Clogged Drains: Plumbing Knowledge?

[MichealKnight]

Seems I can't win with my house

In the kitchen there's (2) sinks both on the same counter at either ends. Years back one of them wasn't draining, and someone came out, used a camera and "snake" and all was well. Anyhow, same problem now. So a guy has come out.....spent considerable time doing the snake thing, and the sinks are still backed up. So now, he's doing it to the other sink hoping that will help.

In the meantime - dishwasher flashing a code that means "leakage protection' meaning it senses water at the bottom - - so I figured its related to this drain thing, and had plumber out today BEFORE dishwasher guy comes out.

If snaking the 2nd sink doesn't work.......does anyone have an idea what else to do? This is on main level. FYI - in basement is a sink that also drains slowly if that's any clue. Otherwise - all toilets, showers, etc drain fine. House is on well/septic but I think we had that serviced within 2 years ago. Thanks for reading!

 

[GrayHare]

Sanking should solve it, for now. Disposals are well known for sending too much down the pipes, leading to clogs, so you might minimize its use if you have one. Otherwise you can proactively use a bit of drain cleaner once per month to prevent build ups.

 

[OldShooter]

Your blockage is affecting all three sinks, which means that it is between the sinks and the where the drain line picks up your freely-draining bathroom lines. Snaking the sinks themselves is a waste of time. Someone might run a snake, though, through a sink and into the drain line, then from there to the obstruction. In most basements I think there is a cleanout plug that might provide easier access to the affected line. Absent a cleanout, I might unhook the basement sink drain from where it enters the wall and use that as an entry for my snake.

This is actually pretty easy DIY stuff. I use a drill-driven snake:https://www.amazon.com/Ridgid-GIDDS...f=sr_1_8?keywords=ridgid+snake&qid=1705950332 The little plastic crank can be removed and the snake driven with a variable speed drill. MUCH more effective.

 

[DayDreaming]

If I can't unblock a drain with a snake, I'll resort to Liquid Plumber or some equivalent. That's never failed for me, although I only use it as a last resort.

 

[Jerry1]

Just an observation. The first time, the person used a camera. Second time, no camera. Seems like blind snaking. Paying someone by the hour, I'd want the camera to hit the target with certainty. Also, the camera can identify broken pipes.

My neighbor had slow drains and a backup problem. They'd come out and snake it and it would get better for a bit. Camera comes to the rescue. He had a pipe that was actually rotted out. the snake would hit the clog and go into the dirt (sand) below the house and it would "drain" for a couple months. In actuality they were just snaking the sand and giving it a fluff and it perked well enough that it seemed okay for awhile.

 

[skyking1]

That's a good observation Jerry.
Sinks and grease are a problem. I would suggest having someone explore the system with the camera and figure out exactly what's going on where the pipes run.
I have also seen gray water going to a different tank or a different drain field. You just don't know until you figure it all out.

 

[Route246]

Low flow toilets, shower heads and faucets are the primary cause of these long-term clogs and slowdowns. Multiple plumbers have told me this and they actually don't mind because it brings in more business for them. The fact is, you do your business in the toilet and dump a bunch of toilet paper along with it and then send 1.2 gal instead of 5 gal with this load and you end up with the equivalent of clogged arteries. In the "old days" before water conservation measures your drains had much more water flushing out the sludge and goop that collects in your pipes.

Not very eco ro politically correct but it is what it is.

 

[aja8888]

Call Roto Rooter....could be tree roots breaking into the discharge line to the tank (if you have trees in the area). Ask me how I know about this!

 

[calmloki]

As a landlord I've seen too much damage from tenants helpfully dumping mass quantities of drain cleaner in a tub or sink with standing water (after dumping to much greasy stuff over the months): etched porcelain, heat warped plastic drain lines.

