cleaningpipeplumbing
My wife had a brainstorm and we tried cleaning the tub with a dilute bleach solution, letting it soak overnight, and it worked very well. The tub still needs a cleaning, but the bleach loosened the worst of the dirt.
I'm viewing this is a pre-step to a proper scrubbing, but one that will make the actual cleaning easier.
If we were to do this regularly, say every few weeks, could this be bad for the pipes?
What is probably going on is that your neighbors' weeping tile systems are draining into their sumps, which are then pumped out because they're below grade and there isn't a storm sewer at a lower grade that can be drained into. The weeping tile exists to direct water that soaks into the ground away from your house, instead of letting it collect against your foundation walls and leach through, or worse, freeze and heave against your house in the winter. Depending on your soil type, rainwater can stick around for months in the soil, and you may also have an aquifer or water table nearby that provides a relatively steady source of groundwater into the soil.
So, what I'm saying is that depending on how much rain you've had recently (as in the past few months) it's perfectly normal for your neighbors' sumps to still be filling. Depending on the land grade, it may also be normal that your sump isn't yet filling while your neighbors' are (water will soak more into land that is downhill). Just make sure your sump pump is in good working order and don't worry about it any more, unless you start to see damp areas along the walls or floor of your basement; these would generally indicate blocked, crushed or missing weeping tile.
It seems as if you have an obstruction that may be floating around in the pipe or valve. Sometimes it obstructs sometimes it flows clear. I would start with changing the water valve. If this is the old style "gate" valve there are several things that can clog the line. I would replace it with a 1/4 turn ball valve. That will give you much better flow than a gate valve. You will need to shut down the water probably at the main. The old valve is probably soldered, but you could cut it off and use a compression type valve instead. "Sharkbite" is one such supplier. Although I have never used their compression valve, I have used their end caps and found them to work well.
If you can have someone hold a bucket under the pipe once you cut off the valve and then a second person turns on the water main to fill the bucket to purge the line of any debris. With cast iron pipes it is common to get clogs from rust build up. The rust may not pass the small opening in the old gate valve when you first purged the line.. Although you did not mention what type of pipes you have, if it's copper than you won't normally find rust obstructions..
Best Answer
Bleach is really tough on surfaces and over time may damage the tub. If its diluted, I don't think that it will affect pipes, but then again, just about anything is bad for 100 year old iron pipe.
After you get the tub clean enough, I'd recommend using one of those daily spray tub/shower cleaners or a steam cleaner like a Haan. The bad thing is that you need to use these products more often, but the good thing is that it takes minutes and little work vs. scrubbing and burning your lungs.