I am faced with extreme sludge buildup in a 25' run of a 50+ year old 2" galvanized drain pipe. This pipe is draining only the kitchen sink. The kitchen is at the opposite end of the house from baths and septic system. The 25' section is resting on top of a cinderblock foundation in a finished basement. So, there is no easy access to this drain pipe. The first place that I could access the pipe without removing sheetrock etc., I cut the drain pipe, installed a PVC test tee, and replaced the remaining 20' run of the pipe with PVC.
I need to snake this drain pipe often. So I purchased a Milwaukee M18 2772A-21 drain snake kit that comes with a 5/16" x 35' inner core bulb-head cable. Below is a picture taken through the PVC test tee after snaking the galvanized pipe using the Milwaukee drain snake and cable. Sorry, this is the best picture I could take. It shows the galvanized pipe full of sludge except that the snake cable made about a 1/2" tunnel through the sludge. The kitchen sink drains slower than I'd like it to.
What's the best way to get rid of all the sludge in the galvanized pipe? Here are a few options that I'm aware of but all have their own downsides.
I need to snake this drain pipe often. So I purchased a Milwaukee M18 2772A-21 drain snake kit that comes with a 5/16" x 35' inner core bulb-head cable. Below is a picture taken through the PVC test tee after snaking the galvanized pipe using the Milwaukee drain snake and cable. Sorry, this is the best picture I could take. It shows the galvanized pipe full of sludge except that the snake cable made about a 1/2" tunnel through the sludge. The kitchen sink drains slower than I'd like it to.
What's the best way to get rid of all the sludge in the galvanized pipe? Here are a few options that I'm aware of but all have their own downsides.
- General Wire ClogChopper - what size should I use to clear all the sludge in a 2" pipe? While it might clear the galvanized pipe, would it damage the PVC pipe once it goes past the galvanized section? The Milwaukee cable I have doesn't support attachments. What cable should I use on the Milwaukee M18 drain snake that would allow the use of a ClogChopper?
- Milwaukee 3/8" x 35' Inner Core Coupling Cable with the Milwaukee 5PC Small Cable Head Attachment Kit. This attachment kit includes a 1" C-cutter which would probably make a 1" tunnel through the sludge. This might be better than the 1/2" tunnel but, in my opinion, won't remove all the sludge.
- GreenGobbler enzyme drain cleaner - don't know how well it would work and how long it would take to clear most of the built up sludge.
- Hydro jetting - might puncture a very old galvanized pipe. It would certainly damage the PVC section of the drain.