How to fix bottom drain clogs

[Dave 54]

I'm hoping not but I bet you are right. I'm going to get the company that did the original install a year ago and have them clear then explain it.

That may be your very best bet Texmaster however how long ago did they install it as they may try to crawl out from under this ?

Dave

 

[Catfishnut]

yeah its not good. I put down a 4500 gph sump pump down the drain, covered with think towels to clog and force the water out up top. Nothing. Got a lot of dirty feedback and let it run for almost 5 minutes straight. I even decided to fire up the top pump for added incentive and nothing. I'm really at a loss now. Is there any danger with snaking pvc flex pipe?

If the flex PVC is the really thick-walled style with the smooth interior surface (usually kind of a tan or blondish color), you could get by with a small hand operated drain snake and going gently. But if the flex PVC is the really thin-walled style with ridges inside and out (usually black in color - the typical tubing used for small ponds), I wouldn't chance it, you'll just put a hole through the tubing with the tooling end of the snake.

I would find out (as you started out asking) how the top of the Koi Toilet inside the pond comes off. Get that off and then fish the clog out from the 4" end of the pipe with something like a clothes hanger straightened out and a hook on the end. If the reducer is close to the actual drain, you might have some luck here. However, if the 4" tubing goes a long ways before it hits the reducer, you might have a lot of debris caught in there. It could have been accumulating for a long time and you may have a real chore getting it out, sorry to say.

Either way, you'll probably be back to square one where it is going to clog up on you again and again because of the reduction from 4" to 1.5". That was simply a design flaw from the very beginning. Not to gross anyone out, but imagine trying to flush your toilet through a 1.5" pipe. Plunger please!

If the reducer is close to the edge of the pond, you would be best off if you peeled back just a little of the liner to access it and cut the reducer out of the line. Then flush the clog out and replumb with 4" all the way to some sort of cleanable trap/sieve/settling tank/vortex as the other members have stated.

I do wish you good luck on this one, I hope that it is not as bad as it seems.

Gordy

 

[texmaster]

Woohoo!!!! So I've been priming the pump constantly trying to free this thing. I even added bacteria last night to see if they could eat away at the aleage clogging the line. After priming a few times today I noticed the last time I tried to prime the basket strainer would not fill up. It keept taking in water so I let it. For 7 minutes it kept taking in water. Finally the wife was yelling at me to stop messing with it and I turned it on for a sec and success!!!!

I know it smells something aweful right now but the waterfall is working at full power captn! (Its the one on the right) I still have a ton of work to do but the filter is finally working again woohooo!!!!

Thanks to all for being patient listening to me drone on and on offtering helpful suggestions. I agree the piping will have to be reworked but for now I'm celebrating an undeserved victory!!

 

[texmaster]

Well I'm really sorry. Apparently I had the video on private but it should work now. Here's a video from today all clear!!