Slow drain sinks

[Joseph]

I have a bathroom that has two sinks. The drain on both of them is slow. I have tried all the various drano types with little or no improvements. I tried using a water balloon thingy that attaches to a hose and inserted it deep into the vent pipe from the roof until it reached the floor. I was thinking that the water pressure will blow out the obstruction and to my surprise the water overflowed from another vent pipe inside the attic that I did not know existed because it is burried under the AC/furnace train. Needless to say that backfired. Now I am at loss of how to proceed. I know I have an obstruction (probably hair) that is far down the drain. I would like to use a snake but I am afraid that I could not tell where the snake will end up because of the maze of drain pipes and vent pipes behind the wall. Any ideas?

Thanks, Joseph

[Speedy Jim]

Yep, time for the snake. You can rent a small hand-held powered unit made just for this size job. The big trick is to make the snake go *down* the drain at the San TEE, rather than *up* the vent. Better snake cables with optional cutters can use a "downhead" cutter which makes it easier.

If you can see the San TEE in the wall, you could guide a cheapo snake-in-a-drum down the drain. These are available hand-powered or to fit a drill motor.

Jim

[SQLit]

the balloon may just work if you block the vent you found. Put some Ammonia down the drain then some HOT water several gallons. Then try the hose again.

I had a friend that had a kitchen sink drain that barely moved. When we replaced the kitchen cabinets it was time to open up the wall to the T. He protested and she screamed. I persisted. I found the vent and got the balloon down the pipe as far as we could. Then I plugged the T and away we went. Took three shots and over a gallon of ammonia. It has been a year and there has not been a problem since. He puts a quart of ammonia down the drain in the kitchen each month followed by a full sink of hot water. Do you have a garbage disposal? Stop using it for a while. Garbage disposals are plumbers best friends.

[DaveG]

The snake, if long enough, will lead to the clog. The snake will follow all the turns in the pipe, just like water does. Also, once I used the vacuum cleaner to blow air into a kitchen drain pipe. Once I got a tight seal, the air pressure blew the clog away. If you do this, remove the drain pipes enough to blow the air into the pipe leading away from the sink. If you blow air into the drain itself, the air will just feed back into the other drain, and the overflows in the sinks.

If all else fails, call in a pro. Dave

[Toller]

We're all pros here; didn't you know that?

[Wayne]

Nah, I'm just a little ol' boy from South Georgia who appreciates everything that I am learning from this group. Keep up the great work, everyone!