my overflow pipe going thru the dam seems to be clogged pond is now very high and will drain down past the spillway.any ideas on how to unclog the pipe.Thanks

BILL W

Hi Bill W,
What material is the pipe made of? Diameter? Is it straight, angled, or flexible/angled?

When a grain bin unload auger would get plugged from rotten grain, we would pull the auger out of the pipe then insert a length of steel wire rope through a piece of pipe with a loop on the end in and put the other end of the wire rope into a drill to form a makeshift roto-rooter or electric eel. Next we would run the drill and beat the clog loose. It wasn't always fast but it usually worked. I think the trick in you're case would be clearing the debris once it was knocked loose. We used to slide the auger back in the pipe and turn it with a pipe wrench.

Thanks Ryan,this drain pipe is 10" steel pipe,not sure of what type of drain seems pipe is on the bottom of lake ?,goes thru the dam then up to a 90%, once pond is level water stops flowing.

in other words?

It sounds like he has a stand pipe below the dam. My brother has one like that.
If that's it the clog is most likely in the 90 at the bottom of the upright. Not going to be easy to clear.
I would try capping the outlet, installing a fitting in the cap & use hydralic pressure to force the clog back through the pipe & out the inlet. Maybe someone can come up with an idea for the pressure.
If you're lucky the inlet is just covered with a big snapper.
How high is the stand pipe?

If it is a standpipe below the dam I have one word, Draino....

The pressure of the water behind it will ensure it doesn't get in your lake/pond, and it will clear the blockage too and be diluted by the excess water once it opens a hole back up.

If it is a standpipe and the clog is right at the elbow, the method I posted above might still work. You just add an elbow to the end of the pipe that the wire rope goes through. We used to do this when grain had bridged above the slide gate above the auger.

That's a slick trick Ryan, I filed that one for the future.