What will happen to your drain when 50 kilos of fondant is poured in?

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In summary, 50 kilos of fondant was tipped down the drain, causing a major blockage that required the use of a pump, water tanker, and clean-up crew. Fondant is a type of sugar decoration commonly used on cakes. It is known as frosting in the US. The blockage caused chaos and damage to the factory, resulting in a lot of time and effort spent cleaning up. The incident also led to a change in policy to prevent similar situations from happening again.
  • #1
wolram
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50 kilos of fondant is tiped down the drain? 10 points for part 1 of answer,
20 if the the end result is predicted.
 
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  • #2
2 questions.
What is fondant?

What is tiped?

Truly, America and England are two countries separated by a common language!
 
  • #3
Integral said:
2 questions.
What is fondant?

What is tiped?

Truly, America and England are two countries separated by a common language!

No they aint, it is just that i have an inability to spell much to my shame, fondant is the sugar decoration on many cakes, usualy applied hot as it sets,
if you have a squiggly pattern on your doughnut a pound to a penny it is created with fondant.
 
  • #4
We have fondant in the US, just most people call it frosting, though it's technically a specific type of frosting.

So, wollie, how far did it get through the pipes before cooling and solidifying? All that wasted fondant! :cry:
 
  • #5
wolram said:
50 kilos of fondant is tiped down the drain? 10 points for part 1 of answer,
20 if the the end result is predicted.
Well, I would imagine that it would set up at some point and clog the pipe. The pipe could rupture.

It reminds me of the time I was on a job to unclog a pipe in one of the laboratories in the Civil Engineering department of a university. In the laboratory, students experimented with cements and concrete, including composites with organics compounds (epoxies). The student would clean up their buckets and rinse them in the sink.

As you might well imagine, the drain was clogged with - cement.

We didn't know it at first, so we tried a snake (a mechanized coil). That didn't work.

Then we tried an auger - that didn't work either. The sharp end, which could bore through most substances encountered in a pipe, because damaged - broken and twisted.

Finally, we had to dismantle pipe, and that is when we found the cement and expoxy. :rolleyes:

Policy was changed to disallow rinsing the various cements and cement/epoxies into the laboratory sink.
 
  • #6
Are there any digestive enzymes or such that you could just pour down there to 'eat' the stuff?
 
  • #7
Wolram, what have you been up to now? :bugeye:
 
  • #8
It was almost as Astro said only a lot messier, i got a call about water comming out of a drain, when i arrived there were two people with buckets
trying to bail the place out, when i noticed there was loo paper in the water
i told them to leave it and went to phone dyno rod, next thing the loos started over flowing when flushed and solid matter was observed floating about the factory, dyno rod arrived and did what they do, the water drained away and a huge clean up went into swing, every thing was all most spik and span when the waters started to rise again, the next 3hrs was taken up with dyno rod having no success clearing the bolockage, i had hired a pump to keep levels down, trouble was i had to put the out let pipe through a window as it was not long enough to reach the main sewer, next we had a water tanker with a high pressure (snake) to blast the blockage out, gradually large lumps of white stuff started comming up in the main sewer and the factory started to drain, a huge sigh of relief all round and second clean up starts, i am just about to put the drain cover back on when i notice it is filling up, we lifted the cover in the road down stream from the factory, causing a bit of traffic chaos as it was in the middle of the road, that was allso filling up, so now the whole estate had no drainage, our fondant had blocked the local pumping station.
 
  • #9
Hooray! :smile:


I guess the last bit was just the icing on the cake.
 
  • #10
brewnog said:
Hooray! :smile:


I guess the last bit was just the icing on the cake.

People were driving to the near by garage to use the loo, the pumping station was cleared by midnight, all the lino in the office area had to be replaced, every one spent hours cleaning EVERYTHING in the factory,
the grass went grey, and the management turned up the next day to
take control of the situation , one of them learned some new words, i felt
ill for a couple of days.
 
  • #11
brewnog said:
I guess the last bit was just the icing on the cake.
Aaaarrrrrgggghhhhh...

wolram said:
every one spent hours cleaning EVERYTHING in the factory
Not precisely the sort of accident that one likes to think of as occurring in a food-production facility. :rolleyes:
 
  • #12
Danger said:
Not precisely the sort of accident that one likes to think of as occurring in a food-production facility. :rolleyes:
Watch for that big sale on cakes in the very near future! :biggrin: :yuck:
 
  • #13
How come i never get any sympathy for all the trials and tribulations i have to suffer:frown:
 
  • #14
Wooly you've STILL not told me which cakemakers this is! Are they based in South Brummajum?
 
