Replies

1. 
   Danno | Sep 04, 2008 10:45pm | #1

   Hope those pipes aren't metal! Muriatic acid will not attack sand, as sand is silicon dioxide, IIRC. All it will do is eat away your pipes! Is there any way to remove the drain grate or somehow get a shop vac hose down there and suck it out? Or flush it out with a hose? No chemicals I know of (other than fluorine or hydrofluoric acid) will attack sand.

1. 
   wth | Sep 05, 2008 12:10am | #6

   the pipes are pvc

1. 
   Danno | Sep 05, 2008 02:58am | #7

   Ah, good. Acid didn't do any harm then. I thought of snake too, but wondered if it would just shove the sand around without actually moving it down the drain. Maybe stirring it up with a snake while running lots of water down there will flush it down.

   (If it were mortar or had any lime or limestone in it, acid would disolve it, but plain sand is pretty acid proof, as far as I know.)

2. 
   pm22 | Sep 05, 2008 03:16am | #8

   That evil DeWalt ad fooled me. I wanted to reply to the Original Poster.

   I used to work at a resort on the coast and we had showers downstairs in the Jacuzzi and hair would get built up so they would disolve that with Sulfuric Acid. Then, using a plumber's helper like what appears after the moderators signiatue, sand would appear. The place was built on sand.

   What had happened is the acid had disolved the iron pipes. Those showers had to be torn out and redone.

   So the question is?: where did the sand come from.

   On one of the pool showers, there was a problem with the shower drain. Lot of sand from people washing their feet and poor drain line design. The solution to that was to remove the cover plate and use a "Drain King", aka "donkey dick" or to be polite -- "donkey richard". Think Tricky Dick. An elaboration was to add a two way hose valve attachment to shut the think on and off and remove the residual pressure from the hose.

   ~Peter

2. 
   McPlumb | Sep 04, 2008 10:50pm | #2

   A small rotary snake.

1. 
   cameraman | Sep 04, 2008 11:48pm | #5

   A small rotary snake.

   Along with a blast from a hose should wash it on down

3. 
   FastEddie | Sep 04, 2008 11:37pm | #3

   If it's plain sand (no cement or mortar) it will eventually flush out.  You can speed it up by using lots of water ( a garden hose) and something to agitate the sand pile, like a toilet auger.

   "Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

   "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

4. 
   RRav | Sep 04, 2008 11:46pm | #4

   Plumber in a can, i think its called, gives a pressurized blast of gas to clear the trap

   r2

5. 
   Scott | Sep 05, 2008 07:36am | #9

   Hydrocloric Acid?

   Scott.

   Always remember those first immortal words that Adam said to Eve, “You’d better stand back, I don’t know how big this thing’s going to get.”

6. 
   MikeHennessy | Sep 05, 2008 03:36pm | #10

   Wet/Dry shop vac with a narrow nozzle. Suck it dry, let any remaining sand dry for a day or so, and then suck it again.

   Mike Hennessy
   Pittsburgh, PA

1. 
   FastEddie | Sep 05, 2008 04:53pm | #11

   That's a completely different approach, but it should work just as well.  I guess you get credit for think out of the pipe."Put your creed in your deed."   Emerson

   "When asked if you can do something, tell'em "Why certainly I can", then get busy and find a way to do it."  T. Roosevelt

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Sep 05, 2008 04:57pm | #12

   "I guess you get credit for think out of the pipe."

   Geee. I was expecting "that idea sucks!" ;-)

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   fingersandtoes | Sep 05, 2008 09:50pm | #13

   You can never tell how the discussion will go here. I was half expecting a "cut out the drywall below, replace the trap, add cleanout and insulate with foam" reply.

1. 
   husbandman | Sep 05, 2008 10:21pm | #14

   Call in a boring company and have a horizontal hole bored under the building to get to the trap. <G>

2. 
   SteveInCleveland | Sep 06, 2008 02:27pm | #15

   What diameter hole would you recommend for the bore? 

   Perhaps they could get Travelocity's roaming gnome to crawl through there to make a repair? 

    

    

   "Preach the Gospel at all times; if necessary, use words."  - St. Francis of Assisi

2. 
   Danno | Sep 06, 2008 04:21pm | #16

   I hate to blow my own horn, but in post number 2, I said basically the same thing. While you are passing out milk bones, throw a few my way! ;-) (And, I got my idea from someone who posted here a tip to use a wet vac to suck water out of toilets before removing them--don't want to be abiden here! (I'm so clever and stil on my first cup off coffee!) Hoot, hoot! Bllaaaat!

1. 
   MikeHennessy | Sep 06, 2008 11:35pm | #17

   "And, I got my idea from someone who posted here a tip to use a wet vac to suck water out of toilets before removing them"

   That was "da Buckster". Better give him credit, or he'll be around to see ya! ;-)

   Didn't read all the way thru' your post # 2, or I wouldn't have stepped on your suggestion.

   Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA

1. 
   wth | Sep 08, 2008 09:01pm | #18

   there are some good solutions here, i'll let you know how is turns out. Some of the posts did result in a chuckle. I think that I will first try the traveling gnome then the Donkey Richard and if that doesn't work go for the vacuum. For future reference the gnome did not originate with Travelocity it was from a French movie called Amélie. By the way who ever came up with the idea to vacuum the water out of the toilet and drain is brilliant and not I am not being a wise acre

2. 
   brucet9 | Sep 08, 2008 11:33pm | #19

   "By the way who ever came up with the idea to vacuum the water out of the toilet and drain is brilliant and not I am not being a wise acre"I posted that idea here quite some time ago, but can't take credit for the idea. A plumber taught me that trick. After the toilet is installed again you can just dump the water from the wet/dry vac back into the bowl.
   BruceT

3. 
   Danno | Sep 10, 2008 02:44am | #20

   After the toilet is installed again you can just dump the water from the wet/dry vac back into the bowl.

    Or let your dog drink it! ;-)

   Edited 9/9/2008 7:45 pm ET by Danno