Cherne's Clog Buster® Drain Flusher

• Unclogs drainpipes in seconds
• Simply remove aerator from spigot of faucet and attach faucet adapter
• Attaches to standard 3/4" garden hose fitting
• Insert clog buster as far as possible into drain and slowly turn on the cold water - clog should disappear in seconds
• Eliminates need for using chemicals

Unclog drainpipes fast with Cherne's Clog Buster® Drain Flusher. The slotted open end of the Clog Buster enables water pressure to be exerted on the clog. The filling mechanism is a standard 3/4" female garden hose connection. The Clog Buster is Safer and more cost effective than using chemicals.

To operate the Clog Buster, remove the aerator from the spigot of your faucet and attach the faucet adapter. Connect the female end of the 10' water fill hose to the faucet adapter and the male end to the clog buster.

Insert the Clog Buster as far as possible into the drain and slowly turn on the cold water. Do not use the Clog Buster if drain cleaning chemicals are present in the line (proper backflow prevention procedures should always be followed). The clog should disappear in seconds.

Cherne's optional 10' water Fill Hose is made of 3/8" flexible PVC with 3/4" male and female fittings. The Faucet Adapter, made of high-grade plastic, is a two-part connection which allows you to operate off a male or female spigot.

Swimming Pool Drain Obstruction in Pipe

Topic: Swimming Pool & Spa Construction & Maintenance

From All Experts :

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Swimming Pool Expert: Robert W. Hudson, Jr.
Date: 7/11/2005
Subjects: Bleach washing pool and Main drain obstruction

Question:     The main drain of the swimming pool appears to be obstructed.  I sealed the suction inlet at the skimmer and the pump will not stay primed or otherwise circulate properly.  What is the best way to clear the pipe?  The pool is equipped with a double main drain system that I do not fully understand and have no documentation on its plumbing.  I do understand all of the underground plumbing at the equipment.  

Secondly, the walls of the pool at the bottom radius have developed dark areas.  Scrubbing or vacuuming does not clean them.  I do not believe it is as serious to necessitate an acid bath.  Is there a safer and effective method to just clean the pool walls.

Thank you,

Steve

Answer -  This is a really good question, as main drains do seem to stop up more than other suction lines.

The main drain of a pool can collapse or it can become obstructed.  The former is easier to fix than the latter!

Plumbing/pool supply houses sell a device that fits on the end of your garden hose that expands to seal the opening while at the same time pressurizing the other side by passing through water.  It's designed for these types of stoppage issues.

Here's a link to an on-line source:

http://www.accentshopping.com/store/plumbing/drainclean/303135.asp

If you have separate control valves for your skimmers and main drain, remove the lid to the pump pot (basket) place the unit in the pipe that leads back to the pool, close off the valves that go to the skimmers, and turn on the water.

It will fill the bladder, sealing off the pipe, and pressurize (up to the water pressure of your home) the other side.  Usually this is sufficient to dislodge whatever is in there.

You may have to do this up to ten times to break the packed clog, but the combination of the water as lubricant and pressure will usually send a reasonable clog back through the main drain, where you can then safely vacuum it out.

If this doesn't work, many sewer and drain companies and pool repair people have small cameras that can go down the pipe to determine if it's a collapsed line.  

You don't want to use a mechanical device, like a roto-rooter, as they will very often, at least not in PVC pipe, pipe cleaning cables can sometimes deflect away from a clog and puncture the plastic pipe wall. Then you'll have a big problem!

If you have a collapsed line, there's very little you can do.

Now, as to the dark stains around the main drain, they may be related!

Typically, dark stains in pool walls are either from contact with tannin-loaded materials, like leaves or tree limbs, or from leaching of metals from the pool water.

Do you have any copper pipes, or galvanized steel pipes?  Do you have heater, that has a copper heat exchanger?  

Usually, metals leached from somewhere in the circulation system that often settle into the bottom of pools is by far the most likely culprit.

And, since you've had little or no circulation to that part of the pool, they've been absorbed by the plaster.

Once you get your main drain functional again, and discover the source for the metal leachate and fix it, a year or so of regular shocking (high chlorination) of the pool may be sufficient to bleach it back out.

I hope this helps, and write back if you have any follow-ups!

Bob Hudson

Follow up question:  Thanks for your help in this matter.

At the pool equipment there are two lines coming out of the ground; one is the main drain/skimmer, the other is a dedicated sidewall suction line.  They both terminate at a control valve directing one of the two pipes to the pump.  I have drained the pool to a level below the return lines.  My plan is to cut the pipe ahead of the control valve and insert the clog buster into the main drain/skimmer suction line.  once I charge the clog buster, the forced water will travel into the skimmer as well as the main drain, since water will take the least path of resistance. How do I prevent it from taking the path to the clear skimmer line and only to the clogged main drain?  Just plug the skimmer?  Also, once I clear the main drain and remove the clog buster, the pool water will start to drian out of the pipe that I now have to glue back to the control valve?  Do I need to lay something down on top of the drains?  
Answer -
First, try to use the control valve to close off the skimmer line. Normally the side opposite the handle has a tab that says "OFF".  Point it toward the skimmer side.

If that doesn't wqork, then place a screw-in plug (using lots and lots of teflon tape) at the pool side of the skimmer.

Sounds like your pool equipment is below the level of your pool. To keep water from draining out, you may have to dive down and install a plug in the main drain once it is clear.

This is usually EITHER 2" or 1.5" PVC, so get a plug that will work before you begin the effort.

Try to use your ingenuity on plugging what needs to be plugged.  Try not to cut anything.  

It is much harder to get PVC pipe to bend/flex into a repair fitting than you could ever imagine.  

If you have to cut, try to cut both pipes at exactly the same level, where you can easily place a couple of couplings on it to fix it.

Write back, and let us all know how it went!

Bob Hudson


Thanks for the help Bob.  You are correct; the pool equipment is at pool bottom level.  I think I figured out (assumed) how the pool is plumbed and have deduced the suction line to the pump is collapsed.  Here is what transpired; the pool was drained to a point just below the side wall suction line.  This line is clear to the pump.  At this point all of the water in the pool should drain out of the main drain.  With the valve open to this pipe, very little water flows.  I removed the control valve where it comes up out of the ground.  The main drain pipe from the pump appears to run to the skimmer with a tee somewhere in between connecting the main drain.  There are two pipes in the skimmer, the one that goes to the pump (farther from the pool) and one (closer to the pool) that goes to the pool bottom (two drains).  

At the skimmer, I used the clog buster in the pipe to the pool bottom.  This resulted in small bubbles coming from the drains.  I can only assume water was getting through and entering the pool.  I also used the clog buster at the pump location in the main drain/ skimmer pipe.  This water was forced into the skimmer and when I tried to block it the clog buster shot out of the pipe.   I tried several times at both locations.  

I have reassembled the above ground piping (with unions), and installed the new DE filter I was planning anyway and will see how things go.  I may hire out a fiber optic camera guy to confirm the collapse (or really bad blockage).  If the pipe is collapsed, I guess there is nothing that can be done.  

Thanks again for your help.  

Steve  

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