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Ask urbs' advice on those domestic tasks you just can't seem to do properly

moomoo said:
How do I unblock an outside drain? I have wiggled a stick around but it’s still flooding onto the patio. I am not putting my hand in there
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Some sort of plunger (improvised with a rag on a stick ?) or a pipe to give a head of water. ?
What do you think it's blocked with ?
 
moomoo said:
How do I unblock an outside drain? I have wiggled a stick around but it’s still flooding onto the patio. I am not putting my hand in there.
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I've got a drain coil from Screwfix, costs about £20. Not sure if it would work on an outside drain but the principle is that it unwinds a long metal thing that pushes through the blockage. But if you've got a load of gunk and leaves down there it won't be a long lasting solution.
 
Can you upload photos so we can get an idea of how things are arranged ?
Is this a soakaway or does it feed to a sewer, does roof water go the same way ?
 
Why are recessed lights so crap? We’ve got lots of these - a hole cut in the plasterboard with the light shoved in.

771B4E98-7E10-480E-9B62-7A9390958076.jpeg

Eventually they fall out and don’t stay back in. Even before that the bulbs are a nightmare to change.

What’s the solution?
 
As far as I can tell everything feeds into it. There is usually another pipe going into it but my son removed it so it didn’t flood.

There’s a drain cover as well. I might just chuck some Mr Muscle down there and see what happens.
 
Cloo said:
OK, here's a new one... Best way to get mud off boots. I have some lovely boots that I'd stopped wearing as a decorative feature had come off one side, and then the last time I wore them I ended up slightly lost in a really muddy forest and they got covered in the stuff. I have cleaned them off a bit and the lovely people at Timpson have fixed the broken bit, but I still can't seem to get the mud off. Wiping with a wet cloth makes it look like the mud has gone, but when they dry off it's still mostly there. Online tips suggest I should use a little detergent or soap to get the mud off - any other tips?
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I solved this problem by accident but have done it a few times since for both leather boots and shoes with a sort of soft leather finish.

Pressure washer. Its easiest if you are wearing them so they don't get blown about. Then let dry naturally then polish. Works a treat.

You can use the ones at a garage for a couple of quid if you haven't got one.
 
Does the poo go down there too - maybe further on beyond the trap ?
Do you have a large volume of water to chuck down there ?
Dustbin ?
 
we had a drain like that flood and it was a tree root growing through the pipe... the landlord brought round some big device to unblock it. not that it is necessarily that but if it is outside it could be anything, and water/drain unblocker probably won't do much, it is probably a job to hire someone to do (or get landlord to if you rent)
 
rutabowa said:
we had a drain like that flood and it was a tree root growing through the pipe... the landlord brought round some big device to unblock it. not that it is necessarily that but if it is outside it could be anything, and water/drain unblocker probably won't do much, it is probably a job to hire someone to do (or get landlord to if you rent)
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There are no trees nearby so I don’t think it’ll be that. I might have to call someone if we can’t fix it though.
 
That will be a trap - a U-bend -so best to get the gunge / grit out rather than it heading further.
It could be a fatberg ...
We will expect photos of what you find :)
30 years ago I made some concrete and allowed the run-off to set in the trap and had to excavate the whole thing and replace it - it would defeat me now...
 
When mine was blocked and draining slow I tipped a litre of white cleaning vinegar down it and left it for a couple of hours it worked like magic, I doubt it would dissolve a dead rat but I was impressed by how well it shifted common gunk
 
Help me. I'm trying to clean a disgusting bath. I've tried Cif which has just sort of congealed and made it worse, then tried goo remover to get that off and nothing. Now chucked white vinegar in the tub full of warm water which seems to be helping a bit but have ran out of vinegar. Got most other cleaning essentials though. this whole saga's been going on a week now
 
moomoo said:
As far as I can tell everything feeds into it. There is usually another pipe going into it but my son removed it so it didn’t flood.

There’s a drain cover as well. I might just chuck some Mr Muscle down there and see what happens.
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You can buy acid as well, just be fucking careful
 
muscovyduck said:
Help me. I'm trying to clean a disgusting bath. I've tried Cif which has just sort of congealed and made it worse, then tried goo remover to get that off and nothing. Now chucked white vinegar in the tub full of warm water which seems to be helping a bit but have ran out of vinegar. Got most other cleaning essentials though. this whole saga's been going on a week now
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Are you using proper strong cleaning vinegar or just white vinegar ? Are you able to tell us what the dirt is ? Anything specific or just normal use ?
 
izz said:
Are you using proper strong cleaning vinegar or just white vinegar ? Are you able to tell us what the dirt is ? Anything specific or just normal use ?
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Didn't realise there was a difference, I bought it in bulk in what must have been a 10l carton but I think it was just the standard stuff? It's just general grime from a bath that was never washed for about a decade then left empty for another year or so. But since I put the Cif on it it's gotten like 10x worse
 
muscovyduck said:
Didn't realise there was a difference, I bought it in bulk in what must have been a 10l carton but I think it was just the standard stuff? It's just general grime from a bath that was never washed for about a decade then left empty for another year or so. But since I put the Cif on it it's gotten like 10x worse
Click to expand...
There's definitely a difference and the strongest stuff is worth the money. I've never found CIF to be that great unfortunately.
 
muscovyduck said:
Didn't realise there was a difference, I bought it in bulk in what must have been a 10l carton but I think it was just the standard stuff? It's just general grime from a bath that was never washed for about a decade then left empty for another year or so. But since I put the Cif on it it's gotten like 10x worse
Click to expand...

Have you tried sugar soap? Any DIY shop will have it. Wear gloves, it’s very caustic. It‘s especially good for gooey greasy sticky tarry stuff.
 
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