Hard Soap Buildup In Drain Pipes

[scorecard]

For about 5 years never any problem whatever with the water from washing machine quickly draining away.

Suddenly, it floods onto bathroom floor, same machine, no change in load / amount of water used in wash process.

I've checked carefully there is no problem with the piping within the washing machine, and the very large underground waste tank is way less than half full. And I can recall, when pipes were laid, there was a nice slope away from the washing machine all the way to where it went down into the waste tank.

Original builder just says 'drain pipe is too small (2 inch), have to dig up the floors and replace the drain pipe' (about 4 meters).

Then I read on the internet about something called 'hard soap build-up'. The article said it's impossible to remove.

Any suggestions? Please share.

Edited March 3, 2012 by scorecard

[uptoyoumyfriend]

they sell bags of lye at the hardware store for that looks like very chunky white salt in a clear bag-not sure if it will work for you -it would do so if you can make it sit in the pipe for some time

[philliphn]

Drano!

[Jdietz]

Actually as soap is alcalic (natural soap is mostly fat + lye) I'd try an acid instead to remove it (artificial vinegar)

[NancyL]

When we had a problem with clogged drain pipes in the U.S., the plumber used a mechanical "snake" to clean out the line.

Once we had a major drain problem with pipe under the concrete floor of the basement, a problem that couldn't be solved with a simple snake because the pipe had callapsed. The plumber used a camera on a snake to locate the problem, so he had to dig up just a portion of the basement floor, not the entire length of the drain line, trying to locate the problem.

[junglechef]

Know that starch from rice (perhaps not applicable in this case) can also clog pipes so we never put old rice in the garbage disposal, always wondered why this was not more of a problem here where they eat much more rice.

[zippydedodah]

snaking pipes can be very helpful, but as manager of an old (1910) building, i found preventative measures to help as well.

One of those was pouring down the vent pipes a bacteria that ate the coatings on the inside of the pipe - preventing buildup and clogging. We used to do this on a yearly basis with a every other year camera inspection. The camera inspection was to determine where valley were forming in the lateral pipes that could end up causing different types of clogging and required tearing up floors/sidewalks or streets.

[melvinmelvin]

caustic soda is good, if the pipes can take it

[harrry]

You most likely have fluff in the drainpipe...put a snake through it or use a hose with water flowing strongly. Be prepared for the mess as it flows back.

Edited March 4, 2012 by harrry

[Semper]

Hot (boiling) water.

[slapout]

Since you can open and see the tank for water from the machine,, put a garden hose to the drain , hold a wet rag around it to ensure pressure goes toward the drain tank, this in conjuction with a wire snake should clean out the drain line.

2 inch drain pipe is not too small, most washing machines have a discharge size of 1 inch or even less.

[Dante99]

Your original builder is right, the drain pipe is too small, obviously since it got clogged. 2" is really enough. As above you can clean it out with a garden hose, small diameter turned on or a snake. 4 meters is a short distance to work with. Do not dig it out unless you have tried all the above recommendations 3 times each.

[Beetlejuice]

Hot (boiling) water.

Exactly what I was going to say.

[MESmith]

Your local hardware store will have some evil looking stuff in a plastic bottle for this job. Pour it down the pipe carefully. Wear rubber gloves & take care not to splash. It will clear it. It may even, if you're unlucky dissolve the pipes. Buy a "snake" - they do work, but can take time. We had a problem with waste pipe from the kitchen sink. The builder had built in an inconvenient pair of right angle bends in the pipe that kept clogging up due to residues of oil, food waste & coffee grounds. A combination of the evil looking liquid & a snake cleared it. The white congealed cooking oil etc that came out was enough to convince the wife to cut down on the frying, after I explained the same was happening in our arteries.....

Global House & Home Pro also stock some "waste digesters" in powder & liquid form. Maybe try those, but they work slowly.

Edited March 4, 2012 by MESmith

[NancyL]

I'd be very hesitant to pour boiling water down any drain pipe not intended to handle hot water.

I did this in the U.S. when I was disposing the water I used while canning vegetables. About two gallons of nearly boiling water down the kitchen sink. It destroyed a seal in the drain pipe and that pipe was meant to handle hot dishwashing water. Fortunately, the damage was to a joint just under the kitchen sink; not difficult to access. Unfortunately, I did it late at night and still needed to finish my canning. You can't repair something like that and use the drain line immediately.

[KRS1]

Caustic solution in thai is called - "soda fai"

use with caution.

[SantiSuk]

Know that starch from rice (perhaps not applicable in this case) can also clog pipes so we never put old rice in the garbage disposal, always wondered why this was not more of a problem here where they eat much more rice.

Because the Thai garbage disposal unit, a dog, is an efficient waste conversion unit?!!

[bdenner]

2 inch or 60mm is too small, I know because I've had exactly the same problem after the same time frame. Caustic Soda will not remove the hard lumps. What I finished up doing was locate any bends and modify the plumbing so as I could push a running hose through the pipes (from the surface) breaking up the lumps and flushing them away. Fortunately plumbing under the concrete floors went in straight lines.

In our case the initial build up does not appear to be generated in the Laundry rather than the Kitchen. For 11 years now I've been beating my head against a brick wall trying to get the Thais to use a Farang Kitchen (washing up facility's) correctly but NO they will not fill the sinks with hot water with a bit of detergent in one then wash/rinse. It's still a big squirt of detergent on a wash cloth and clean the pots and dishes under a running cold water. I'm sure the combination of detergent and fats off the woks, plates etc is combining causing the soap like blockages.

[uptoyoumyfriend]

Sodium hydroxide - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide - CachedSodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye and caustic soda, is a caustic metallic base. It is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the ...

Properties - Reactions - Production - Uses

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_hydroxide - CachedSodium hydroxide (NaOH), also known as lye and caustic soda, is a caustic metallic base. It is used in many industries, mostly as a strong chemical base in the ...

Edited March 5, 2012 by uptoyoumyfriend

[Marvo]

On 3/4/2012 at 5:30 PM, Beetlejuice said:

Exactly what I was going to say.

Thanks for the advice guys. The Mrs tried that and destroyed the blue PCV waste pipes, going all the way into the wall.
Heads-up for everyone.... Thai blue PVC melts (deforms) at below 100 degrees C.
I ended up wiring a metal "spike" to the end of a stiff-ish hose pipe and ramming it 4 meters up the pipe from the waste tank end. With the hose water running and a lot of ramming, eventually HUGE blocks of what looked like white congealed soap came out of the pipe.

Mission accomplished.
Now to replace all of the melted blue PVC pipe ????.

[Kanada]

That’s too bad....sounds like you got it figured tho’. I stopped using hard soap years ago because of the white scum it left in shower which was tough to clean....went to liquid soap and no issues but be aware for future reference “shaving cream” is also bad for clogging drains and so is tooth paste for that matter but shaving cream seems to cling in spite of hot water! ????