It’s ok I’ve put it in the right thread now.

Ah!

Wrong Thread.

Yesterday was a draining day for me. In all senses of the word “draining”.

I hired a coil machine (hence “wrong thread”) with root cutter, mud clearer and coil leader for rooting through a blocked stormwater drain.

Also called a drain root clearance specialist and his equipment got rooted without going any deeper.

Despite hours of work, we’re no closer to finding the drain blockage. We dug down from above and saw no root ingress.
Rooting with the helical thread got stuck about 0.4 metre from one end and 1.5 metres from the other end of the pipe (pipe length 13 metres).

Trying to wash out mud with high pressure water from a hose failed.

Feeling with a thick steel wire we managed to force it in with difficulty 1.2 metres in from one end and 3.5 metres in from the other end.
Water not flowing through the pipe at all, except slowly from inside the pipe it to outside the pipe under the brickwork and its concrete base.

Even the fine roots that we can feel inside a different drain, 0.5 metres in, totally resist being pulled out.

Terracotta pipe, goes under brickwork, concrete and asphalt. But most of the length is just under lawn.

Relining is expensive, like $2000 a metre. Replacing is less expensive, but can’t move the brickwork, concrete or asphalt easily.

Help please. I will consider any ridiculous idea.

mollwollfumble said:

Yesterday was a draining day for me. In all senses of the word “draining”.

I hired a coil machine (hence “wrong thread”) with root cutter, mud clearer and coil leader for rooting through a blocked stormwater drain.

Also called a drain root clearance specialist and his equipment got rooted without going any deeper.

Despite hours of work, we’re no closer to finding the drain blockage. We dug down from above and saw no root ingress.
Rooting with the helical thread got stuck about 0.4 metre from one end and 1.5 metres from the other end of the pipe (pipe length 13 metres).

Trying to wash out mud with high pressure water from a hose failed.

Feeling with a thick steel wire we managed to force it in with difficulty 1.2 metres in from one end and 3.5 metres in from the other end.
Water not flowing through the pipe at all, except slowly from inside the pipe it to outside the pipe under the brickwork and its concrete base.

Even the fine roots that we can feel inside a different drain, 0.5 metres in, totally resist being pulled out.

Terracotta pipe, goes under brickwork, concrete and asphalt. But most of the length is just under lawn.

Relining is expensive, like $2000 a metre. Replacing is less expensive, but can’t move the brickwork, concrete or asphalt easily.

Help please. I will consider any ridiculous idea.

Bulk Drano?

mollwollfumble said:

Yesterday was a draining day for me. In all senses of the word “draining”.

I hired a coil machine (hence “wrong thread”) with root cutter, mud clearer and coil leader for rooting through a blocked stormwater drain.

Also called a drain root clearance specialist and his equipment got rooted without going any deeper.

Despite hours of work, we’re no closer to finding the drain blockage. We dug down from above and saw no root ingress.
Rooting with the helical thread got stuck about 0.4 metre from one end and 1.5 metres from the other end of the pipe (pipe length 13 metres).

Trying to wash out mud with high pressure water from a hose failed.

Feeling with a thick steel wire we managed to force it in with difficulty 1.2 metres in from one end and 3.5 metres in from the other end.
Water not flowing through the pipe at all, except slowly from inside the pipe it to outside the pipe under the brickwork and its concrete base.

Even the fine roots that we can feel inside a different drain, 0.5 metres in, totally resist being pulled out.

Terracotta pipe, goes under brickwork, concrete and asphalt. But most of the length is just under lawn.

Relining is expensive, like $2000 a metre. Replacing is less expensive, but can’t move the brickwork, concrete or asphalt easily.

Help please. I will consider any ridiculous idea.

Really don’t know Moll. I reckon you might need to try and stick a camera up there somehow and have a visual inspection.

mollwollfumble said:

Yesterday was a draining day for me. In all senses of the word “draining”.

I hired a coil machine (hence “wrong thread”) with root cutter, mud clearer and coil leader for rooting through a blocked stormwater drain.

Also called a drain root clearance specialist and his equipment got rooted without going any deeper.

Despite hours of work, we’re no closer to finding the drain blockage. We dug down from above and saw no root ingress.
Rooting with the helical thread got stuck about 0.4 metre from one end and 1.5 metres from the other end of the pipe (pipe length 13 metres).

Trying to wash out mud with high pressure water from a hose failed.

Feeling with a thick steel wire we managed to force it in with difficulty 1.2 metres in from one end and 3.5 metres in from the other end.
Water not flowing through the pipe at all, except slowly from inside the pipe it to outside the pipe under the brickwork and its concrete base.

Even the fine roots that we can feel inside a different drain, 0.5 metres in, totally resist being pulled out.

Terracotta pipe, goes under brickwork, concrete and asphalt. But most of the length is just under lawn.

Relining is expensive, like $2000 a metre. Replacing is less expensive, but can’t move the brickwork, concrete or asphalt easily.

