Can you snake a 1/2" ID galvanized pipe?

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Cass

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To correct the problem just replace the pipe.

This is a simple process and one that will last. If there is a basement with what I count as about 4' or 5' of total line to replace this is a no brainer. In the time spent talking about this it could have been replace 10 times. You will spend more time trying to do something that won't work instead of being productive and getting'r done.
 
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Verdeboy

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Cass said:
To correct the problem just replace the pipe.

This is a simple process and one that will last. If there is a basement with what I count as about 4' or 5' of total line to replace this is a no brainer. In the time spent talking about this it could have been replace 10 times. You will spend more time trying to do something that won't work instead of being productive and getting'r done.

Now, what fun what that be? :rolleyes:
 

Bob NH

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If you haven't replaced it yet (still my recommendation), you could circulate (muriatic) hydrochloric acid through it to clean it out. You would need to find a place to get it in and out and have a pump to do it. A real mess.

I would have long since replaced it with CPVC.
 

Verdeboy

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Bob NH said:
If you haven't replaced it yet (still my recommendation), you could circulate (muriatic) hydrochloric acid through it to clean it out. You would need to find a place to get it in and out and have a pump to do it. A real mess.

I would have long since replaced it with CPVC.

Wouldn't high pressure water jetting be a much safer and easier way to do this?
 

Jadnashua

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By the time you went out rented the thing, hooked it up, found out it didn't do what you wanted, or crudded up all of the valves in the house, you could have easily replaced the stuff which would have needed it anyways. I don't think there are any viable alternatives other than replacing when a galvanized pipe is rusted closed.
 

Plumber1

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You fellas tried to give good advice. I think someone is trying to jerk our chains. we all should quit this thread and let this poster continue to waste time.
 

Verdeboy

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plumber1 said:
You fellas tried to give good advice. I think someone is trying to jerk our chains. we all should quit this thread and let this poster continue to waste time.

Sometimes a bogus thread will get your brain thinking a little more than with the real threads. It's sort of like trying to solve a difficult puzzle that may or may not have a solution.

If it is bogus, he's probably trying to get even for all the insults people hurled at him for dumping radiator stop leak into his water supply.
 
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Verdeboy

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jadnashua said:
By the time you went out rented the thing, hooked it up, found out it didn't do what you wanted, or crudded up all of the valves in the house, you could have easily replaced the stuff which would have needed it anyways. I don't think there are any viable alternatives other than replacing when a galvanized pipe is rusted closed.

High water pressure could be attained from a power washer, which the alleged thread starter might already own. It would also be smart to open up a section of pipe or a valve on the other side of the alleged clog, so the water and rust would have a place to drain out.
 

hj

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pressure washer

The "high pressure" washer he would own, would be so insignificant as to be worthless. "High pressure" washers run in the 20,000 psi range, and will remove most encrustations, if you can get the nozzle to them, which would not happen in a 1/2" pipe. Now, the pipe reliners blow an abrasive material through the pipes and "claim" that it cleans them out, but there is no way to verify it without taking the pipes apart.
 

Cass

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Lets see how creative we can get.

How about cutting the pipe a few inches B4 it hits the T. Then allow the water out and with the pipe empty cap the pipe where it was cut with a comp. coupling, nipple and cap. Then from the supply tube fill the line with bleach and allow it to sit and oxidize the rust. Repeat until the rust is gone. Drain the pipe and reconnect and flush pipe.

How long can we keep the thread going?
 

Verdeboy

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hj said:
The "high pressure" washer he would own, would be so insignificant as to be worthless. "High pressure" washers run in the 20,000 psi range, and will remove most encrustations, if you can get the nozzle to them, which would not happen in a 1/2" pipe. Now, the pipe reliners blow an abrasive material through the pipes and "claim" that it cleans them out, but there is no way to verify it without taking the pipes apart.

I didn't say he would own a "high pressure" power washer. Standard homeowner powerwashers are about 2000 psi. That means you can backflush with almost 40 times greater pressure than the house water pressure. You could put the nozzle right up against the end of the pipe and spray in a pulsating matter. If the rust is lightly packed, it might loosen it up so that it comes out when you turn the water back on. If not, you've lost 5 minutes and zero money. Think of all the crud that comes out of a supply line, just by turning a shutoff valve off and then on again with no backflushing.
 

ToolsRMe

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Be careful about electrical grounding

I don't know where this pipe is. The poster said "cold water supply" so, to me, it could be anywhere.

If he replaces a section with CPVC then he might be breaking a ground connection.

In my house the electrical ground is/was attached to the cold water supply about 50 feet from where the city water comes into the house and about 100 feet from the main electrical panel. As I understand code, that would no longer be allowed today: You need to attach electrical ground within five feet of the main supply (or to a ground stake) precisely for the reason that people have cut sections of the copper supply and replaced it with non-conducting materials.

The sad thing about breaking electrical ground is that the cheap "proper wiring" detectors will indicate that all is well. But you won't have the safety of having a proper path to ground and that can kill.

So although this thread may be kind of bogus, I hope I have given some useful information.
 
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