Alternative: if you have any drain flow at all, run HOT only water down the drain - just leave the hot running till you've dumped most of your water heater. Meanwhile, Get your biggest pots, fill with water and bring up to a boil. Turn off hot water and dump the boiling water in. It's worked for me and needs no tools.

 

[skyking1]

mass quantities of boiling water will warp the snot out of any hanging ABS pipe, we had that issue in a restaurant with a pasta cooker.
We finally had to install about 20' of cast iron no hub pipe as a cool down section.

 

[calmloki]

mass quantities of boiling water will warp the snot out of any hanging ABS pipe, we had that issue in a restaurant with a pasta cooker.
We finally had to install about 20' of cast iron no hub pipe as a cool down section.

Hmm. What would you guess the pasta cooker water quantity was? I'm thinking 2-4 gallons max for home big pot stovetop heating. And the water heater at maybe 120 degrees or so?

 

[skyking1]

The hot water from the tank is not the problem. bringing every big pot to a boil is flirting with havoc with plastic plumbing.
The pasta cooker probably dumped 5 gallons or less, but it was right there over 200.
The ABS went wild!

 

[Mark1]

Hmm. What would you guess the pasta cooker water quantity was? I'm thinking 2-4 gallons max for home big pot stovetop heating. And the water heater at maybe 120 degrees or so?

+1 on the Hmm. I proactively put Dawn in the sink and food disposer right before I dump my boiling water down the sink. I always thought the boiling water was a good thing.

 

[MC Rider]

Gotta watch what you put down the drain. Especially if you have septic. I have no idea why we have a garbage disposal. With septic. Oh well, we don't use it. Just spin it now and again in case.

 

[CardsFan]

Gotta watch what you put down the drain. Especially if you have septic. I have no idea why we have a garbage disposal. With septic. Oh well, we don't use it. Just spin it now and again in case.

A few years back we had septic with a garbage disposal. It was convenient for rinsing dishes, but that was it.

Even now, on city sewer, the disposal is used the same way.

 

[Winemaker]

I'm a hot water guy like Calmloki. I've been a homeowner for 40 years and a 7 rental doors for 24. The worse I've ever seen was an elderly lady who drank a lot of Ensure. If your body doesn't use the protein, it gets concentrated in the nice warm intestines un til it hits cold water. What a time!

 

[Franklin]

As a landlord I've seen too much damage from tenants helpfully dumping mass quantities of drain cleaner in a tub or sink with standing water (after dumping to much greasy stuff over the months): etched porcelain, heat warped plastic drain lines.

Alternative: if you have any drain flow at all, run HOT only water down the drain - just leave the hot running till you've dumped most of your water heater. Meanwhile, Get your biggest pots, fill with water and bring up to a boil. Turn off hot water and dump the boiling water in. It's worked for me and needs no tools.

+1 did it today.

 

[skyking1]

+1 on the Hmm. I proactively put Dawn in the sink and food disposer right before I dump my boiling water down the sink. I always thought the boiling water was a good thing.

one pot of boiling water is not a problem. Filling every pot with the goal of dumping several gallons down plastic pipe all at once, that can create a problem.
Just a PSA on what I have observed on the job.

 

[FrankiesGirl]

I had major issues with my house for about 10 years. Had to call out the plumber at least 1/year to snake the kitchen sink/washing machine area.

Someone told me about hydrojetting, called up a plumber that did the whole house, was at the cleanout myself and you would not believe the amount of solid gunk that came through...

Everything was great for about 2 years, then got another clog in the kitchen area. It wasn't a total clog but really slow draining and was pretty sure it was going to become a headache if I let it go.

Plumber snaked it again, but told me it was likely bacterial growth and solids getting busy in there - can clog up the lines pretty easily. I now use some drain freshener/good bacterial strips (I think they're green gobbler?) once a month, and make sure to run a sink full of hot soapy water when I do my handwashing down at least a few times weekly. He also recommended pouring a bottle of cheap dollar store bleach once a month (pour it in before bedtime so it's in the pipes for hours) to prevent the bad bacterial buildup. I also wipe out ANY pans or dishes that contain solid grease or oils and throw the paper towels in the garbage to minimize the amount of clog material. I also also don't use my garbage disposal for food scraps; I now trash or compost everything but still run the disposal weekly just to keep it working. Next house I get won't have one at all.

