Removing a Hepvo trap to clear blockage

[strugglingdiyer]

This morning my shower tray filled up and the water took hours to clear (seems to have all gone now). I think there is a blockage in or just above a Hepvo trap that is installed by our plumber about 5 feet from the shower tray.

I have managed to get access to the trap, which is under the bath, but I'm having difficulty getting the Hepvo trap out. How should I go about removing it? I can see there is a joint above and below, both of which I have undone, just not sure how to get the trap out without breaking anything. Can I use main force to pull either end out, or is the joint that seems to be part of the top of the Hepvo filter not yet ready to detach?

As you can, I know nothing about plumbing but the shower is currently unusable so being pushed by wife to fix it ASAP.

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[Richardthe3rd]

Bloody el!! 5' from the tray!! Are you sure there's no 'top access' trap on the shower tray??

If there's water p.ssing out of the Durex trap, it maybe wise to check the waste pipe further down the line first?? Bloody awful useless things.

 

[strugglingdiyer]

Bloody el!! 5' from the tray!! Are you sure there's no 'top access' trap on the shower tray??

Thank you. The shower tray has a removeable filter in the floor drain, then a pipe leading off to one side of the drain hole which then seems to join to the pipe above the Hepvo. Nothing that looks user serviceable. Problem is that the pipe is all tidily boxed in, so I can't see if there's anything underneath it.

If there's water p.ssing out of the Durex trap, it maybe wise to check the waste pipe further down the line first?? Bloody awful useless things.

There's only a couple of feet of pipe between the Hepvo before it joins to the waste pipe that it shares with the bath, and water is draining fine from the bath. While it's possible that there's a blockage in those few feet of pipe, access is pretty horrible due to it being under the bath. So if it's in there I will leave it to the professionals.

I'm hoping that stuff has accumulated at the top of the Hepvo and that I can clean that out. If not I'm in trouble.

 

[Crezzer]

You'll need movement in the pipe to be able to get that out, be warned if it is backed up and you pull the pipe out of that trap water will go everywhere.

 

[strugglingdiyer]

You'll need movement in the pipe to be able to get that out, be warned if it is backed up and you pull the pipe out of that trap water will go everywhere.

Thank you, so I need to pull/push the pipe, perhaps below the trap? Is the thread on top of the trap something I should worry about?

I think I've managed to suck all the water out of the pipe with a small pump I had handy. Fingers crossed...

 

[Crezzer]

Nope dont worry about that, the pipe goes in the trap about an inch so you'll need that much movement to pull it out.

 

[Jackrae]

Why take it out - a bucket of hot caustic cleaner should get things moving. Hair conditioner is probably your problem - it might make hair nice but it builds up in drain lines. All that's inside the device is a collapsed flat "rubber" tube. No bends or other obstructions for gunge to collect on.

 

[strugglingdiyer]

Why take it out - a bucket of hot caustic cleaner should get things moving. Hair conditioner is probably your problem - it might make hair nice but it builds up in drain lines. All that's inside the device is a collapsed flat "rubber" tube. No bends or other obstructions for gunge to collect on.

If I were able to pour the stuff directly down onto the blockage and let gravity do its work, I would have tried that first. But the water is not flowing through the pipe at all. So even if I dump a load of drain cleaner in the shower tray drain, I'm not confident that it will flow through and clean it out. I'd heard somewhere that the drain cleaner itself can clog pipes if it doesn't flow at a certain rate.

So I was thinking that if there is gunk in the pipe above the Hepvo I might be able to scrape it out from that end, at least enough to get the water flowing again, then try drain cleaner.

Or am I just overthinking this?

 

[Hugh Jaleak]

If you put drain cleaner down there be very careful. If you still need to take it apart then ultimate caution is needed, get it on skin it'll burn, anywhere else.....

Remember, this is your last pair of eyes.

 

[mogget]

If you can safely handle a very corrosive substance, a jug of caustic soda solution should clear it, it will likely work even if the water is taking hours to clear. Keep children and pets away, and don't let it touch your skin.

 

[Jackrae]

Toilet cup plunger and "pump" at shower outlet. A bit of suck and blow might get things moving.
I must admit I had one of these devices acting as a back-flow preventer between bath and shower traps and eventually took it out due to slow drainage. Will face the back-flow problem when/if it raises its ugly head.

 

[strugglingdiyer]

Toilet cup plunger and "pump" at shower outlet. A bit of suck and blow might get things moving.
I must admit I had one of these devices acting as a back-flow preventer between bath and shower traps and eventually took it out due to slow drainage. Will face the back-flow problem when/if it raises its ugly head.

Glad it's not just me that has this problem! Thanks for suggestions.

 

[strugglingdiyer]

If you put drain cleaner down there be very careful. If you still need to take it apart then ultimate caution is needed, get it on skin it'll burn, anywhere else.....
Remember, this is your last pair of eyes.

This is something else that worries me, plus we have two small children to worry about, so I want to leave that as a last resort.