A spanner in the works (help with a problem)

A spanner in the works (help with a problem)

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Mr Green

Original Poster:

936 posts

183 months

Friday 1st May 2009
quotequote all
It's not actually a spanner in the works but a chisel down the drains. A workman employed by the same firm that fitted my drains was back doing a different job, the main drains in the street were blocked, I didn't know were the blockage was so I asked them(2 of them) to lift the manhole cover on my drive and have a look, he used his chisel to open the man hole then accidentally kicked in into the 1 meter deep sabba that was 80% full of liquid ste. We realised that the blockage was in the main system and the council came out the next day and cleared the blockage and so my sabba emptied, no sign of the chisel though.
The chisel is one of those with a hand protector on it and the pipe leaving the sabba drops at 90 degrees then straightens and goes into the main pipe which when the lid was off did not reveal 'his' chisel.
This is in Cyprus and the workers are English,I have asked them nicely to get the chisel out before I go back to the UK but I think they will wait till I've gone then say they got it out and I won't actually know. Waste is passing through but eventually it may develope into another blockage, the 90 degree bend is to tight to rod so I don't think 'his' chisel made it round the bend, the bend is about 1 foot out of the sabba. How can I check whether the chisel has been removed or as in fact gone?

Mr Green

Original Poster:

936 posts

183 months

Friday 1st May 2009
quotequote all
The chisel might very well be gone but I need to know for sure, If I hadn't been there when he kicked it down then maybe and I'm only saying maybe he would have kept quiet, I would. With the lid off the sabba you can flush the toilet and watch the contents flowing by left to right about 20 seconds later. The chisel if it's still in there would be about 10 to 20 inches out the sabba to the right,out of sight stuck on the bend and reducing the flow by about 50%.
Again if it was me I would get another chisel and pretend to fish it out then show it to the owner of the property, take my money and go. I thought of using ice in the shape of tennis balls and see if 2 dozen of them disappear, if they don't then there is a blockage but at least the ice would melt and I'd be left knowing that it's still in there. Admittedly it doesn't get it out but i'm hoping it's not there and that the ice flows away

Mr Green

Original Poster:

936 posts

183 months

Friday 1st May 2009
quotequote all
SLCZ3 said:
Get a very large magnet and lower it in on a rope? see if that will lift it out, or buy a gimp outfit and go diving in.
Knowing my luck the magnet would get stuck along with 2 foot of rope.

Mr Green

Original Poster:

936 posts

183 months

Saturday 2nd May 2009
quotequote all
It's failed the ice test but on a brighter note it seems to be only 12 inches max out of sight. If I lower a small child down there by their ankles I'm sure they could easily get it out.