clearing clogged sink drain

Here are my thoughts based on my own experiences with this type of issue:

1) When plunging, use a wet rag or something similar and stuff it in the sink overflow hole and also hold it over the sink overflow hole to try to close it off while plunging. It is hard to do that with one hand while also plunging the drain with your other hand. But, I do my best. If you have a helper, let the helper hold the wet rag in and over the sink overflow hole so you can plunge with both hands. 2) Bend the spring tip of the auger at a slight angle. Then, while you are turning the auger and pushing to advance it, it has a better chance of being able to make any 90 degree turns, including the Tee that you are dealing with. 3) I have a chrome P-trap (not S-trap) under my bathroom sink. In my case, I used a hacksaw (or I could have used a tubing cutter or angle grinder) to cut the horizontal part of my P-trap in two places about an inch apart. Then I put in a chrome coupling that I could easily remove by hand when needed. I used something like this as the coupling:
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Then, when needed, I take the coupling off, I move the trap out of the way, and I insert the snake directly into the pipe. That allows me to go through less turns with the snake. 4) Or, I could do this, but I haven't tried it yet. I could use one of these devices connected to a hose from a laundry sink etc:
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. It is designed to be placed directly inside the pipe and then use water pressure to try to remove the clog.

In my case, I have a bathroom sink that leads to a narrow lead pipe drain line under the floor and that has a couple of sharp 90 degree turns, so it is hard to snake it out.

Reply to
TomR
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Update time! The most useful advice from this thread was to hire a drain clearing specialist and not a general plumber, which was what I was planning to do before I posted here. I had a card from when I used Mr. Sewer in 2003 to clear my sewer line. I had even scanned it and had it on my page of my local home service vendors.

I called him. Mr. Sewer died, but his helper bought the business and renamed it Clogbusters. He first tried a snake. He had the same result as I: it hitting that T and not getting past. So what he did was to drill a hole on the side of the pipe below the T and snake upwards. It was filled with rust. But this trick saved me from having to dismantle the ductwork and replacing the pipes. I paid $250 cash for about 1-3/4 hours for him and a helper.

I like hiring low overhead vendors. It is just the owner, the helper, a truck, and a garage he rents for $400/month. Plus he pays $12,000 annually for all the insurance he has to carry.

The second bit I liked from the replies was to buy the $15 endoscope camera. In this case I did not see it helping. The mirror that sees around the corner would have come off. But for the price it is a toy I would like to have around.

Thanks all for your help.

Don.

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(e-mail link at home page bottom).

Reply to
Don Wiss

Keep in mind, that rust came from the pipe wall in the area of the clog. I wonder how much of the pipe wall is left and how much longer it will last before it collapses completely and leaves you with a mess in the crawl space.

Did he tell you how large of an opening he was able to make through the clog? Was he able to get out all the rust and bring it back to being a 2" pipe?

Reply to
Stormin' Norman

He left it with the drain flowing freely. That is all I know. To cover the hole he used electrical tape.

Your questions above I could have asked, but didn't know to ask. I could ask through the contact form at his website:

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Don.

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(e-mail link at home page bottom).

Reply to
Don Wiss

Electrical tape to seal a hole in a sewer line?? That is absolutely not acceptable. Remember, there are dangerous gases in sewer lines, that is why traps are present in modern plumbing, they are there to trap the gases.

I don't know how large of a hole he cut, but at the very least I would plug that hole with an expanding pipe plug or a pipe repair clamp.

See:

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or something like this

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The drain might be working now, but from what you write, it sounds like a questionable job. You never want to take shortcuts with plumbing or electrical.

Reply to
Stormin' Norman

He said the reason he did not use a plug is they can fall into the drain and clog it up.

That appears it would work. I have not put everything back into the closet, so I will hold off doing so.

I think the hole is no bigger than 1/2". Just enough to get the snake inside.

He claimed it was fine when I questioned him on it.

Don.

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(e-mail link at home page bottom).

Reply to
Don Wiss

OK, what do I know? Good luck.

