Hi, been round to help a mate (if you can call it that). He's replaced his old plastic shower tray, and put in a new cast stone one and some plastic panelling. Since he's had it in, the shower waste only drains slowly, causing the tray to full up (and overflow if he looked the other way). If a plunger is used, it flows fine, suggesting an airlock? The shower trap is accessible, as is about 250mm of the pipe, but it then goes under the boards. He says it used to drain slowly, but only had an inch of standing water. Any suggestions? Would a running trap help, if 'filled' and then the system was plunged, to stop the air getting back in to re-form the lock. Any better ideas? Thanks for anything.
Ain't hindsight wonderful! When he did it, I presume he didn't see it as a problem. Maybe thought it was the trap blocked or something. Can't say, as I wasn't there - just trying to make the best of a bad one, and hoped the group's experience might have a good idea.
Accept what you say Leaky, it's the only thing I could think of. Surely with insufficient fall, eventually enough water will enter the pipework to start a flow (even perhaps a syphon effect). As the pipework runs under floor level, and the tray is above, it shouldn't back up - gravity usually has something to say! The air-lock was all I could think of - perhaps with the waste pipe being so badly installed in the first place that it has a high point?
Sounds like the outlet pipe might go up and down a couple of times creating areas where flow is restricted due to air locks. Air locks blown out when plunger is used. Ouutlet needs to be inspected/re levelled
2 things important about plumbing, 1.air rises 2. water rolls downhill get any of them mixed up and trouble will occur,
Another important thing about Plumbing is?. Dont * about with things you know nothing about.Hopefully your mate will have to take the ceiling down to rectify the fault.Hope this helps :^O :^O [Edited by: admin]
See it all the time, lengthy uphill piperuns from showers full of filthy, stagnant, bacteria ridden black water. Most of the time its just too much trouble for people to do it properly.
either its going uphill or its sagged because no supports were used, if it was welded pipe you could attach a hose and possibly flush it out, if its push fit you cant ;(
Thanks DAB. I know we all like some fun, but this is the 1st constructive response. Yes it's weld. Spoke with him yesterday. Says he didn't solve it at the time, because after dropping under the floor, it does a 90 behind a joist, so would either require the side room floor lifting, or downstairs ceiling taking down. Didn't see it as that much of an issue... at the time... Will pass on your suggestion. Cheers
Both backfall (or insufficient fall) and airlocks are possible in waste systems. If there is more than one high point, air can be trapped in each of them. The problem can also be found in undulating hoses running down a gentle slope.
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