Checking a pipe for blockages

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Checking a pipe for blockages

rb99

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#319469 28-Apr-2025 11:51

Does anyone know if its possible to do this. Am hoping to check one of those ribbed / corrugated pipes people have for drainage next to retaining walls. Was thinking maybe one of those cameras plumbers use, but would it get stuck on the ribs (the only plumber I've asked thought that quite likely) ?

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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tweake

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#3368234 28-Apr-2025 11:54

ask a drainage company ie guys who check sewer lines etc. the bigger cameras won't snag on the ribs.

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#3368238 28-Apr-2025 11:58

Ta. I'll give it a go...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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johno1234

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#3368239 28-Apr-2025 12:02

It's amazing what they can do with those cameras. We once had a toilet that was prone to blocking for no good reason. Got a drain CCTV guy in who was able to steer his camera about 10m along the sewer line where it exited the house and found a piece of 100x50 framing timber in the pipe!

Even more extraordinary, he was able to push this offcut along the pipe with his camera until it fell into the main sewer line where it it wasn't big enough to block.

And he gave me a movie of the whole process on a CD!

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#3368257 28-Apr-2025 13:14

I can only dream of such an easy fix...

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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johno1234

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#3368263 28-Apr-2025 13:16

Is your retaining wall bulging or not draining?

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#3368266 28-Apr-2025 13:18

Not bulging, but water seeps through / under.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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mentalinc

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#3368291 28-Apr-2025 14:38

Can you access one end of it?

If so try push a hose up it and see where it gets stuck

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rb99

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#3368309 28-Apr-2025 15:19

I can access an end but not sure if a hose would work as I imagine the end would be constantly getting stopped with all the ridges in the pipe.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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RunningMan

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#3368313 28-Apr-2025 15:34

If you remove the quick connect fitting from the end of a hose it seems to go down those drains just fine.

If you have a waterblaster, then this sort of thing works fairly well too https://www.trademe.co.nz/a/marketplace/business-farming-industry/industrial/water-blasters/listing/5281489260

Just be careful of some of the cheap ones though - the head doesn't always have any forward facing jets to clean ahead of the nozzle, only the backward facing ones that pull it through the pipe and extract the dirt.

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#3368316 28-Apr-2025 15:42

In that case will have a go with a hose and see how far (literally) I get. Haven't got a pressure washer though. A plumber / drain person actually came round this afternoon. Took some pictures just of house bits (not up any pipes) to show 'the boss'. One thing he said is they also have a pressure washer but reckoned it would just demolish the piping.

Don't know how tough this -

https://www.placemakers.co.nz/online/bathrooms-plumbing/plumbing/surface-drainage/hdpe-pipe-punched/novaflo-40011030/p/3391950

type of thing is after 40 years underground.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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RunningMan

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#3368318 28-Apr-2025 15:50

They seem to hold up pretty well over time, but do get silted up. I cleaned one out a few months ago that was completely blocked. The blockage turned out to be a family of slugs.

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#3368325 28-Apr-2025 15:59

Sounds promising. Guess I'll have to wangle the hose up a good few metres of new bit of piping to where it joins the old bit where I presume any blockage might be. Whether it possible to push hose from one end maybe 15 or 20 metres remains to be seen.

“The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness.” -John Kenneth Galbraith

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mentalinc

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#3368353 28-Apr-2025 17:33

If you have the hose running at the same time seems to help as well

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