Reply to
Stormin' Norman

Electrical tape is not something a professional would do. In fact it's very poor workmanship and not up to code. If you paid him already, cancel the payment immediately, if it's a check or credit card. That section of pipe needs to be cut out and a PVC coupler glued in there, or better yet, a cleanout fitting. That tape will be leaking in no time. If this guy is licensed, he should be reported and have his license revoked. The guy charged you about $140 an hour. That's much more than most plumbers charge. For what you paid, you could have probably gotten that old steel pipe replaced with PVC, (by a REAL plumber), and not have to worry about a clog again. If there was that much rust, that steel pipe will soon be leaking, but the electrical tape will likely fail first. To put it bluntly, you have been robbed, by an overpriced amateur and idiot as well. (And yea, I'm a retired plumber and know what I'm talking about)!

Reply to
Paintedcow

Uh, he charged a fraction of what a plumber in Brooklyn would have charged. But the point is moot, as no plumber would have been able to solve the problem. They would have charged me $250 to try to snake and would then have given up.

Your suggesting that a section be replaced shows you have not read the rest of the thread. To replace a section I would first have to get the a/c people to come in and remove the ductwork. Then a plumber. Then the a/c people to restore the ductwork. All of that would probably be $2000. Prices in NYC are a lot higher than in a rural community.

Don.

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Reply to
Don Wiss

I guess prices are a lot higher there, which is why I never reply to posts where people ask for prices on this newsgroup. Where I live, plumbers charge $70 to $100 an hour.

But if what you said is true, where you said "no plumber would have been able to solve the problem. They would have charged me $250 to try to snake and would then have given up." indicates they are NOT plumbers. When I worked as a plumber, I NEVER gave up on any job. There were a few I would have liked to give up, but I didn't. If pipes were that badly clogged, I replaced them. Sometimes it got costly, but the customer got working pipes that would last a long time.

Yea, I read most of this thread and know all about your A/C ducts that were apparently not put in the right place (or you would not have this issue). Since I have not seen your job, it's hard to say what I'd do, but I'd bet I could replace the pipes without removing the ducts. PVC is pretty easy to install in tight places, since I dont need room to swing a pipe wrench. I'd likely cut up the steel pipe with a sawsall, and replace the whole line. If it needs to be diverted around the ducts, PVC can be moved and does not need to go in the same hole of the old pipes. But I'm only speculating since I am not seeing your place.

If you're happy with the work, then so be it..... However I can almost guarantee you'll be replacing pipes real soon, and that tape will be leaking much sooner....

Reply to
Paintedcow

Thanks for the update. I learn a lot by participating in this newsgroup, and your update gave me information about another way to clean out a clogged drain line that I didn't know about before.

Despite what some others said, I think you got a fair deal from the company that you hired to resolve your problem. $250 is not a high price for drain cleaning, and it is actually on the low side for my area (a suburban town in South Jersey) for a drain cleaning company and/or many plumbers. You said it was two people and about 1 3/4 hours of work. In my area, even for a

1-person drain cleaning job, $250 is a common price. Many companies charge more than that to just send out one person and snake out a clogged main sewer line with an easy access clean-out Tee in an open basement, and only take 30 minutes or so to do it. I also often use my own local plumbing company rather than a "drain cleaning company". My local plumbing company charges $85/hour. If the guy comes out and he only has to plunge the curb vent to clear the clog, the cost is $85. If he has to use a drain cleaning machine, the charge is $85/hour plus something like $50 for use of the drain cleaning machine. If he had to do what your two guys had to do, the cost would have been for 2 hours plus about $50 -- so about $210 -- but for only one person. And, again, my regular plumber's prices are low for my area compared to a drain cleaning company.

And, about the electrical tape over the hole -- yes, it's a little hokey, but it would have been good enough for me since he solved my issue and he probably didn't have a clamp or whatever with him to put over the hole. That wouldn't be enough for me to want to crucify the guy. The sewer line is not under pressure, and if he taped it up well enough, I think it will be fine. However, I think I would go ahead and clamp on a piece of rubber over the hole or do some other type of clamp over the hole before putting things back. That way, you would already have a removable clamp to gain access to the pipe on your own in the future if needed.

