Clogged drain? Where to start?

[URY914]

I use boiling water to start with.
Then the thin 25' snake that is very flexible.
Then move up to my 3/8" 100' that I run down the vent stack from the roof.

When my wife says "the drain is running slow", I cringe.

[A930Rocket]

I did not make it over today, but asked her if the sink would back up when using it and she said no.

Someone mentioned earlier, maybe the volume of the water out of the washing machine overwhelms the drain line, and then it backs up into the sink.

I had store credit at Lowe’s, so I bought this today and will give it a try tomorrow.

[A930Rocket]

Update. Used the above auger on the washing machine add kitchen sink drain lines. No luck, so I have my plumber coming over to check it out.

Stay tuned…

[flatbutt]

I've had a stubborn clog now and then but dang.

[zakthor]

Originally Posted by creaturecat

start with a plunger, at the sink - see what happens. proceed accordingly.

Yes, this is the ticket.

Assuming its a slow leak and not a 100% plug you should start with 5-10 gallons of boiling water and a plunger. Takes a lot of boiling water and time - gotta get the pipes hot before you bother with the plunger.

I own a large and small snake but super rare that I need to use them. Also buy her a mesh drain cover so she doesn't send food and debris down the drain.

[GH85Carrera]

We had a clogged drain, and when the washer pumped out the water, it would backup into the bathtub in the guest bathroom. We noticed our master shower was draining slowly.

I called a plumber and he tried the vent pipe above the tub, and the clean-out in the back yard with no luck, and he was pretty sure there was a problem. He got out the video camera and scoped the pipe, and our household sewer pipe was not aligned properly with the main sewer pipe. The connection had shifted. Maybe the ground had shifted as a cause, and of course the issue was right underneath my storage building. It might have been one of the earthquakes caused by oil drilling companies waste water injection. The state agency in charge of that made the oil companies stop pumping water down in the area, and the earthquakes stopped. We never had as much as a crack in the ceiling from the earthquakes. It may well have been just the clay settling over the years after the main was installed.



We have a large Koi pond that blocks access for a backhoe to come in from the west, so they brought in a cute little backhoe that fit through a standard gate on the east side, and he was master at running it. He had to dig along the side of the sidewalk next to the clean-out, avoiding my trench where my sprinkler system main lines are, around the building and to the area where the main sewer is and he dug a very deep hole.

You can see the top of his head as he was gluing the new section of sewer pipe to the main line. The good news is the main sewer line for the neighborhood runs under my back yard, and we did not need to go into anyone else's back yard. We have pure clay for "soil" and it was dry, so he did not bother bracing the walls of the hole as he climbed in. It was like digging into pottery, just hardened clay brick.

It was expensive, but all is fine now.

[john70t]

Originally Posted by pmax

I once bought one of those at 50'. The clog was at 52' lol. Serious pain to use trying to hand-crank and feed it in with one hand. Needed a third hand or a fourth. It sits in the basement rusting and now I would be afraid to have it snap off later on. I'd suggest renting a powered one to anyone in the future.

First try hot water with vinegar and a plunger. Fill the sink first. You get the best effect pulling up and vigorous shaking for a half hour. There is a rhythm to it. Pour some natural enzyme drain cleaner for long term maintenance instead of harsh chemicals if possible.

If the clog is in one branch (ie one p-trap) it's an easy fix.

If it's in the main line to the street, you should work from the access point closest in the basement or call a pro. Danger warning there. Might want to consider getting it scoped for $50-100. Make sure there is proper slope and no dips in it. Any break or non-glued joint will quickly fill with roots and need a cutting bit to break through those which may damage the pipe. Followed by replacement with the yard dug up. Mine was ~$22k for about 55'. All plants trashed.

[A930Rocket]

Kenny, the plumber, came out and had it unclogged in 15 minutes. There was a clean out, outside the laundry room and he used that.

FYI. He said some washing machine soaps build up a film in the pipes, that slow drains and build up clogs over time. He recommended a septic system friendly soap. Also, use Ridex down the sink occasionally to clean the pipes. Especially, on older homes.

[GH85Carrera]

Originally Posted by A930Rocket

Kenny, the plumber, came out and had it unclogged in 15 minutes. There was a clean out, outside the laundry room and he used that.

FYI. He said some washing machine soaps build up a film in the pipes, that slow drains and build up clogs over time. He recommended a septic system friendly soap. Also, use Ridex down the sink occasionally to clean the pipes. Especially, on older homes.

There are some jobs that it is best to hire a pro with the proper equipment to do. Sewer clogs is one of them.

The three rules of plumbing:

1: Crap flows downhill
2: never lick you fingers or chew your nails.
3: Payday is Friday.

[Tobra]

My bride used some sea salt scrub, smells delicious, but resolidified in the drain. Fixed with a few big pots of boiling water 1st drained overnight, in the morning the second pot got things moving, did third and it looks good

[masraum]

Originally Posted by Tobra

My bride used some sea salt scrub, smells delicious, but resolidified in the drain. Fixed with a few big pots of boiling water 1st drained overnight, in the morning the second pot got things moving, did third and it looks good

Interesting. I wouldn't think that salt would be an issue.

But! If it's a scrub, that's often salt and oil, and the oil may have been an issue.

[A930Rocket]

Are you guys pouring the boiling water down the kitchen sink drain? A big pot of water?

I suppose it would work anywhere but a big funnel would be needed for the washing machine drain.

[URY914]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

The three rules of plumbing:

1: Crap flows downhill
2: never lick you fingers or chew your nails.
3: Payday is Friday.

4: Hot on the left- cold on the right.

[pmax]

Originally Posted by GH85Carrera

There are some jobs that it is best to hire a pro with the proper equipment to do. Sewer clogs is one of them.

The three rules of plumbing:

1: Crap flows downhill
2: never lick you fingers or chew your nails.
3: Payday is Friday.

[Tobra]

Washing machine drain is going to be lint

Sea salt with some sort of goopy stuff it is mixed with. Smells like something you would put on an English muffin. Hot water will melt soap scum, I guess.

As much hair as I pull out of the drain, how is she not bald?

[GH85Carrera]

My MIL was cleaning out some kitchen cabinets and found an old package of bread yeast. Instead of tossing it in the trash, she poured it down the drain.

The next morning the kitchen sink was packed with “the blob” and it required fully dissembling the pipes all the way to the wall, and a rooter job from there.

She still has no idea why she did not toss