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I’ve got an old house with a clay pipe drain taking water from the gutter down pipe. I think this is just connecting into an adjacent wastewater sewer rather than a soak away. The clay pipe is blocked with roots so the water is just pouring down the side of the house into the foundations.
I’ve managed to get some roots out with one of those drain snakes/augers but the roots are a bit too strong for that to pull them out, so wondering if I put some caustic soda down there and leave it for a week for them to die would they rot down and be easier to remove? Any other suggestions welcome.
If there are roots in there then the drain is cracked so really needs replacing. I'd just dig it up and replace the damaged section. All you're doing with caustic soda is pouring it in the ground if the drain is cracked.
I was a drainage 'engineer' in a previous career and whilst I have never tried caustic soda on roots, I can't imagine it would have any positive effect. If the roots are too big to remove easily then you will likely need a cutting jetter head or an actual root cutter to have a chance. I would suggest having a look at the problem with some form of camera. Given long enough, roots can destroy a pipe, so going in 'blind' could cause more damage if the pipe is disjointed or fractured and displaced. If the roots are established enough, then even if you remove them they will likely grow back.
In summary try and get a camera in their then if the roots are chunky buggers and the pipe isn't too deep, dig down and sort it out.
If the line is deep and there's a reasonable chance you can get the roots out without destroying the section, then you could consider lining or patch lining the section.
Good luck!
Topper
It’s under the patio, so was trying to avoid digging it up unless I really have to. I’ve just poured 4 kettles of boiling water down there, hopefully that will kill the roots and maybe soften them up. I have got a little endoscope camera so will put that down once the water has drained away.
The other option is there is a drain hopper about 2ft away for wastewater so I could just divert the cast iron down pipe into that. About 3ft away is the garage down pipe which is newer and therefore goes to a soak away rather than the sewer, so could also route it into there.
No, probably won't be much use. It is normally used as it turns fat into soap helping shift blockages.
It might not hang around long enough to damage the roots. Probably ill advised pouring it into a drain but something like weedol might be better to kill them off. Or something mechanical to chop them up.
If it's anything like ours though it sounds like it's cracked and not draining, just leaking into the earth near your house. Better to look at getting it fixed. There might me options other than lifting the patio?
If you manage to kill the roots off you will then end up with a drain blocked by dead roots and maybe a dead whatever the roots belong to.
To get rid of them you will need to remove them and seal / replace the pipe to prevent future roots finding their way in.
Plant roots don't try to crack pipes, just exploit the easy pickings on offer of water and air found within the pipe.
Well I put the endoscope camera down, can definitely recommend these. It was pretty blocked so I abandoned it and connected into the garage down pipe which goes into a soak away. Felt a bit bad cutting the bottom off the original cast iron down pipe but I got some cast iron effect plastic pipe and fittings from wickes and I don’t think anyone will be able to tell the difference once it’s painted.
Drains are under the ground so lost as to how water can pour down the side of the house?
Caustic soda won't do anything, if it's the downpipe you need to take it off, get it one the ground and pull the roots out...if they don't come out replace the pipe, plastic is the same size as cast iron.
If it's the ground drain seep away you need to dig it up, I find this quite satisfying but most people seriously don't, most drains dismantle, old ones are great but if there is a crack in it getting a replacement bit is tricky, farmers sometimes have them stashed, builders yard will have a plastic replacement but they don't always connect well, ingenuity is all you got there, I use a narrower plastic pipe into each and silicone to seal the gaps, then rebuild it in reverse order.
Chances are the roots have just gradually shifted the pipe and it just needs the roots cut back and repositioned, this is the equivalent of finding a tenner.
Apologies if none of this makes sense I have just slayed a very nice Pinot Noir and may not have even read the OP clearly.
A clean flowing drain a thing of beauty.