Since doing all of that absolutely zero issues for 3+ years. I think the bleach thing with a septic system is a no no, but there's got to be some of the healthy stuff that would help.

 

[Sunset]

Inspection camera's can be bought for ~$30 that hook up to a cell phone.

I saw how useful they are, to look down the pipe and see what is clogging it up when a plumber sent me the photo of a glob of fat.

 

[target2019]

Seems I can't win with my house

In the kitchen there's (2) sinks both on the same counter at either ends. Years back one of them wasn't draining, and someone came out, used a camera and "snake" and all was well. Anyhow, same problem now. So a guy has come out.....spent considerable time doing the snake thing, and the sinks are still backed up. So now, he's doing it to the other sink hoping that will help.

In the meantime - dishwasher flashing a code that means "leakage protection' meaning it senses water at the bottom - - so I figured its related to this drain thing, and had plumber out today BEFORE dishwasher guy comes out.

If snaking the 2nd sink doesn't work.......does anyone have an idea what else to do? This is on main level. FYI - in basement is a sink that also drains slowly if that's any clue. Otherwise - all toilets, showers, etc drain fine. House is on well/septic but I think we had that serviced within 2 years ago. Thanks for reading!

If a guy is doing work in your home and "hoping," that's a bad sign.

If the basement sink is slow then there is blockage downstream where all of these converge to the basement sewer line.

If the cold is extreme in your area, a frozen pipe somewhere, maybe. Or a vent line is blocked.

 

[old medic]

Inspection camera's can be bought for ~$30 that hook up to a cell phone.

May need to look into one. (no pun intended). We have a issue with our camper toilet. A spoon got dropped it and hung up somewhere in the 4 foot of pipe and 2 bends. Makes life interesting.

 

[DayDreaming]

...Plumber snaked it again, but told me it was likely bacterial growth and solids getting busy in there - can clog up the lines pretty easily. I now use some drain freshener/good bacterial strips (I think they're green gobbler?) once a month, and make sure to run a sink full of hot soapy water when I do my handwashing down at least a few times weekly. He also recommended pouring a bottle of cheap dollar store bleach once a month (pour it in before bedtime so it's in the pipes for hours) to prevent the bad bacterial buildup. I also wipe out ANY pans or dishes that contain solid grease or oils and throw the paper towels in the garbage to minimize the amount of clog material. I also also don't use my garbage disposal for food scraps; I now trash or compost everything but still run the disposal weekly just to keep it working. Next house I get won't have one at all.

Since doing all of that absolutely zero issues for 3+ years. I think the bleach thing with a septic system is a no no, but there's got to be some of the healthy stuff that would help.

For the past 6 months or so I've been using Bio-Clean and it seems to be helping avoid slow drains / clogged drains.

I'm on a septic system, so bleach is definitely a no-no. Besides, it would kill any of the good stuff created by your bacterial strips or my Bio-clean. I've read that even spitting mouth wash down a drain can cancel these out, so you should spit into the toilet instead of the sink (assuming that the clog problem isn't that far down in your plumbing.

 

[Ronstar]

I would physically take the trap apart. Every time Ive had a clog, it was in the trap.

 

[ERD50]

I would physically take the trap apart. Every time Ive had a clog, it was in the trap.

But he's got three slow draining sinks, so likely a clog in a main line somewhere.

However, pulling/cleaning the trap is so easy, it should be done by the homeowner as the first step.

One can't rule out that all three sinks have junk in the traps, maybe the homeowner didn't really notice it until all became a bigger problem.

-ERD50