Help please. I will consider any ridiculous idea.

So you have compressed the blockage within the TERRACOTTA PIPE. Are these short lengths of pipe placed end to end? If so, you might have forced them out of alinement. Anyway, you could dig down from the lawn every few metres and remove the blockage via sections.

Pay some one who does it all the time to solve the problem – its often much easier.

party_pants said:

mollwollfumble said:

Yesterday was a draining day for me. In all senses of the word “draining”.

I hired a coil machine (hence “wrong thread”) with root cutter, mud clearer and coil leader for rooting through a blocked stormwater drain.

Also called a drain root clearance specialist and his equipment got rooted without going any deeper.

Despite hours of work, we’re no closer to finding the drain blockage. We dug down from above and saw no root ingress.
Rooting with the helical thread got stuck about 0.4 metre from one end and 1.5 metres from the other end of the pipe (pipe length 13 metres).

Trying to wash out mud with high pressure water from a hose failed.

Feeling with a thick steel wire we managed to force it in with difficulty 1.2 metres in from one end and 3.5 metres in from the other end.
Water not flowing through the pipe at all, except slowly from inside the pipe it to outside the pipe under the brickwork and its concrete base.

Even the fine roots that we can feel inside a different drain, 0.5 metres in, totally resist being pulled out.

Terracotta pipe, goes under brickwork, concrete and asphalt. But most of the length is just under lawn.

Relining is expensive, like $2000 a metre. Replacing is less expensive, but can’t move the brickwork, concrete or asphalt easily.

Help please. I will consider any ridiculous idea.

Really don’t know Moll. I reckon you might need to try and stick a camera up there somehow and have a visual inspection.

That’s the first thing a credible plumber will do…

I think I’ve posted in the wrong thread.

I did once, but I think I got away with it.

One thing I’m beginning to suspect is that there might be a tee junction under the lawn. I can’t find the outlet to the council stormwater drain.

Perhaps not. Try asking the council?

Local resident suggests putting in a diversion under the footpath into the gutter? May be the cheapest option.

> Bulk Drano?

Ta. I took some Drano along but didn’t end up using it. I should have.

> Really don’t know Moll. I reckon you might need to try and stick a camera up there somehow and have a visual inspection.

Drain fellow put camera up there and said “look, it’s blocked” without saying or showing me any more.
I don’t have a spare camera – I was thinking torch and mirror.

Hold on … no issue about putting a mobile phone up the pipe is there?

> So you have compressed the blockage within the TERRACOTTA PIPE.

Compressed it. (Slaps forehead) I should have thought of that.

> Are these short lengths of pipe placed end to end? If so, you might have forced them out of alinement.

Yeah. I might. Under the brickwork and concrete is where the worst part of the problem is. That’s difficult to get to.

> Anyway, you could dig down from the lawn every few metres and remove the blockage via sections.

Wait on. It’s possible to do that? Check ewetube, looks like it is.

> Pay some one who does it all the time to solve the problem – its often much easier.

First thing I did. They managed to destroy three items of their own equipment, including the clutch on their van. Burnt out the motor on their rooter. And failed to get a water pump running. And I waited three hours but they didn’t turn up at all on the second day.

> That’s the first thing a credible plumber will do …

Oh, a “creditable” plumber. My mistake in going for the cheapest quote. I phoned up a reputable one, booked solid for months.

For the moment stick one of those plastic sleeves over the downpipe and run the water out to the front of your garden .

Make a booking with a company that can do the work even if it’s months ahead.

My feeling, the pipe might have collapsed?

Problem solved.

I found someone whose cousin is a plumber. And they’re doing the job of pipe replacement of terracotta by PVC for me at mates rates in two weeks. A saving of the order of $2,500 over the quote I had before. And this one can replace the terracotta pipe under the brickwork and its concrete foundation. The drain man had said it couldn’t be done.

Kingy said:

Bulk Drano?

Yep. Pipe replacement plus bulk root-killer in the two feeder pipes.

mollwollfumble said:

Problem solved.

I found someone whose cousin is a plumber. And they’re doing the job of pipe replacement of terracotta by PVC for me at mates rates in two weeks. A saving of the order of $2,500 over the quote I had before. And this one can replace the terracotta pipe under the brickwork and its concrete foundation. The drain man had said it couldn’t be done.

Kingy said:

Bulk Drano?

Yep. Pipe replacement plus bulk root-killer in the two feeder pipes.

So when can you take your gumboots off?

https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-reportedly-canceling-solar-roof-installations-across-the-country

wookiemeister said:

https://futurism.com/the-byte/tesla-reportedly-canceling-solar-roof-installations-across-the-country

Without looking at the link, what is actually futuristic about canceling?

Bump.

Bump for PWM

Witty Rejoinder said:

Bump for PWM

Aye but serendipitously not far off.

Sorry.

It is raining.

JudgeMental said:

It is raining.

not here.

Sorry, that was meant to go here