Reply to
TomR

One more thought about your drain problem. When the pipe clogs up again and you are forced to confront it one more time, keep in mind, the flex duct in the picture you posted is a very easy to cut and splice back together, so easy, you could do it yourself.

Make your cut in the middle of the longest accessible section, then using a piece of trim-to-size duct fabrication metal as a splice, insert that into the two ends of the flex and secure it with extra long tie wraps from harbor freight and seal the ends with aluminum foil duct tape, not the cloth crap. The good tape is also available at HF, see:

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One time, I even used a food service size, empty can which held green beans as a flex duct splice. It worked flawlessly and is still in place many years later.

The pipe repair isn't as daunting as you think either.

Reply to
Stormin' Norman

For a price comparison I looked at Yelp for Martin Plumbing, which is the one I and my neighbors usually use. I find:

Edited 02/22/2013 - Another example of their expensive fees: electrically clearing some draining stoppage: $375. If you're not in an emergency I would definitely suggest to shop around.

From another review:

I also used them for a minor job: stop my toilet from running! It wasn't cheap (about $100) but worth every cent because they came right away, took

5 minutes and did a good job.

It was that or a little longer. He also had to get here. He is based in Queens, though in the morning he was a half mile from me. In between he was off someplace else.

I do plan to buy and install this recommended clamp:

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What is "electrically clearing some draining stoppage?"

Don.

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Reply to
Don Wiss

you really ought to get under there and pull it apart, and Really clean it out, and even if you have to replace a few pipe parts

this is a longer term solution - vs your what i might call a quick fix, which may have to be done again, when i don't know...

you would learn something this/my way [and maybe even get a little exercise]

marc

Reply to
21blackswan

For two people? In New York? He had a helper with him. Good price most anywhere, great price in NY.

Reply to
Ed Pawlowski

Glad I live where I do..... Of course I suppose the wages in NY are double or triple what they are here too...

Reply to
Paintedcow

And houses prices are a large multiple of where you live. The fellow that cleared my drain lives in a $700,000 house. (It may be a two-family.) That is not at all expensive for here.

Don.

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Reply to
Don Wiss

Good grief. I bought my 30 acre farm for $50,000 about 18 years ago. It came with a usable barn that just needed some roof work and sliding doors, a house that was in very bad shape (which I demolished), and a garage that was partly collapsed, but I rebuilt that. Also had a usable well and septic. Now, the land alone is worth around $200,000. I moved a small FREE house here (moved it myself), then added on to it, built a second barn, and several sheds, mostly all built from recycled materials. I also have two mobile homes, one for guests, the other for storage. I dont really know what I spent on all of this, because I just did it as I acquired used materials, or could afford new stuff. But I know I could get at least $400,000 for it, as a working farm. For this area, that's a big chunk of cash.

I wonder what a 30 acre farm with similar buildings would cost in or near you (I assume you're in the city). Probably a figure I could not even comprehend....

Reply to
Paintedcow

There is no such thing in Brooklyn. There is one full city block for sale in downtown Brooklyn. It is expected to sell for several hundred million.

Don.

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Reply to
Don Wiss

Once again, I'm glad I live where I do. I was born and raised in a fairly large city, (but is small compared to your area). As soon as I was an adult, I got out of that hell-hole and moved to the country. I dont miss the city at all, and will never live in any city again. But we're all different. I know some people who say my lifestyle is too tough, because I dont have "services", such as garbage pickup, paved roads, snow plowing in winter (beyond the main roads), city water and sewer, cable tv, high speed internet, shopping malls, and so on....

Nah, it's just the way it is. We have to do more work ourselves, but we dont have street gangs, grafitti, large numbers of shootings, robberys, and other crimes. Parking regulations, 24/7 sirens and traffic noise, air pollution, crowding, traffic jams, rush hour, and when we go to a gas station, we dont have to pay before pumping it.

Like the song says: "Than God I'm a Country Boy"!

I dont wish to change a thing around here, except I wish we could get affordable high speed internet.....

Reply to
Paintedcow

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