A local bar was having trouble with the drain being clogged on their sink, where they wash the glasses. The bartender said she could not wash the glasses and had to send someone to buy some disposible plastic cups in order to make mixed drinks. She was pounding away with a plunger, and as she plunged it, plastic stir sticks were coming up. A couple of us guys finally grabbed some tools and took the trap off under the sink. That trap and all the pipes were full of those stir sticks. I'd bet we took out at least 30 of them.
We put the trap back on, but it still drained very slow. Apparently those sticks are clogged further down, and no one had a snake handy.
The main sewer is not clogged, since the toilets work fine.
The sink drain pipes are not accessible since there is no basement.
My question is this: Will a snake get thru those stir sticks?
Of course I told the bartender to stop dumping those sticks in the sink, and to remove them BEFORE dumping a glass in the sink. She insisted that she always removes them before they get in the sink, but said other bartenders may not be removing them. I told her to make a sign and put it above the sink to tell everyone to NOT let stir sticks go down the drain. And also suggested that she tell the bar owner to buy some sort of "screen" that wont allow them to go down the drain. I also told her that the owner should buy a plumbing snake to have on hand.
She said that she would have a plumber come the next day. I'm assuming by now the plumber came. I have not been there for several days.
Either way, I wonder if a snake will actually "chew up" those sticks, or shove them further down into larger pipes, where they will go down the sewer. I never thought about them going down drains, but I can now see the problem. Actually, they should be made from something that will break apart, such as a paper, but they are what they are....