We returned to the site to finish unclogging this pipe. See Part 1 here. This time we brought a tool to pull out the roots. The equipment we had with us also prepared us to remove the pipe if needed.
It wasn’t as satisfying as it would have been if the whole thing came out with one big yank. The hook only grabbed bits at a time so we had to use the hook with a long rod to pull out some. We then used the vac truck to jet out some more and kept alternating back and forth. Using this method, we cleaned out approximately 42 feet of pipe.
The hook used to grab pieces of the clog. Next to his feet is a lump of mud, roots and trash that was pulled out. The excavator did the pulling.
More roots and mud removed from the pipe. The vac truck (the pipe to the left) is removing the water with the highest concentration of sediment.
As often happens, we discovered the remnants of poor construction in the pipe. The gap pictured here is where – during its initial construction - two pipes were joined with a collar around the outside, but the collar appears to have been installed poorly allowing soil to enter and clog the pipe, inviting the root mass to follow.
Before
After
Challenges aside, we were successful at unclogging the storm drain line. On to the next project!
Sustainable Stormwater Management 