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A grease-blocked sewer that flooded a mechanical room.
Wastewater was overflowing from the mechanical room floor drain of a Vancouver building with homes and businesses. We shut off the water, opened the main sewer cleanout under pressure, and cleared about 20 feet of hardened grease and rags to get it flowing again.
Wastewater coming up in the mechanical room.
The mechanical room floor drain was overflowing into the mechanical room and the old garbage room. We traced the drain to the main sanitary sewer in the lower parkade, where the drains from the homes and the businesses join.
We shut off the water to the homes to slow the flow, but wastewater kept coming. The City checked its sewer and found nothing blocked on its side. We plugged the mechanical room drain to push the overflow away from the equipment, and helped the strata council move stored road salt out of the way.
Releasing the pressure, then cutting through the grease.
Once the water to the businesses was shut off too, and more crew and a bigger drain machine arrived, we opened the main cleanout slowly. There was a lot of pressure behind it, so the cap had to come off gradually to keep the discharge under control.
About six feet in, the cable hit the blockage. Around 20 feet of sewer was packed with hardened grease, rags and other debris, including an earbud case. Once it was flowing, we flushed the line and ran a camera through to the city connection.
Control the water, then clear the line.
On a flooding call, slowing the water down comes before clearing the pipe.
Find the drain
Trace the floor drain to the shared sewer in the parkade.Slow it down
Shut off the water to the homes and businesses and redirect the overflow.Clear it
Open the cleanout carefully and cable through the grease and rags.Check it
Flush the line and run a camera to the city connection.Flowing again, with a plan for what’s left.
The flooding stopped and the water was turned back on that night. The camera showed the line mostly clear, with some buildup left at the bends and a possible misalignment near the entrance gate. We recommended hydro jetting the main sewer to remove the remaining grease, and a closer look at that joint.
Water shut off to slow the flooding
About 20 feet of grease and rags cleared
Line flushed and camera inspected to the city connection
Hydro jetting recommended for the remaining buildup
Start with the problem. We will help plan the next step.
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