base on the opposite side, and which goes under the path.

Anyway landlord has got back to me saying I should put my arm down there or use drain rods.  No expense spared!!

GDB2222

Is there a rectangular drain cover nearby?