What Do You Guys Use To Clear Your Grey Water Lines?

[Boon Mee]

Encountered a major blockage in one of the grey water lines running from the house. This 2" line drains two sinks and a shower. Fortunately, I have a wire snake ~6 met long and was able to ream out the schmezz which consisted mostly of soap scum in large chunks.

It's been going on 4 years or so of constant use so it's quite within the time frame for some 'roto-rootering' although I'd prefer to introduce some 'product' down the line at regular intervals to avoid digging up the damn line and reaming this snake!

Any suggestions are most welcome!

...what's the strongest chemical/acid that this blue pipe can take?

[Mid]

stop the shite going down there in the first place ,

ain't rocket science .

[Boon Mee]

stop the shite going down there in the first place ,

ain't rocket science .

Mid...sometimes you gotta read the details.

The shite(sic) as you refer to it is 99% soap scum which is the result of taking a shower, washing your hair, and cleaning your ring piece & brushing your teeth.

How do you propose to prevent soap 'leavings' from going down the drain?

[Mid]

in large chunks.

homesupply.co.uk

[misskit]

Soda fai from the hardware store. It is lye. Doesn't affect the PVC.

[Boon Mee]

in large chunks.

homesupply.co.uk

Appreciate the pic, Mid but those are indeed in place on my drains.

It's called 'build-up' over time of soap residue. The large chunks are the end product of my wire snake reaming the line.

Cheers, Misskit!

[FloridaBorn]

Soda fai from the hardware store. It is lye. Doesn't affect the PVC.

Best answer if you don't have access to a Home pro, Home works, Villa Market or something similar as they all carry products like DrainO for example which contain lye. Any product containing lye is good to use on this type of clog, it won't harm pipes but will break down the deposits and build up. Acid while not harming the pipes either won't generally have much effect on grease and soap scum and will adversely affect the helpful bacteria in the septic system there to break down the waste, lye will too but not as critically.

[Little Chuchok]

^^^Yep..we call it caustic soda.Works a treat.

[Boon Mee]

Cheers FloridaBorn

The line in question is one of the grey water lines that drains into my neighbors rice field (under the wall).

I'm loath to introduce any chemicals into the septic system - get those pumped once a year or so.

[FloridaBorn]

Cheers FloridaBorn

The line in question is one of the grey water lines that drains into my neighbors rice field (under the wall).

I'm loath to introduce any chemicals into the septic system - get those pumped once a year or so.

Well both those chems are relatively benign and will be neutralized by natural means in small quantities without any harm to the environment or septic system as long as you're not using them daily.

[Necron99]

You,want something like this.
Enzyme based cleaners.

Restaurant kitchen drain line and grease trap cleaner

[Boon Mee]

Cheers for all the good ideas, boys!...& girl!

[misskit]

The lye is only active a short time after it hits water. By the time it gets out to your neighbor's rice field, it will be very very weak.

I use it occasionally when stinky smells are coming out the drain pipes or toilet. Didn't seem to cause any problems with the septic tank and no plants die around the drain field.

[FloridaBorn]

The lye is only active a short time after it hits water. By the time it gets out to your neighbor's rice field, it will be very very weak.

I use it occasionally when stinky smells are coming out the drain pipes or toilet. Didn't seem to cause any problems with the septic tank and no plants die around the drain field.

Yes and Misskit gets credit for being first to the solution.. I just expanded on it..

[Rainfall]

Caustic soda and pottasium can't dissolve soap scum since they are used to produce soap in the first place, and are like soaps alkaline. Only acids help here.

[misskit]

Soap making is my hobby. I keep lye in the house for that reason.

My clogged drains tend to be mostly hair and it works well for that.

[withnallstoke]

cleaning your ring piece

Don't do that.

Grow mushrooms, and employ a small army of less than 2" diameter rodents to wander around in your pipework.

[Albert Shagnastier]

Soda fai

That's the puppy, but remember - the builders fucked it up in the first place with no concept of gravity and angles.

[Rural Surin]

Might be time to create a new system, Boons....

And do it right this time.

[withnallstoke]

Might be time to create a new system, Boons.... And do it right this time.

Pipes.

What the fuck are they all about eh?

Romanesque in their roundness,
Connecting columns of poo,
that don't mix with goo
That if they were Greek,
they'd be profoundless.

Take your Jap or your Chink,
Or just take a wink,
With an eye,
For an eye.
Or a buck tooth.

[withnallstoke]

Here's a simple test, put a small amount of cooking grease in a plastic cup and then pour in some lye or caustic soda and let it sit but put it in something glass, PVC or metal first to catch it when it breaks down and leaks in a few minutes, (plastic items like cups are petroleum products and break down in caustic soda or lye).

Probably the best cure i heff ever seen.
Little bit of leakage.

[FloridaBorn]

Here's a simple test, put a small amount of cooking grease in a plastic cup and then pour in some lye or caustic soda and let it sit but put it in something glass, PVC or metal first to catch it when it breaks down and leaks in a few minutes, (plastic items like cups are petroleum products and break down in caustic soda or lye).

Probably the best cure i heff ever seen.
Little bit of leakage.

Not sure exactly what you're saying but if you mean it leaked a little bit by this time that is a good result as it's been only a short period of time since I made my post and that's a bit of a short time for the full process take effect..Acid however will show no result after days of soaking.. Give it some time trapped in a pipe where the lye attacks only the blockage it will break it down and soon it will clear out. The cup idea is just to make it more dramatic and better illustrated.

[crepitas]

Had a major blockage after about a year...turned out to be soap powder residue in a joint not pushed fully home leaving slots to catch stuff..luckily above ground off in the farm. My old science teacher used to maintain that there is a whole bunch of insoluble filler in soap powder.

Had another blockage under bathroom floor last year ...turned out to be frickin grout that had been washed down great lumps of it with hair and rice etc backed up behind....( same pipe from adjacent kitchen)
Had tried the acid we use for rubber (sulfuric/hydrochloric no idea )..bad idea ..gasses toxic obviously.
Now use a shop vac in alternate suck and blow modes...30 minute job usually...still see bits of grout! Best to block other feeding inlets with rag or..

[Boon Mee]

Might be time to create a new system, Boons....

And do it right this time.

Well, that's a consideration although in this country, what is a 'better system' than the ubiquitious blue pipe? In my case, this 2" line is plenty sufficient to drain the shower and a couple of sinks although over time, the soap residue will build up and form into restrictions unless I introduce the suggested soda fai (lye) like Misskit suggests - and others.

The only improvement I can envision would be a clean-out access port say on the outside of my house so I would not have had to dig up that section of line to run my snake. No big deal, it's the rainy season so the ground isn't like cement-hard.

[VocalNeal]

You,want something like this.
Enzyme based cleaners.

Restaurant kitchen drain line and grease trap cleaner

This stuff can be found in a lot of hardware store. Little packets for 70B.

The blue packet is for septic tanks and the green packet dissolves grease in the drains.