Help with a clogged sink?

[comcastss news groups]

Got home from a week vacation and the bathroom sink drains very very slooowly. Asked my Daughter if she knew what happened? (her first time alone for a week!) She doesn't know of anything going down the drain???? I took apart the pvc trap under the sink. Inside of pipes are pretty slimy but nothing there. I ran a snake into the line going into the wall. It got about 5 - feet in and hit something. That seem about where the line would connect to go down so I don't know if I'm hitting an obstruction or a T in the line.??? Tonight I'm going to put the trap back together and fill with water and try plunging the sink.

I don't want to do as my wife suggests and pour drain cleaner down the drain. If that didn't clear it I would then have to deal with caustic chemicals in the line....

If the plunging doesn't work tonight what would be my next step???? By removing shelves downstairs I think I could get access to the plumbing. If it comes to that I could cut the drain and replace part of it but obviously I'm looking for a better solution???

What do you think is this just hair and gunk or a physical blockage? I would think anything big enough to block the drain would have gotten caught in the trap? When I pulled the snake back, after twisting it, It did pull some crud out but that could have been from scraping along the bottom of the plumbing.

I'm on a septic system that's in pretty poor condition.

Any suggestions other than calling in a plumber????

How about HOT water down the drain???

Or just keep twisting the snake at the obstruction and pulling anything that hooks on back out the end??

TIA

Steve

[hallerb]

try reakky hot near boiling water down all your drains. the clog may be at a T so flushing everywhere can be useful.

you might also consioder pressuring the drain line with a garden hose to flush it, try the hot water first

[RayV]

A few things to try

Plung backwards - fill the sink and gently push the plunger and yank it backwards. Better to pull the obstruction back than force it tighter.

Let the water run so the sink backs up and fills the line then put your shop-vac hose over the drain to try and suck out the blockage.

Boiling water dumped in the sink after it drains down

Baking soda followed by vinegar

Snake - sometimes it takes quite a while to get past a turn. patience and persistence. They have homeowner snakes at home cheapo that you can connect to a drill, just make sure you use a variable speed drill.

Talk to the old guy at the plumbing store and ask him about drain cleaners with septic systems. Don't ask at home cheapo

Call a plumber before you start cutting pipes...

[comcastss news groups]

Thanks, All good ideas I hadn't thought of...

Steve

[jjwolf22]

Our bathroom sink drain slowed down, and I did the snake-thru-the-trap bit. No improvement.

Then I looked up on the web how to disassemble the pop-up. Did that and pulled out a hunk of hair/gunk the size of a small rat. The drain works again. I didn't read that you'd done that, so I suggest you try it before calling the plummy. Good luck.

cheers, jerry

[RayV]

snake-thru-the-trap

Good point. Sometimes the obvious isn't.

[Eigenvector]

Don't resort to chemicals unless you just can't figure anything out. I had the same delimna with my bathtub drain and while it took about 2 hours to get past the rusty P trap in my drain - I did finally managed to rip out some of that hair clog with the auger. Plunging took care of the rest and now I'm in Fat City. As Haller suggested - boiling water after you empty the line with your Shop Vac.