  • #15
wolram said:
It was almost as Astro said only a lot messier, i got a call about water comming out of a drain, when i arrived there were two people with buckets
trying to bail the place out, when i noticed there was loo paper in the water
i told them to leave it and went to phone dyno rod, next thing the loos started over flowing when flushed and solid matter was observed floating about the factory, dyno rod arrived and did what they do, the water drained away and a huge clean up went into swing, every thing was all most spik and span when the waters started to rise again, the next 3hrs was taken up with dyno rod having no success clearing the bolockage, i had hired a pump to keep levels down, trouble was i had to put the out let pipe through a window as it was not long enough to reach the main sewer, next we had a water tanker with a high pressure (snake) to blast the blockage out, gradually large lumps of white stuff started comming up in the main sewer and the factory started to drain, a huge sigh of relief all round and second clean up starts, i am just about to put the drain cover back on when i notice it is filling up, we lifted the cover in the road down stream from the factory, causing a bit of traffic chaos as it was in the middle of the road, that was allso filling up, so now the whole estate had no drainage, our fondant had blocked the local pumping station.

Gee, Woolie, sorry to hear about your misfortune at work.

Were you the bloke who put the fondant down the drain?


I don't think I can top brewies comment about 'icing on the cake' :rofl: , but I was going to ask if your companies management expects people to eat this stuff. :biggrin:

Well, at least the pipe didn't burst (I didn't see that mentioned), but it sure gummed up the works. :biggrin:
 
  • #16
Astronuc said:
Gee, Woolie, sorry to hear about your misfortune at work.

Were you the bloke who put the fondant down the drain?:

Not me, the cleaners decided the kettle needed cleaning but some idiot had left it full, it was full ready for the next days production, it takes ages to heat.
 
  • #17
wolram said:
Not me, the cleaners decided the kettle needed cleaning but some idiot had left it full, it was full ready for the next days production, it takes ages to heat.
Time to review process outlines and instructions for production and in-process control.

1. Don't leave the kettle full!

2. And if it is (i.e. if someone fails to follow instructions) - report situation to responsible production supervisor or manager.

In-process Control! :rolleyes:

Does you company use TQM or CQI?


Were the cleaners employess of your company, or are they empolyees of an outside contractor?
 
  • #18
Astronuc said:
Time to review process outlines and instructions for production and in-process control.

1. Don't leave the kettle full!
Hmm...my interpretation is that the kettle was supposed to be full, but the cleaners were the ones who thought otherwise. Why would you dump a full kettle without being specifically told to do so? What a waste of icing! :cry: I'm so sorry you had to witness and endure that nightmare, Wollie. Spilled fondant, unlike spilled milk, apparently is something to cry over!
 
  • #19
Astronuc said:
Time to review process outlines and instructions for production and in-process control.

1. Don't leave the kettle full!

2. And if it is (i.e. if someone fails to follow instructions) - report situation to responsible production supervisor or manager.

In-process Control! :rolleyes:

Does you company use TQM or CQI?


Were the cleaners employess of your company, or are they empolyees of an outside contractor?

Oh boy, where can i start, maybe with a manger that never leaves his office, a hygene manager who does not know that electrics/pnematics can not be washed, a production staff with 70% not speaking english,
big notices every where about all manner of things in three different languages that are totally ignored, take that all on board and we are the top performer in the group and made more profit than the other two sites put together.
 
  • #20
I'm starting to hope that you don't export this stuff. :tongue:
 

1. What is fondant and how does it affect my drain?

Fondant is a type of confectionery made from sugar, water, and other flavorings. When it is poured into a drain, it can solidify and clog the pipes, causing potential blockages and damage to your plumbing system.

2. Will pouring 50 kilos of fondant down the drain cause any immediate problems?

It is possible that pouring such a large amount of fondant into your drain could cause an immediate blockage, especially if the fondant solidifies quickly. This can lead to slow draining or complete blockage of your pipes.

3. Can my drain handle 50 kilos of fondant?

It is unlikely that your drain can handle such a large amount of fondant. Most household drains are not designed to handle large amounts of solid materials, and pouring fondant down the drain can cause serious clogs and damage to your plumbing system.

4. What are the long-term effects of pouring fondant down the drain?

The long-term effects of pouring fondant down the drain can include recurring clogs and damage to your pipes. The solidified fondant can create a build-up in your pipes, making it difficult for water and other waste to flow freely.

5. How can I safely dispose of excess fondant without damaging my drain?

The best way to dispose of excess fondant is to let it cool and solidify, and then dispose of it in the trash. It is also important to avoid pouring any amount of fondant down the drain in the future to prevent damage to your plumbing system.

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