Blocked Urinal Waste Pipe

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Blocked Urinal Waste Pipe

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Tony73

Hello

I recently did a job in a 2 bowl auto flushing urinal system in a small commercial unit. The waste pipe was blocked solid with urine crystal/congealed stuff. I had to cut the pipe to get access and the replaced the waste pipe and S bends. All worked well with the urinals coping with the flush and everything draining away fine.


today I got a call that the urinals were overflowing when the cistern flushed down. The pipe is blocked again after 2 weeks. There is a WC that feeds into the same waste stack as the Urinals.


Can anyone suggest why this might be blocked again so quickly and what my best course of action is before I go back to sort out.

Any help greatfully recieved as I'm a Urinal novice just trying to help a mate out.
 
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I don't know I'm afraid, someone else with be along shortly with some good advice. I just want to ask: When you cut that pipe I bet it smelled beauuuuutiful?
 
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I only ask because I've never touched urinal work but my tutor at the training centre who had 50 years experience in all aspects of plumbing said the worse smell in plumbing comes from a urinal waste.
 
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The problem with urine waste is that it congeals into a horrible, smelly jelly and is extremely hard to remove. It clogs up waste pipes like a dam. With modern water saving flush systems, if the building is unoccupied for any length of time e.g holidays etc then the traps and waste pipes can block up and smell as water isn't flushing as much.
Check that the blockage hasn't moved further down the stack/soil pipe. If you can't rod it or jet it, very hot water and Fairy Liquid will dislodge it. Check that the toilet is flushing without any rise in the water bowl and check the air admittance valve (Durgo etc) is working if one is fitted. Best traps for a urinal are in my opinion bottle traps as they are easily cleaned by unscrewing the bottom section.

Finally, PLEASE WATCH YOUR HEALTH WITH URINALS! They carry really nasty diseases. Use 2 pairs of disposable latex gloves, disinfect your hands and tools after work and I always carry a few bottles of disinfectant hand gel and scrub my hands thoroughly with it.

Got a really nasty one yesterday. Stripping out sanitary ware from a public toilet block due to be demolished. Cut into urinal waste pipe, didn't know it was blocked with 10 months of stagnant pee, and it went woosh........
 
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You must have a strong stomach system, that sounds rancid. Nothing worse than urinals, I remember years ago when the urinal blocked at work, I removed the pipe and cleaned it out. I can still taste that smell to this day right at the back of my throat.
 
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Phil said:
You must have a strong stomach system, that sounds rancid. Nothing worse than urinals, I remember years ago when the urinal blocked at work, I removed the pipe and cleaned it out. I can still taste that smell to this day right at the back of my throat.
Click to expand...

Were you the landlord? Next time a customer buys you a pint I'd fill it yourself ...
 
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Respect for doing this job, its about one of the most challenging.

The blockage will be all the way to the stack.

You need to find where the waste connects to the stack, cut and investigate. Usually the pipe will require replacing all the way.
 
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Hello Clanger

Thanks for reply. I only replaced waste pipe 2 weeks ago and the urinals only have low usage so In your opinion could it of blocked up already again or do you think there might be a problem with the waste stack backing up into the urinal waste and blocking it.
 
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Tony73 said:
Hello Clanger

Thanks for reply. I only replaced waste pipe 2 weeks ago and the urinals only have low usage so In your opinion could it of blocked up already again or do you think there might be a problem with the waste stack backing up into the urinal waste and blocking it.
Click to expand...
As I said earlier, the blockage is probably in the main stack, congealed urinal jelly. Have fun.
Very hot water (a lot of it) with Fairy Liquid will dissolve the pee gel.
Put a very strong disinfectant down it and bleach after clearing it.
 
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The pipes wont be blocked again so quick. Unless like one of the lads said earlier, 'sabotage'.

The drain is blocked (either the stack or in the grid outside)

I'd lift a manhole outside if there's one nearby to see if it's blocked.

If not, rod the stack like mention earlier.

And yes, urinals are easily the worst appliances to work on.

Even worse than Sluicemasters, Water bunnys and Mortuary chop-up tables!!!

:33:
 
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LegionellaSlave said:
And yes, urinals are easily the worst appliances to work on.

Even worse than Sluicemasters, Water bunnys and Mortuary chop-up tables!!!

:33:
Click to expand...

Disagree, have done a couple of urinal waste replacements, unfortunately I don't seem to get those jobs anymore they tell me I'm too expensive :), but the worse job would have to be the jammed saniflow. Not nice at all. It was the crappiest job ever, in more ways than one.
 
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system3 said:
Urinals aint a patch on Glasgows underground sewage network!
Click to expand...

Did a job at Kinning Park sewage pumping station. What an interesting place and you would never know it was there. Hang a left off the Kinning park turn off and it is the 1st building on the left.
 
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Hmm! Yeah Saniflows are equally horrible!

I'd only replace, not repair.

As for urinals, I've seen blocked, sagging, unsupported waste pipes dangling in false ceilings, not nice :D
 
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tamz said:
Did a job at Kinning Park sewage pumping station. What an interesting place and you would never know it was there. Hang a left off the Kinning park turn off and it is the 1st building on the left.
Click to expand...
I was on the banks of the Clyde and the sewers have large arches built into them with steel gates as the entrance to the sewers. Apart from the rats, the sewers were the worst smelling place I've ever been.
Didn't know Kinning Park had a sewage works, interesting to know.
 
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Tony73 said:
Hello Clanger

Thanks for reply. I only replaced waste pipe 2 weeks ago and the urinals only have low usage so In your opinion could it of blocked up already again or do you think there might be a problem with the waste stack backing up into the urinal waste and blocking it.
Click to expand...

I did a horrible job a few years ago at a skint British Legion club. Had similar problem, we replaced the pipe back to the stack (50mm) and found the boss into the stack completely solid with crystal/pube/amonia-salt combo!

The pipe (40mm) was undersized, too longer run, and walls were solid with crud. The boss on the stack was the worst affected, so we had to smash this off and replace it, upgrading the size.
 
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A friend told me about a saniflo system he had to deal with. Due to the house design, the waste pipe from the en-suite had to go into the loft space and across the house to the soil stack on the opposite side. A rat had chewed through the pipe and a small amount of the debris had been spraying across the loft and eventually ended up as a soggy pile which brought the ceiling down. Part of the loft was literally plastered with poo.
 
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One thing to add to this....the blue cubes that are put into urinals to keep them smelling ok can block them. I cleaned out a blockage on a urinal last month. There main bulk of the blockage was blue crud (just mashed down cubes) with some crystalised urine too.

The owner said he would tell his cleaner to go easy on the cubes. I know its been fine since, as I've now done several other jobs at the same pub.

Oh and yes, stagnant pee is horrible.
 
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