Duck & Pipe

5 posts

Discuss all topics related to freshwater and planted tanks.


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

Duck & Pipe

by yasherkoach

I have a serious problem, and an odd one at that.

In the last month, sometimes I'd clean out the filters and attached to the pads would be duckweed debris from floating that got caught up in the intake tubes of the filter. So I'd wash the filters (I have 2 filter pads in the filter boxes - one filter always stays in (where the good bacteria resides) and the other filter gets cleaned, that is, the outer filter, anyway...) in the kitchen sink. Well all was fine until the sink water started to back up.

My wife nor I couldn't understand why until one evening there were small pieces of duckweed all over the drain area.

The water in the drain goes down but very slowly. Could the duckweed have gone down into the pipes and grow from there? I checked with a friend who said duckweed thrives on light and that most likely the bits that were forced back up the pipe into the sink was just that, forced back up; but possibly the duckweed is the problem.

I never had this problem with this kitchen sink ever. I never cleaned the filters out with small bits of duckweed either in the sink until in the last month.

So my question to all of you is, do you think it could be the duckweed? And if so, are there any recommendations to rid the piping of this weed?

My friend who is a chemical engineer recommended industrial strength cleaner from a plumbing supply store, he said it should also kill off the weed (if the problem was caused by the weed); what is your take on this problem?

I would like to solve this problem by this week. I hate to call a plumber over something I may be able to handle. Any ideas?


Tmercier834747
 
Posts: 887
Joined: Wed Feb 13, 2008 8:33 pm

by Tmercier834747

I'm thinking even something like liquid plumber allowed to sit would probably kill any living flora in your piping...its pretty potent stuff. my guess is its more of a sure bet the industrial strength stuff will work but. Something as simple as bleach even possibly?
I'm not one to recommend pouring stuff down drains but our laundry wash water goes somewhere you know..
And when talking about giving your plants a bleach bath (if you have an algae problem) you're talking a ratio of 1 part bleach to 19 parts water for a good reason if you wanna keep the plants to put back inyour tank. So if you were to put pure bleach down there that would probably have some similar effects...


a70m1c
 
Posts: 51
Joined: Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:39 am

by a70m1c

Hit your drain with some bleach or "Draino" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drāno)

maybe consider cleaning your filter in a bucket in the backyard....the dirty water makes great fertilizer for plants/trees!

I do this and pour it on the vegie patch :-)


ChristinaBug2890
 
Posts: 299
Joined: Fri Oct 05, 2007 5:15 pm

by ChristinaBug2890

For the drain what I would do is pour some baking soda and salt down there...then vinegar. then hit it with boiling water from the kettle or a pot. :)


yasherkoach
 
Posts: 1306
Joined: Sat Jul 26, 2008 1:24 pm

by yasherkoach

thanks all...industrial strength liquid from a plumbing store did the trick

BEWARE: no weed (duckweed etc) down the drain...been there done it all too well :(

Duck & Pipe

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