Newbie with MAJOR problem...

[MyBlueDog]

Hi Everyone,
Not going to believe this...

but my 18x36 inground marcite pool, built in 1986 (I just bought the house in '03), has what appears to be CONCRETE chunk stuck 3 inches inside of the main drain! Pool drain depth is 6'. YES... it is definitely concrete, and boy is it HARD.

For about 6 months, the vacuum side of my pump continued to pull in air. I couldn't figure this out. So I replaced literally everything above ground, with. still no luck. Until....

Amazing....

I stapped on the scuba gear, took a dive, popped the grill on the main drain, and put a mirror down there to see the clog in the 2" pipe!

Now for about 1 week, 4 tanks of air, and countless times trying to "break" the clog with a screwdriver, files, small saw blades, I got the thing about 1/4 of the way down. But it's a royal pain in the @#$.

And I can't get any leverage to try to lightly hammer on the clog with a hammer and screwdriver being under water.

1. Anyone have ANY ideas?
I'm trying to come up with anything without having to resort to draining the pool.

2. How the heck could a piece of concrete nearly 2 inches in diameter get in there in the first place?

Please help a newbie...
Daryl
Florida

P.S. Since hacking away and busting my knuckles underwater, the water circulation has improved, and the air resistance in the pump has started to dissipate.

Lesson: The clog is causing the air to be pulled from the water into the pump!

Now: How do I get rid of the frickin' concrete clog?

[CarlD]

Short of draining your pool and using a hammer-drill and concrete bit to cut through it, I don't know....

If there was something that would break the concrete down chemically, like salt or acid.....I dunno...

[MyBlueDog]

I tried injecting some acid onto it and letting it sit, and that definitely helped. But I'm reluctant to put a whole bunch of acid in there for obvious reasons, including fitting that contain PVC glue.

I think I know the answer, but anyone know if the big acid injection is doable?

[beary]

What about changing the plumbing temperarily and reverse the flow to push it out?

[MyBlueDog]

Thanks. Tried that already. No luck. It's almost as if the concrete got inside of the pipe and it dried in there.

Plus, 20 years of crap flowing through the main drain on the suction side, means every other spec of sand, rock, etc pool probably got captured by the clog and the whole thing calcified.

I wish I could snap a picture of this thing, cuz it's really an eye sore.

[Laguna Joe]

Buy an 8' long piece of angle or channel iron, or all-thread rod. Have someone position and hold the end against the concrete, while a second person uses a small sledge hammer on the end that juts out above the water level to drive the iron rod into the concrete chunk.

Pre-arrange a method to signal the top-side person so you can control or stop the hammering in the event of a problem or the need to reposition the iron rod.

And keep your fingers clear.

[roxy]

How about an electric plumber's snake? These electric augers can be rented from any rental store, and are usually at least 100 feet long. You can have someone above operating the motor as you feed the auger into the drain. I would again reverse the water flow to blow out any debris that may break up. Not very familiar with the construction of the main drain, so this is a shot in the dark! Good luck!
P.S. If you use anything electric be sure to plug it into a GFCI protected outlet and make sure the operator is familiar with the tool....those snake can easily get away from you!!

[waste]

Dog, welcome to the forum You say you have air bubbles in the pump, is there a chance that the pipe itself was breached allowing the concrete in, in the first place? If so, have care removing the obstruction as you might cause a fatal leak in the pipe (using power equipment or excessive force is also not a good idea as the pvc pipe will probably give before the concrete). If the crete was just a glob that ended up in the pipe a good poke should have freed it, I fear the pipe was compromised before the crete was poured/ shot (pvc & crete don't bond very well).
I would suggest keep doing what you have been (I know, pain in the @$%& and all those trips to the dive shop to refill). If you want to get a hammer and 1/2" cold chisel involved, have someone topside hold you down with your wallbrush, but be careful about the pipe. Once you get it down to ~ 1/4" mix up some 2 part epoxy (any plumbing store will have some) and generously coat the entire area, making sure that you have a good layer over the remaining concrete and adjacent pipe. Wish I could offer a better solution, but I believe this will take care of the problem. GOOD LUCK! - Waste

[duraleigh]

Dog,

Listen to "Waste"!

Bangin' on that PVC with power equipment or a sledge is an invitation to a much larger problem.

As an aside, it doesn't seem to me this is the source of a suction side air leak. It's not clear to me how air could be entering the system that far underground

[CarlD]

Dog,

Listen to "Waste"!

Bangin' on that PVC with power equipment or a sledge is an invitation to a much larger problem.

Hey! I was gonna suggest dynamite next! Are you saying that might not be a good idea?