Cleaning up grout after tiling...?
Question:Yesterday after grouting my master bath I was constantly emptying dirty water into my shower. At the end there was probably 7 - 10 lbs of sediment that did not go into the drain, but rather settled on the bottom of the shower. I got most of it up with a putty knife (of sorts) and put it in a plastic bag, but I can only guess how much actually made it down into the drain since that is where I was pouring the water. Should I be concerned or is this a common practice?
Answers:
Everybody's right that this was a bad idea, but chances are good you haven't done any substantial damage. Pouring a lot of clean water down the drain is a good idea if the grout has not hardened in the pipes. Even if it has hardened, it won't hurt to dump more water on top of it. As for any other remedy, I wouldn't bother unless you have a drainage problem later. Then you can start with the trap.
It's a common practice to make lots of money off people that dump stuff down thier drains that shouldn't be put there.DUMP THE DIRTY WATER OUTSIDE
My concern would be that the grout would settle in the shower trap. The best was to clear it would be to pour buckets of clean water down the drain to wash any sediment out of the trap. You will nave to get enough low to carry the sand out of the drainage systm. If the bucket does not work try a garden hose. It is always best not to dump heavy waste such as sand in a drain system.
I don't want to be an alarmist but you should be concerned.
Grout sediment will harden into something similar to concrete. You will never be able to get it all out of your pipes. There are no chemicals that dissolve this sort of sediment that won't dissolve your pipe. It will deposit in the trap but also anywhere that is slow flowing. I don't know the condition of you pipes but just realize that I'm sure they flow a little less than they did before.
Don't dump anything down your drain!
Good Luck.
I'm in Trekkie's corner. You'll probably need to remove the trap and clean it out. If you're on the second floor that usually requires cutting a hole in the ceiling below it, fixing the drain,patching and painting the ceiling.
ummm, why would you pour cement down a drain and wonder if you should be consurned...
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