"This Drain Needs an Enema!"

First off, I want to apologize for not having taken video of this. It all transpired way too fast.  (Edit: We discovered that Julia, my niece, had recorded video after all. See the bottom of the post for the video.)

My wife is treasurer at Robin Hill Pool (the private pool in our neighborhood). In addition to managing the financial aspects of the pool, she is a licensed pool operator, and we both have become "jacks-of-all-trades" as it regards the facility. 

The season is winding down (Labor Day is the final day the pool is open this year). In the meantime, there is still work to do. 

The "baby pool" on the upper level of the property has had a clogged drain pipe in recent weeks. Typically there is a drain cover on the opening to the pipe, but kids playing in the water occasionally remove it. 

Unfortunately, something got lodged in the PVC pipe that runs from the drain down to the main pool -- that left us unable to drain the water out properly (which we occasionally do during the summer, and refill it with fresh water). 

We tried snakes and sticks to try and clear the obstruction, but nothing worked.

I devised a plan a week or so ago to use two separate firehoses (which we have on hand to fill the main pool every year), and crank up the water pressure so that we could "shoot out" whatever was lodged in the drain. 

Think of it as a really wet enema for the drain line. 

Before I did that, I tried using a garden hose with a spray nozzle to see if I could "move along" the obstruction from the upper baby pool to the main pool.

No dice. The water kept "back flowing." But... This hollow red ball came out with the backed up water, so we knew there were likely more trinkets in there. 

So today, with the help of my friend Scott (who re-plumbed the entire pool back in 2014), and pool manager/head lifeguard Emily (who is also my niece), we tried the "Fire Hose Enema Method" to clean out the pipe. 

We attached the yellow fire hose to the bib collar. Then we attached the second fire hose and handed Scott the open end. 

Scott placed the end of the hose where the baby pool drains into the main pool. 

Emily then went into the old pump room, and cranked on the water. 

It didn't take long, a rush of water burst from the opening in the baby pool, carrying a load of leaves and crud. 

The main clog was a clump of leaves, a piece of plastic, and a little die-cast train from "Thomas & Friends."

This was a wadded up piece of plastic that was trapped in the drain.

Some kid is missing a "Thomas & Friends" toy.

The enema worked. 

Here's Julia's video:

Read yesterday's post: I Don't Get Grown Up Coloring Books