Blocked Kitchen Drain - HELP!

Browndoff

Hi,
My Kitchen-drain is blocked with a gritty, powdery substance which [beneath all the greasy filth] looks like and feels roughly as solid as the tablets used in a dishwasher! Despite the horror of it all [yeeeeugh!], I reached down to the trap-exit and pulled out a lump of this semi-solid stuff which was stuck-to and shaped like the 75mm [3"] plastic outlet. Full-sized drain-rods would NOT go around these small corners, so I tried a length of 15mm plastic-piping for central-heating. I pushed it in and out but failed to clear the blockage. It was only about 1.75m [under 6'] long, so it may not have reached the fully-water-proof bit of rubbish!
Can I dissolve this awful stuff with corrosive chemicals? Would the chemicals be over-diluted in all the water between the 'point of input' and the actual blockage?
If I got it cleared - how can I prevent a recurrance? Is this stuff actually a bi-product of the detergents used in the washing-machine and the dishwasher?
Please help!

slimjimmc

Most likely it's a combination finer fluff, fibres and hair from your laundry bound together with detergent and fabric softener, and grease from your dishwasher and kitchen sink. A full size rod should go down the trap, I've done it but it can more effort than you might expect.

Wrap a plastic bag around a toilet brush and tape to the handle, ensure it's a snug fit for the vertical bore of the waste trap. Fill the trap full with water, insert the brush and start pumping up and down vigourously. It just might be enough to dislodge the plug. (you might try a rubber disc from the rod kit if it's a better fit than the brush)

Browndoff

Thanks, Jim!
I tried again with a big roll of 15mm Hydrodare [heavy-wall plastic water-supply-pipe] and got more than 4m to go into the hole!! Wriggling the 'free-end' didn't seem to have much effect, so I connected it to the outside tap - at full-bore - and it seemed to clear the drainage-pipe.
It was a really HORRIBLE job! I finished-up covered in stinking grey slime!
Surprisingly, there seemed to be no fibre in the stuff which came out at the near-end, at least. It was kinda like half-set plaster but a little more fragile - resembling the dishwasher-tablets.
The reason I did NOT try the 'piston' method you suggest, was that the main blockage was just too far from the access-point [as shown by my earlier poking with the short piece of pipe] and that it seemed to involve half the length of run to the next manhole - NOT just one lump!

Thanks again!

jimf

we had this problem for years until my wife changed to liquid washing detergent no problem since about 4 years now fingers crossed the fecking thing will probably get blocked 2 morrow now

Browndoff

Thanks, Jim,
I think I'll reccommend THAT to 'She-who-must-be-obeyed'! Even if we can't get a liquid detergent for the DISHWASHER, we'll have halved the input of powder overall!
The odd thing about it was that there was little or no evidence of 'stray' material in the blockage-lumps - no hair or odd bits of string - it seemed to be made exclusively from this white, crumbly, powder-concretion - overlaid with a horrible topping of grey sludge!
Another thing - it had been stuck to the TOP of the horizontal pipe coming out of the trap - the darn stuff actually FLOATED!! It came up like miniature icebergs as I broke-off bits of the 'primary' blockage at the trap-exit!
Thank God it's all over for now, at least!

jimf

i know exactly what your talking about its pure scum imho i think you will find the problem resolves itself when you move away from the powder detergent especially the low temp washes i think they dont dissolve the powder fully as the dishwasher will be operating at higher temps it may not be the main cause

Browndoff

It seems likely that you're right. There's really no other logical source of a powdery material in the drain. It seesm probable, too, that diswasher-tablets would have had to have something added to the basic detergent chemicals in order to form the 'solid' tablets - that 'something' may NOT be wholly soluble and may form the basis for the whole blockage structure.
If the problem lies with the DISWASHER TABLETS - then your mention of temperature in the machine is less relevant [as it's NOT user-controlled]. However, the manufacturer's 'rationale' for using the 'solidifying chemicals' in the tablet may depend on the high operating-temperature of the diswasher - ignoring the sharp DROP in temperature when the water is released into the drain! THAT might cause those chemical to come out of solution quickly and to build up inside the pipe.

I think you may have hit upon the explanation of the problem!!

jimf

of course you could always put the ould dishwasher on donedeal and take over the wash up duties yourself you win on 2 counts no more scuttery drains and loads of brownie points from she who must be obeyed

Browndoff

Alternatively, I could just SHOOT MYSELF and eliminate ALL my problems in one go!

When we had the Kitchen updated [some years ago], the dishwasher was added - almost against my wishes - but it has REALLY earned its place! I've hated washing-up since it was a regular chore in my childhood!!

Do YOU want to take over the job, Jim???

jimf

ah no i think i will pass this time but thanks for thinking of me


those childhood chores if our kids had to do them they would need bed rest for 24hours lol

benbrown

Depending on the run that your drain has before it meets the main drain this could be causing you a problem too. Over the years (every 7 years or so) you might find that there is a build up of Grease, Washing Powder, Dishwasher powder and other detergents. These tend to cake together and you get a right mess. If the fall on your suir pipe is not great then these detergents can tend get left behind when the water runs off. They build up over time thus blocking the drain. You might just need to pend a couple of quid getting one of the drain companies to call out and give the whole pipe a good blast of their cleaning hoses. I can recommend a cheap enough one I used if you want to PM me.

Browndoff

Thanks for a sensible input on this ghastly problem! I'm QUITE SURE you're right. It clearly IS a result of a build-up of residue from grease and undissolved detergents.
The drain runs about 2.5m to a full-sized man-hole, with a standard fall of about 5% [minimum is about 2%], so I had hoped it would cope with all 'normal' kitchen-waste. Indeed, it might be said that it HAS coped with the NORMAL waste for which the standard was designed!
Modern DISHWASHER detergents may just be 'a waste-type too far'!
As for the 'blast of cleaning-hoses' - I think that I have done just THAT with my bit of Hydrodare-pipe connected to the garden-hose outlet! Not perfect - but probably good enough for a few years!

Thanks to all who have read and considered this problem!

Browndoff

NO SOLUTION FOUND. I've spoken to representatives of Reckitt Benckiser and they say, very politely, " It warn't me, Guv'ner!"

They say that their product dissolves completely in water and cannot reform as a solid - though they could NOT claim to have done any test to substantiate this statement. At best they could claim that this complaint was one of very few and that all the others had proved to be blocked, almost entirely, by the usual range of fatty material dumped in kitchen drains. They DID NOT undertake to analyse the material to see what was found in my particular drain.

If any of YOU have had similar solid blockages [which were NOT just fat and grease!], call 0044 845 769 7079 and tell the makers of 'Finish' Diswasher tablets that there IS a real problem!

whizbang

If you talk to any dishwasher/washing machine repair people, they will all tell you its a major problem.
So: Warning! its happening inside your machines as well as in the drains.

Once a month put them on a HOT wash, with NO soap. some people suggest Vinegar, or commercial cleaners.