GAH - Stupid ******* trap!

[Chud]

I've just about had it - we've got one of the most annoying set ups in our house I've seen and I'm on the verge of breaking out Mr SDS...

Our soil stack T's at the bootom - one way goes to the manhole and then the main sewer and the other goes to a ceramic/terracotta combined drain-trap that the kitchen sink drains into so guess what...

...damn thing blocks (cold water soaked bog paper + kitchen grease...) - and once blocked is a burger to unblock - I've got a jetting attachment for my pressure washer and this works fine on straight runs but the minute it hits this trap it's game over. It wouldn't be so bad if the kitchen drain was more accessible but it's underneath a small trap door in the decking floor of a glass lean-to that the previous house owner built. The glass has stopped me so far from taking the kitchen drain and tieing it straight into the soil stack with an appropriate boss.

Sorry about the rant but if anyone has any bright ideas before I go mad it would be greatly appreciated

BTW it is the stupid trap/drain that is in danger of being paid a visit by Mr SDS but I don't really want douglas hurds popping up underneath the kitchen waste outlet...

 

[JohnD]

kitchen grease ...



..any bright ideas

stop putting grease down the drain.

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

Could kitchen waste be run internally, then exit the wall outside the lean-to to join the stack?

 

[doitall]

If you got the drain sorted so it didn't backup you wouldn't have a problem

 

[Chud]

kitchen grease ...



..any bright ideas

stop putting grease down the drain.

does this mean washing up is officially banned?????

Plllleeeeeeasse tell me it's true....

On a serious note we try to avoid letting any grease etc down the drain but as you all know it is unavoidable to prevent entirely when you're washing up...

 

[Chud]

If you got the drain sorted so it didn't backup you wouldn't have a problem

Ok maybe I didn't make it clear in the OP but when I'm asking for suggestions that is including how to go about sorting out the drain etc - problem is previous owner was a 'tradesman' (note use of inverted commas) - as far as I can work out this meant he had an unending supply of engineering grade concrete (about 8-10 inches under our patio and god knows how much around the drainage pipes...)

 

[JohnD]

you don't empty chip pans down the sink, do you?

frying and roasting pans can be wiped of grease and oil with a piece of kitchen roll or newspaper which can be thrown in the bin; or you can tip grease into an old tin and hang it up for the birds.

the traces of grease left in your washing-up water, replete with fairy liquid, will not be significant.

when you buy a dishwasher the powerful detergent and very hot water will get stuff cleaner, using less hot water, than using a bowl or rinsing under the hot tap.

 

[Chud]

you don't empty chip pans down the sink, do you?

frying and roasting pans can be wiped of grease and oil with a piece of kitchen roll or newspaper which can be thrown in the bin; or you can tip grease into an old tin and hang it up for the birds.

the traces of grease left in your washing-up water, replete with fairy liquid, will not be significant.

when you buy a dishwasher the powerful detergent and very hot water will get stuff cleaner, using less hot water, than using a bowl or rinsing under the hot tap.

No intentional grease down the drain - dishwasher does the bulk of washing...as insignificant as the remains are (with our stupid waste setup) they seem to be capable of creating a fairly difficult blockage...this is what is making us so annoyed, we're being as careful as we can with what goes down the sink (and the pan!) but still it blocks...

 

[dextrous]

The problem seems to be more at the bottom of the stack than anything - even if you managed to boss-strap the kitchen waste pipe into it, it wouldn't stop the thing from blocking.

Think your best bet would be to get mr sds out and look at diverting the gulley trap's run away from the tee (possibly directly into the inspection chamber), whilst simultaneously sort out the soil stack which sounds like it's either collapsed or poorly designed/installed - it could be that the previous tradesman/owner has put the tee so that it directs latrinal waste upstream by mistake.

On the plus side, this means you don't have to deal with the glass lean-to too much, just the entire ground outside

 

[doitall]

The problem must be at the inspection chamber, or the pipe towards the main sewer it has nothing to do with the gully.

 

[dextrous]

The problem must be at the inspection chamber, or the pipe towards the main sewer it has nothing to do with the gully.

I'm still going for the subterranean tee being put in the wrong way, leading to a build up in paper etc being deposited slightly upstream and some caught on the "corner" and building up on the way back down. Bet you a pint

 

[Chud]

it could be that the previous tradesman/owner has put the tee so that it directs latrinal waste upstream by mistake.
quote]

I think that's prob what it is - with what I've had to pull out of the gully when it's blocked up before I know some of the toilet waste is making it in there

 

[dextrous]

Could be further aggravated by an incorrect gradient - what's the overall lengths of the runs.

In fairness to doitall, I take it you've had a good look up and own via the inspection chamber (sort of assuming you were jetting from there)

 

[holty]

how old are the drains. ie pitch fibre territory.wouldnt be unheard off that a too good of a gradient causes problems just as a less one.

 

[dextrous]

how old are the drains. ie pitch fibre territory.wouldnt be unheard off that a too good of a gradient causes problems just as a less one.

Indeed- as you are well aware, there are calculations to be made (Maguire's rule springs to mind)