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Thread: Blocked bottom drain (pipe?)
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15-11-2019, 11:40 AM #21
Standing and bending over or crouching is OK for short jobs but hard on the back or legs for longer ones. When I needed to work on my bottom drain, I drained the pond just enough to allow me to put in a milk crate to sit on which gave me a comfortable working position and the stability to be able to push or pull without floating away.
I don't want to P on the fireworks of using a diver but I had some experience of this when I needed to have maintenance work done on the main drains of swimming pools which are similar to pond bottom drains but with a screwed down grille instead of a dome. Using divers is a fairly common practice when the drain covers have to be replaced or if the pipework has to be plugged for pressure testing but there is the problem of floating around when the diver had to push, pull or twist anything.
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15-11-2019, 11:43 AM #22
Thankyou all good advice
Regards
jagg
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15-11-2019, 01:16 PM #23Freddyboy the legend
"we are water keepers first"
Johnathan
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16-11-2019, 07:44 AM #24
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Ajm Thanked / Liked this Post
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16-11-2019, 02:16 PM #25
Jagg,
Agree with Manky re the floating around. I bought a wet suit for me to go into the pond, first time - cold shock as soon as my head went in the water, second time - couldn't stay submerged due to the bouyancy of the suit, third time with the aid of four bricks tied around my waist (and my wife with a rope at the side of the pond) after a number of dives unscrewed the top of the bottom drain and cleared out the main body of the BD, then had to screw the lid back on. Didn't actually manage to fully clear the problem so on the next attempt (bricks and all) put my arm up the 4" pipe and pulled out some twigs which at the time seemed to resolve the issue. By this time I had the Karcher drain cleaner so passed it up the 4" pipe from the BD end as far as possible. Since then though I have had a few blockages which thankfully have been cleared admirably by the Karcher drain cleaner although I have to twist the pipe a lot to get the end of the cleaner round a 45 degree bend.
You can get fibre glass "fishing rods" (used by the likes of electricians) available from CEF (City Electrical Factors) which are really thin and go relatively easily around corners, maybe some of these with a hook on the end could bit by bit nibble away at your blockage (depending on what it actually is). Another thought is using a camera down the pipe (companies can do this) to actually work out what and where your blockage is, and that may be less expensive than a diver.
Kenny
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16-11-2019, 06:11 PM #26
Luckly i have a 3" skimmer feed to the filter which can deliver 1500 galls per hour to the filter will keep testing water parameters & wait till temps improve also fitting heating once filter house is complete.
Many thanks to all the reply & suggestions including the tongue in cheek ones. If you think of anything else please post.
Regards
jagg
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17-11-2019, 09:30 AM #27
I would go for the drain down one, I know you arnt doing this Jagg but quite a few years ago a guy jumped into his koi pond to clear his bottom drain and stuck his arm up the pipe and it got stuck, he drowned as he was on his own.
Think if i remember he was in Yorkshire somewhere and it was in the papers.John
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17-11-2019, 10:46 AM #28
I will not be doing that
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17-11-2019, 10:31 PM #29
Since fitting a Draco drum, I was worried about not being able to purge the bottom drain and pipe, so I bought a wireless endoscope and a 10m flexible drain cleaner. The endoscope I bought connects wirelessly directly to your phone, although some models plug into your phone (android). I fixed the end of the scope to the drain cleaner, and I’ve been able to push it along the entire 6m bottom drain pipe, under the lip of the bottom drain cover, and anywhere awkward I can’t easily get to. All images easily viewable and recordable on on my phone, and for this kind of problem, it makes it easy to see exactly what you’re dealing with.
Both items together on Amazon under £40.
Mark19,000 litres
Nexus 320 with Dracodrum and submersible UV
Blue Eco 320
Eazy Pod on skimmer
Dura+ 10kW Heat Pump
15 koi
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18-11-2019, 12:12 AM #30
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freddyboy Thanked / Liked this Post
Running heater at low temp?
Covering the pond with polycarb should be enough to stop water temps dipping below 6C for the most...