4 ms·
All of these other anecdotes are (understandably) sysadmin or developer-related, though I have a couple very stupid ones that are completely physical and mechan
by anon_cow1111 3y ago
All of these other anecdotes are (understandably) sysadmin or developer-related, though I have a couple very stupid ones that are completely physical and mechanical.
My first residential plumbing fix was a simple unclogging of a shower drain, which was accomplished by putting a couple inches of water in the tub and blasting repeatedly into the drain with a pneumatic cannon. The splatters hit the ceiling, but it was thoroughly unclogged after a few repetitions.
The second major one, was the sewer line at mom's place, which ended up being very bad clog that nasty industrial drain cleaner would not even touch. I capped every drain and vent in the entire house, and dumped two 30 gallon compressor tanks of air into the two toilet hookups. There was great and concerning watery rumbling from all through the house, but after a 30 seconds or so, the clog was blown into the septic and has not given her a single problem since then.
- sowbug 3y agoFor those without a pneumatic cannon, look for a "drain bladder" that attaches to a garden hose. Costs about $10. Mine has never failed me.
- anon_cow1111 3y ago*Note for those with a drain bladder, it will be much safer and more practical than blasting something with a cannon, but not as much fun as blasting something with a cannon.
- Levitz 3y agoI know little about plumbing, don't you risk breaking something by exerting pressure on the installation?
- pierat 3y agoI've broken 2" PVC pipes by using a plunger, baking soda, and vinegar. You can easily get way above rated pressures doing that... doubly so if the PVC is older. After doing that, NOT fixing the problem, and still having a massive plug, I did the next best thing. I cut the run of offending pipe out (clog included), used PVC primer/glue with a fixed joiner, and then bought a thick rubber joiner with 2 screw retaining rings, and joined the other side that way. In hindsight, I absolutely should have rented a power auger and chipped at the clog and freed it. But I didn't.
- blub 3y agoI was kind of scared to read until the end. :) How did you cap them so that the caps didn’t get blown off by the pressure?
- eps 3y agoUnclogged a toilet once by lifting the seat, wrapping its bowl in kitchen plastic wrap and then using the resulting "membrane" to pump enclosed air volume down the drain. To my complete astonishment it worked on a second try!