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OT - Clogged Sink

N

npowell

Member
Kitchen sink is draining extremely slowly, or not at all (can't quite make out which). The obstruction is downstream of the p-trap.

Starting at the end adjacent the sink, I tried a snake to clear the drain pipe connected to the p-trap. Once the snake was in about 10 feet or so, I could no longer advance it. I do not know whether a bend in the pipe or the clog impeded me from further advancing the snake.

I do know I've got about 10 feet of clear drain pipe with a clog somewhere thereafter. And I believe I'm going to give up on the snake.

Currently, I've got everything reassembled, and the water is stopped up all the way back to the sink (I thought maybe I had cleared the clog).

My next thought is to try chemicals. Two questions come to mind there- (1) will chemicals make it through 10 or more feet of line and water to clear the clog, and (2) if so, are some chemicals better suited than others for such a task?

Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Neil
 
I have had luck with air pressure stuff a rag in sink drain around air nozzle and shoot air in short burst as not to over load a joint that is if you can get your air supply to it
 
(quoted from post at 09:28:23 06/22/18) I have had luck with air pressure stuff a rag in sink drain around air nozzle and shoot air in short burst as not to over load a joint that is if you can get your air supply to it
Click to expand...

Didn't think of that. Will probably give that a try.

Thanks,

Neil
 
I 2nd the shop vac method. Have never had to deal with clogged lines, but a little bit of suction might be just what's needed to loosen the clog.

Be prepared to throw the shop vac away afterwards! :shock: *lol*
 
Strong water nozzle on garden hose. Turn it on full blast and start jabbing it in there. Oh and yes it will make a mess but it will force it's way through.
 
Strong water nozzle on garden hose. Turn it on full blast and start jabbing it in there. Oh and yes it will make a mess but it will force it's way through..
 
Chemicals will start problems you didn't have before,don't use them. Best to use a snake. One that rotate's(power or hand cranked)will turn the corner you incountered 10' down. Secound best and much easier is a rubber bladder that connect's to garden hose,swell's inside pipe and apply's water pressure. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,disposals are the arch enemy of kitchen drains. Put it in the garbage can,not down the drain.
 
I did the air hose trick back in the 70's with a men's room toilet at my work. The ladies next door were not too happy with all the bubbles. I kept my mouth shut and they never knew why. That had to be nasty but, it makes me laugh every time I think of it.
 
If you want to take a look at what is going on in the pipe (before chemicals) there are currently USB and wireless waterproof cameras on up to 10m (~30') of cable. They also have LEDs lights so that you can see. They hook up to either your computer, tablet, or phone.

They can be a lot of fun. I use mine to look into walls and pipes.

Be advised that the enclosed software can be loaded with trojans and other computer nastys. Most scopes will work on your computers camera app. I found a program online from a reputable source that I use with mine.

Cliff(VA)
WiFi Camera on a cable
 
wet dry shop vac works every time. suck for a while then reverse if it does not suck it up. I have done that now for about 10 years and have never had to snake or take apart a line. plug the over flow if there is one. I even use it too empty plugged toilets. If the plunger fails the shop vac don't. Yes javax after you use as it is messy.
 
go to Walmart and buy a jug of "Instant Power Heavy Duty Drain Cleaner". Red or Yellow jug. Worked for my bathtub drain that is set in the concrete floor and I could not get to.
 
How accessible is the line where the snake stopped?

Is there another way to get there, like down the roof vent, another sink, clean out port?

Hitting a clog that a powered snake won't clear is usually one of 2 reasons, the snake is hitting a corner it can't get around and is not actually at the clog. If you're not already using one, go with the heavy duty pro grade snake from the rental yard. Be sure to size the cutter to the pipe.

The other reason, if the line is underground, it is crushed or separated.

If you can access the pipe where you think the clog is, cut it and see what's there. Or cut a section out and install a clean out. Even if it's cast iron, it can be sawed out and spliced back with PVC and rubber couplings.

Using a pressure bladder to force water pressure against a clog will only work if there is no other branch circuit or roof vent (highly unlikely) between the clog and the pressure source. Be very careful if you try this, very easy to silently flood another room by backing water up through a toilet or another drain!

