HELP! Self Levelling Concrete down our floor drain...

[Kyle204]

We completely gutted our basement over the past 6 months and re-finished everything, including the addition of a 3 piece bath. At some point during the renovation one of the trades rinsed out their bucket with leftover self levelling concrete in our laundry sink which ended up hardening in the trap. I think it was likely the tiling company that levelled the bathroom floor before the tile went in, however we had other levelling done on other areas of the floor by our general carpenters so it's difficult for me to definitely accuse anyone.

Currently nothing drains into our floor drain with the exception of the weeping tile, which in turn drains into our sump pit when they were overwhelmed. My concern is that not having a useable floor drain will cause our sump pump to work more frequently which will impact it's lifespan and I'm also worried that if the sump pump ever failed during a significant rain we could be looking at a flooded basement.

Unfortunately breaking up our floor and replacing the trap is not an option as that would involve digging up some of our tiled bathroom floor. I'm wondering if there are any products that I can try that will dissolve the concrete and allow the drain to work again, without damaging the drain/trap. I've come across two products online and was wondering if anyone has had experience with them;

Back Set
https://www.romixchem.com/romix_cart/back_set.php

Speedy Clean
https://www.nca.ca/product/speedy-clean-concrete-mortar-dissolver-5-gal-9888

Also, if it helps, this is the that was put down the drain:
https://laticrete.com/en/surface-preparation/nxt/nxt-level

Let me know if you have any thoughts or any additional ideas.


Thanks

 

[Jadnashua]

You could try simply buying a big jug of vinegar from a warehouse club, and pour some in. After a day, suction out what's left, dig a bit at the weakened mass there, and repeat. A stronger acid would do it quicker, but needs some careful handling. The calcium component in cement will dissolve in the acid, leaving whatever sand left sitting there loose. After 24-hours, you'll get an idea of how fast, and how well this will work. If it actually drains, it won't be in contact long enough to do much of anything. Other than that, the only real solution is to tear it out and replace those clogged up bits.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Kyle204]

You could try simply buying a big jug of vinegar from a warehouse club, and pour some in. After a day, suction out what's left, dig a bit at the weakened mass there, and repeat. A stronger acid would do it quicker, but needs some careful handling. The calcium component in cement will dissolve in the acid, leaving whatever sand left sitting there loose. After 24-hours, you'll get an idea of how fast, and how well this will work. If it actually drains, it won't be in contact long enough to do much of anything. Other than that, the only real solution is to tear it out and replace those clogged up bits.

Thanks, I'll give that a try. Anyone else have any ideas? Or if the products in my original post are worth a try?

 

[Jadnashua]

Is the drain actually blocked, or does it drain slowly? If it's not blocked, I don't think any of the acid solutions will stay in contact long enough to do much of anything except cost you money and time.

If there's a trap, and it has accumulated there, the trap will hold the acid in place, and may do something there, but not much of anything in the riser or afterwards.

 

[Kyle204]

I'm 99% sure it's completely blocked and hardened in the trap. I haven't tried the vinegar yet. Going to wait until the weather gets a littler colder and there isn't anything draining in from the weeping tile.

 

[Jadnashua]

Just pour some water in there if you don't want to start to try to clear it out to see if it is plugged or not. That, and a flashlight, should make it fairly obvious after a bit of time to see if the level goes down.

FWIW, concrete continues to cure and get harder for a very long time, but most of it happens in the first week or so. But, the longer you wait, the harder it will be to do anything. INdustry uses a 28-day timeframe for curing when it specs the hardness of cement products. It does continue to get harder, but at a much slower rate.