Outside kitchen waste drain blocked

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Hi,

Our drain has blocked - it's outside and it's one of those ones where the gutter and kitchen waste pipe just spew waste water directly onto a small grate on the ground adjacent to the kitchen wall. That part of the ground is lowered slightly - it's all concrete.

Right now it's overflowed and has not gone down in the past 24 hours - I have about 6 inches of water at the deepest part directly above the hole. Which is above both the gutter and kitchen pipe outputs. The weird thing was after noticing it, another member of the household actually ran a load though the washing machine, and after that the overall level returned to normal - it just has not subsided further.

Despite protest from my senses (it's rather smelly) I have removed the grate and had a good poke around with a broom handle - it feels like the hole actually tapers down to a point about 1/2 ft from ground level and there doesn't appear to be any left or right junction - although the large diameter pipe that comes from the toilet feeds into a drain with manhole cover 4 or 5 metres to the left.

The input to this drain is sink and washing machine water.

Any short term advice to a complete newbie? I have a hose but the water pressure is negligible. People have suggested a bucket of hot water but the level is so high I am not sure if it would go anywhere near the problem before being diluted and chilled by the other water.

Thanks, :)

HS
 
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it's gully trap. use a drain rod with a plunger push it down the drain and the force will free the blockage
 
Yeah I think you are right - I'll pick up a rod + plunger tomorrow.

What happens to the water once it reaches the taper point?

I just tried tipping a bucket of hot water down it from a height but I only succeeded in splashing stinky water on myself. I just hope the next-door neighbour isn't sharing in the nasty niffs!
 
Try getting 'someone' else to roll up there sleeves and getting them to put their hand in. The best protection in doing so is with five or more large bin bags (all at once) covering your whole arm. I suspect it will be blocked with congealed cooking fat, they always are.

A bit like James Herriot when he's doing the vet thingy, with the cows. :eek:
 
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'Someone' tried that this afternoon. I can just about reach the point at which the drain tapers down to a point and despite getting up as much gunge as I could - no joy.

It's weird cause I cannot get hand any further as it gets so small so it must go left or right. When poking down with a broom handle it is stopped from going any further with no obvious left or right junction.
 
its a gully trap won't go left or right its designed the same as the bend on a toilet pan gos up and over.
 
Lift the nearby manhole cover and see if it is full or empty. This is important.

It is most likely going to be a congealed fat blockage, or a collapsed and broken drain (e.g. if people drive cars over it) though this will slowly lose water as it leaks out. there is a chance it might be a downstream blockage from sanitary products flushed down toilet.

you can buy or hire a flexible wire snake to poke down it.

If you find traces of congealed fat then you have your clue.

Punish the person who does the cooking and pours fat down drains, and make them responsible for scraping it out.
 
Be careful about ramming a broom handle down the gully as this can crack the bottom of the gully if it is made out of plastic or china, then you would have to dig out and replace :cry:
 
Thanks for all the responses.

There is a manhole next to the bathroom drains so I will check that out this evening when I am home. Will I need special tools? I guess if it is full then it means I have a blockage a bit further down, and if it is empty I can localise the blockage, assuming that the drain in question runs through that manhole.

I had another root around with the bin bags today, and with some contortion have managed to feel the point at which it bends up and around - there was a load of gunk in it which I removed, but the drain still won't drain.

The local DIY shop have a set of drain rods with plunger - http://www.ukpipelines.com/product.php?pid=177 or eBay have some of those wire snake things for less than a fiver - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/DRAIN-SINK-CL...oryZ3191QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

That kind of thing? I guess the rod set would be better as I could use that at both ends?
 
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Just a thought,if it's plastic, it could be a different sort of trap (bottle trap I think), with a removeable sleeve, that once extracted, will expose the outlet pipe.
You have to reach down to the bottom, and feel for the lower edge of the sleeve, then pull it up.
bottlegullytrap.gif
 
Thanks, but not sure it is plastic (and to be honest I am confused about what pulling up the sleeve would accomplish).

Another question - if it is congealed fat - is the plunger solution likely to work for it or am I looking at using the worm?

Presumably the manhole depth will allow me to get in and use rods?
 
Thanks regsmyth - so that's a kind of open/close mechanism? Not sure I am following still :oops: Why would you have the sleeve in, in the first place?

The good news is that a plunger and drain rod finally did the business tonight - it took a few goes in the pouring rain but it's now clear. :D :D :D :D

So MANY THANKS to all for your help - saved me a few quid (got the £20 rod set in the link above) and I'll know what to do next time.

:D
 

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