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January 01, 2009 11:36 PM

If I put maggots down a blocked drain (of food) will they clear the food, how long?

How long would it take and do maggots drown in water e.g. if I wanted them to unblock the U-bend of a sing pipe?
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January 02, 2009 12:51 AM
Common "house fly" maggots do drown (all maggots do, unless they happen to be an aquatic species, which would be extremely unusual to come across, but some larval insect stages, such as dragonfly nymphs, do live underwater). Their mouthparts and breathing apparatus are not adapted to underwater living, and their metabolism is much to high to support an "air bubble" ecology like some diving beetles).

Maggots are carniverous, and will not eat vegetable matter in a clogged drain. They do have a certain amount of chitin (what makes insects "hard", or crunch when you step on them for example) in their larval shells however. And if they pupate (start moving to the final fly stage), even more chitin will be produced. This stuff is going to be very difficult to get rid of, it will not break down in the same way, or react in the same way to drain cleaners.

If you really wanted to do this, in general from egg to fly takes 12-14 days, so the major "eating" stage for your purposes will probably be around 9 days. If you don't mind being without a drain for two weeks, never run water in it, take your chances with vegetable matter not being consumed, and are willing to have particularly filthy flies emerging from your drain at the end of the ordeal, I hope this gives you some insight. But for all these reasons, I would strongly, strongly recommend calling a plumber or cleaning the pipe yourself. You are concerned about a green method of cleaning, there are totally mechanical methods for opening/cleaning a pipe that involve no chemicals. I've used some of them, you can find all the information and tools at Home Depot.
Source(s):
http://www.ext.vt.edu/departments/entomology/factsheets/housemag.html
Personal experience (with cleaning pipes, not using maggots)

Asker's Rating:
• very informative!


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January 01, 2009 11:45 PM
This is the most unusual way I've ever heard of clearing a drain.

Bob Vila has a step by step guide on how to do this, and clearly the first step is to just use a plunger! have you tried this yet?
http://video.bobvila.com/m/21291709/clear-a-blocked-sink-drain.htm

Also there are some interesting videos on YouTube that might help.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6jKQ8eFr-o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Iuevc69dgE


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January 02, 2009 05:01 PM
That is so gross! Just put some Drano down the drain.

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January 05, 2009 04:05 AM
Chemical "cleaners" actually corrode your pipes over time and seem to be the WORST on PVC (white plastic) pipes. It really is easiest and maybe cheaper and more effective to use a $5-8 plunger, as Jason points out. Plus, the chemicals aren't really eco friendly--most of them anyway.

Like other things in life, modifying human behavior is the best way to avoid clogged drains. I haven't had a clogged drain in at least 15 years.

Like, avoid putting large food pieces down the drain-- scrape food into the garbage. Avoid pouring oils and grease into your drains. Avoid putting hair, coffee grinds etc; and other large articles down the drain.

If you use your plunger preemptively- -say once a month, your drain is a lot less likely to clog. Period.

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