Will chemical cleaners work? Sometimes, depends on if you can get the chemical to the clog, and what is clogging it. Being 10 feet down, you would need to get the water out first. If it will slowly drain down, so will the chemical. You can try, put a lot in, let it soak overnight, hit it with a pot of boiling water and the plunger... Maybe.

Chemicals work best on grease and food clogs, but not on roots or some object that has found it's way down a toilet or roof vent.
 
Try a little physics. Clogs start at a point and backs up towards the sink with the clog getting longer and denser. Any pressure applied from the sink toward the clog only, only impacts the clog into a tighter mass. A shop vac may work but use the age old correct tool in the way it was designed to be use. First, purchase a good quality plumbers friend. Second, if it is a double kitchen sink or a sink/tub with an sink vent then block those with a sink stopper or hold a rag over vent. Next, position plumbers friend over drain, slowly and evenly depress friend to expel air, ensure a good seal, slowly and steadily lift up on friend. This lifts the clog back towards the direction of which it started. Repeat process as needed.
 
i have a couple different drain openers, a big rigid unit and the hand held spinner. the hand held is nice, you hook a cordless drill to it, and by squeezing the trigger, it power feeds into the drain. has 25 feet of cable on it . here is a link to rigids website, go to hand tools, and look at the spinner. home depot has them for about 35 dollars. the work great on roof vent stacks too.
poke here
 
no help for what to use, but can let you know my experience on what not to use
have a habit of pouring boiling water down kitchen drains, clears out the pipes of any greasey crap etc
today was canning jam, and when done had a canner full of boiling water, thought, what the heck, works good in the kitchen, why not the bathroom ! can yah see where I am heading ? dumped the boiling water in to the right hand vanity sink in the bathroom, heard a crack and split that porcelain sucker wide open after mopping up the mess , explaining to the wife there was a defect in the 25 year old sink, shutting off the water to that sink, think I will check out the latest box store ads and see if there are any new style of sinks we might be interested in bathroom needed an up-date anyway
bob
 

Where is this pipe? what size? There should be a cleanout where the 1.5 inch goes into the larger pipe.
 
Pipe mostly runs through a long stretch about 1 foot high between the two floors (after making a couple of 90 degree bends down through the wall in the kitchen). It is 1.5 inches in diameter, as you suggest. This pipe (and many others) ultimately connect to a much larger vertical pipe, which has a nice clean out on it. I believe the clog is in the horizontal section of the 1.5 inch pipe, and I haven't yet located a clean out other than the one in the large vertical pipe. But I may take another crack at finding one.
 
The hand spinner you linked is the one I have. Dunno quite why I can't get it to go. When it is at the stubborn spot and I spin it, the snake just starts twisting and kinking inside the drum, rather than advancing:-(
 
As of right now, I haven't found another good place to insert the snake. There's a cleanout in the ultimate vertical pipe for the drain, I believe the clog is in the horizontal section.
 
Thanks to everyone; as always, a wealth of knowledge on here! Believe I'm going to try the shop vac first, and work through the other suggestions as needed:) Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.

Neil
 
I read the other replys. I had something similar to you and the bingo moment was finding a clog of TREE root. Silver maple almost 40 feet away from the sewer line. After digging the line, I custom made a piece of pcv so nice and precise it snapped into place. Built a box around the upper joint and poured it solid with hydraulic cement. Also sprinkled copper sulfate on all of the lines. Kills the roots.
 
If you can get to the 1 1/2 pipe around the 10 ft mark or farther.drill a 1/2 hole in the pipe stick your snake in there and snake hose clamp with a piece of rubber works everytime. Remove all the water you can have a towel and bucket on hand. Snake downstream then upstream. Sometimes put a bend in thecsnake head to help it go around corners.
 

If your building is long there need to be some vents. Lack of venting won't cause a pipe to clog but it will contribute because it slows the flow allowing solids to settle out. Do you have a vent stack through the roof in the vicinity of the sink?
 
And if a dishwasher is plumbed in, you?ll also have to plug it?s drain line before using the plumber?s friend, or you?ll just be sucking air through that line rather than pulling on the clog.

Washer drain will likely be tee?d into drain just before a p trap.
 
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