So I've Got Something Stuck In A Pipe. Help / Ideas Please?

I was a RICS qualified Surveyor (before my early retirement) completely conversant with the IEE regs and regularly writing electrical specifications, but after the Building Regs were changed, unfortunately, it's only qualified electricians who can carry out works in gardens (unless you get prior Building Regs approval - are you doing that?).

So despite myself being a 'know it all' I accept that's it's now something I can no longer legally do myself. I suggest anybody considering such work contacts their local Building Control Department for clarification, rather than a gardening forum.

 

Hello!!!! (We met, briefly, at Shiney's last year)

Glad you've taken the plunge and joined us. Welcome aboard

 

Back to the blockage, have you tried lubrication such as vegetable oil?

 

My first thought was a bit more .... aggressive (?) ... burn the wood!

 

I have conceded defeat with the pipe and length wood stuck in it. Thankfully I have more scaffold pipe and will have another shot at it possibly next week as my arms are killing me as I went a bit too far with it in hindsight.

Upon watching the video where I got the idea from I now know where I went wrong.

 

Interesting reading this thread, can you put some garden wire through 1st in the new pipe so when in comes to put the cable in you can tie it on to that and then pull it through ?

 

Not a bad idea in theory. Heating the pipe would make it expand a bit, possibly allowing the lodged stone to escape, but in practice you'd need a pretty awesome heat source. The metal is a good conductor of heat, so the heat would be escaping along the length of the pipe, and as its in the ground, any water in contact with the pipe would also take away a huge amount of heat. It takes 4200 joules of energy to make 1cc of water heat by 1'C, so just imagine how much energy can be absorbed along the full length of the pipe.

@Jungle Jane, if you're giving it another go with a new piece of pipe, is there a way you could seal the pointy end with something easy to remove, so that nothing can get into the pipe on the second attempt? Or how about, mashing the end flat, hammering it through, then cutting the mashed end off with an angle grinder perhaps?

 

Sorry but you are out by a factor of 1000. The specific heat capacity of water is 4.18 joules per gram per degree Celsius.
Agree though humongous heat source required to heat tubing enough to have effect.
Nigel

 

I stand corrected. For more than 20 years I've believed what I was taught at school in physics, but I've just looked it up, you're right, its about 4200 joules per kilo/litre.

 

Its just under 3' long and is quite difficult to get to now as the pipe is under the path so wouldn't be able to get a clear swing at it.

Re burning the wood out. I thought about sticking a rag soaked with some highly flammable liquid in there but then Mr Jane went and hammered a threaded bar in there so neither will be coming out I've concluded.

 

A bit of saltpeter, sulfur and one more (magic) ingredient and you have black powder.
Pour down the pipe, light with a fuse and run like the wind.

 

But make sure wherever you run, you're not running in a direct line from the pipe

On the plus side, the little folk appreciate offerings of buried metal, so they might bring you some good luck as a reward.