# HELP! Cement in PVC drain pipe



## KAT (May 16, 2006)

Does anyone know about this problem my husband and I are having? A plumber is coming tomorrow to check it out, but I would like others' opinions, experience, or stories!

We had a small slab poured and our finisher pulled the duct tape from the drain in the floor to let out an inch of watery cement on top of slab (don't know for sure how much liquid cement went down the drain) (pvc p-trap and piping for a shower drain). 

This is my first experience with cement pour, but as soon as he did it, I knew it wasn't a good idea! The exit pipe cap was already broken from previous work (the plumber failed inspection and had to let water out from pressure test so he could redo plumbing)

The next day after pour, the finisher there for an hour without us, started taking more form boards off and then when we came we saw standing water and was told about the blockage. 

We tried everything ourselves, muriactic acid, plumbing and electrical snakes, forced water. Bits of cement came up and also little pieces of plastic (with a purplish, plumbing glue color) NOT rigid like the pvc caps--just like the 6ml vapor barrier we put down! 

Do we have to resort to a jackhammer to our new beautiful slab??


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

Sounds to me like you (or the concrete guy) are going to need to break out the floor and replace the plumbing. If you got pieces of plumbing pipe out of the hole then the pipe has been broken.


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## KAT (May 16, 2006)

*I don't think so!*

It is NOT broken pipe pieces that are coming back up--it is flexible, little pieces of plastic (looks exactly like visqueen) and little cement particles.

Wouldn't the water drain out, even if slowly, if the pvc pipe was busted under slab 

I don't see how it could have broken--nothing that we did could have broken it.

My husband is trying one more thing before plumber comes out tomorrow to tell us what needs to be done.


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## KAT (May 16, 2006)

I think I found out what the purple pieces of plastic are that are coming up and out of the drain! This afternoon, more came up, and I remembered the plumber used a lot of purple cement (glue) on the pvc pipe connectors. It must have dripped inside the pipes (when I looked down the drain, I could see a ring of purple. 

We used muriactic acid to try and dissolve the cement plug (we couldn't see it at the bottom of the p-trap--it must have been further up. We don't know what else could have clogged the new drain.

Maybe the acid had a reaction with the ring of purple cement and it started coming off in pieces. There were more pvc joints further up that had purple rings.

I have pictures but don't know how to insert here.


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## joed (Mar 13, 2005)

The purple glue/primer used to glue the pipes together won't just peel off. If you have it coming out then the pipes must be coming apart. I don't know how muriatic reacts with PVC.


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## KAT (May 16, 2006)

*Purple Plastic*

Joe, thanks for reply,

The plastic is very thin, semi transparent, and a little stiff like the bags cereal come in! What if it was a very thick run on the inside of the pvc when the plumber put the two pieces together. Maybe the muriactic acid reacted to it also and it broke it away from pvc. 
I have a picture of pipe, on my hard drive, before poured slab--but how do I put it in a reply?

I'm trying to figure out what it is. I don't want to think someone wadded up a piece of the leftover 6ml visqueen and put purple cement on it so it would stick to the pvc.

An idea came our way about digging under the slab, cutting and redoing the p-trap, then repacking!  

I don't like this idea either. I've researched and found nothing but negativity about it. 

We will try 60lb air pressure with a rubber seal and try to blow out the blockage.


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## redline (Mar 5, 2006)

Is the cement finisher a friend or a contractor?

If the cement finisher is a paid contractor then have him cut the slab, let the plumber correct the problem and then have the cement finisher repour the section that was removed. Free of charge? If it was indeed his mistake.


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## tribe_fan (May 18, 2006)

I'm guessing the the cement and plastic may just be may just be "stuff " that went down the drain when he removed the tape. The original blockage is the real problem. How far does the snake go ? The original plumber should check this out and be responsible. The statement about the pressure test raises the question as to where this connects to the main drain - to do a pressure check one end would have to be capped. I'd be afraid to use air pressure yet - you may just push the blockage farther down. Someone may have put in a towel to cover it before the duct tape.


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