Plugged up pond overflow pipe

[nikdfish]

The pond on our 20 acre site has an overflow pipe that (apparently) the beavers plugged up before moving on a year or so back. The level is now about a foot or so too high & ground on the upper side of the pond, which normally would drain into the pond, is getting pretty swampy with the recent rains.

The overflow pipe is 6" PVC in an L configuration, with the inlet being vertical & the outflow behind the dam roughly 8 feet (or so) below the inlet & about 40 feet back. Getting to the inlet is pretty much out of the question for me, considering the distance from the bank, pond edge growth, water depth & bottom conditions ( & my mobility issues). The outlet is reasonably accessible, though not really great footing for me.

I'm trying to figure a workable plan for unplugging the pipe. I'm thinking that if the blockage is from the beavers shoving stuff down the pipe (plus pond weed ,etc.), I might be able to apply pressure from the outlet side & blow it out.

Lowes sells a device for clearing drains that is inserted into a drain, inflates with water pressure to seal the pipe & then lets water pressure build up beyond the device til the blockage is shoved through. I've got a 120v pump from a former goldfish pond that pulls about 150 watts & can generate about 60 lb. of pressure (as memory serves). It has fittings that match water hose connections. I was thinking about running it from a 450 watt 12v inverter, pulling water from the pond to feed it.

Another approach might be to solvent weld on a threaded end & use a screw in plug with a schrader valve installed in it to try air pressure.

Any other suggestions/observations are definitely welcome, as are alternatives if this initial approach doesn't work.


Nick

 

[20 20]

did you try a simple snake just to see if that'd losen it up enough?

 

[dex3361]

I made a plug out of a pipe cap for PVC pipe and drilled and tapped for an air chuck and took a air tank and shot blasts of air into the pipe to break it free. If that doesn't work I would fill the pipe with water and then hit it with air. :thumbsup:

 

[nikdfish]

did you try a simple snake just to see if that'd losen it up enough?

I didn't have one heavy & long enough to try it working from the outlet end (& wasn't confident enough of the outcome to buy one to try). Do you think a 50 foot 1/2" flat rod snake would be sturdy enough to be worthwhile?


Nick

 

[20 20]

I didn't have one heavy & long enough to try it working from the outlet end (& wasn't confident enough of the outcome to buy one to try). Do you think a 50 foot 1/2" flat rod snake would be sturdy enough to be worthwhile?


Nick

It might be worth a try, if not can you rent one from lowes or ????. I was just trying to think of the easier solution 1st.

 

[nikdfish]

I thought I'd post an update. Since the first post, I've been back up to our old place in WV & brought back an air compressor from my shop. Yesterday I glued up a 4" threaded fitting to the overflow outlet and installed an air chuck on the corresponding threaded plug.

It was really past time to get this done, the pond was actually high enough to start seeping over the "lower" end of the dam and the field above the pond was showing standing water in low spots at roughly the level of the pond surface - pretty much becoming swamp.

So this morning, we put the compressor, a generator and 100' of air line in the truck & took it over. It took no time for the air pressure to work out the blockage.

After about 6 hours of outflow, you could finally start to see a "hole" in the water above the overflow inlet.

The wife feeding out the air line

The plug installed on the outlet with airline attached

Air churning up through the overflow inlet

also

Excess water finally draining off the pond

A youtube recapitulation w/ short video clips

Nick

 

[rekees4300]

When you have access to the inlet, install a bar guard.

Pond Dam Piping Accessories Listing

 

[gwjd]

there is a power washer attachment that will blast out the clog but not the pipe teh water behind cleans the hole its what the city sewr trucks use here

 

[EastTexFrank]

Good job. Congrats.

Don't you love it when a plan actually works just as you envisioned it??? It gives you a warm fuzzy feeling doesn't it?

Did you warn the people downstream of the impending flood?

 

[Western]

Now the beavers have a challenge!! They'll probably bring in a cement truck and re-bar for the next "plug":laughing:

They where probably "making calls" before you got out of the driveway industrious suckers