Using a pressure washer to unblock 40mm drain

[eagerb]

Can I successfully use a standard pressure washer drain unblocking hose on a ~5m run of 40mm waste pipe which has 4 right-angle bends in it?

I can get a drain snake down the pipe to unblock it, but I want to clean out the accumulated sludge as well, and before I spend the money on the pressure washer attachment I'd like to know if the hose can normally get round the bends in small bore drains.

Thanks for any advice. It's a Nilfisk washer if that helps.

 

[Agile]

Assuming the "bends" as you call them are in fact elbows, I would say most unlikely!

If you can get your drain smake all the way through then you could probably PULL a bottle brush through. I dont know where you get them now but they were available when home brewing was popular.

I would expect there is a place in the market for a rubber baloon with spikes like the old anti-ship mines that can be pushed down pipes by water pressure so that the spikes will clean the walls!

You would probably do better with a very high water flow rate if you could find a way to provide that.

Tony

 

[eagerb]

Cheers for that Tony, yes I meant elbows, and since it's solvent weld I mean 32mm not 40mm pipe... not doing well today!

I also didn't mention that the drain tees into the waste from the toilet and I can't get to that end - so pulling brushes through isn't an option, it has to go in and out from the same end. You can get drain snakes with bottle brushes attached but they are typically only 1.5m long.

Pressure washing would be much easier but mostly seem to be used for normal large mains drains. The advertising suggests the hose can get round tight bends but I'd place more value on the words of someone who's actually tried it!

 

[ianmcd]

I have the Karcher one and it definately would not work on small pipework as you describe, good on larger ones though

 

[JimCrow]

Assuming the "bends" as you call them are in fact elbows, I would say most unlikely!

The op is correct by calling them bends not elbows .

 

[Charnwood]

Untitled

• Charnwood
• 10 Mar 2013
• 1

 

[HERTS P&D]

You can unblock a small waste pipe with a Karcher without the drain attachment. What you need to do is stick the end of the lance into the waste pipe and make sure it is air tight, you can do this with any strong tape and as long there are no other outlets apart from the end of the waste pipe that you want to clear, then all you do is pull the trigger. The force of water will unblock the blockage and flow into the drain.

Andy

 

[muggles]

since it's solvent weld I mean 32mm not 40mm pipe... not doing well today!

That doesn't necessarily follow as you can get solvent weld in both sizes. However, if your run really is in 32mm then I'm not at all surprised that it's blocked and you should seriously consider ripping it out and repiping it. The latest Building Regulations permit a maximum run of 1.7m in 32mm