Kitchen sink unblocker?

Sink is slow to drain. Washing machine 'backs up' thru plug hole - smelly water in sink. Checked waste-trap which was clear but coated in greyish slime and v smelly. Have tried several sink fulls of bio powder/bleach solution. No joy with draining but smell nuch improved.

What method would the group recommend?

Thanks muchly.

Reply to
Simon Cee
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Check the trap is clear by running water from a tap through (not the sink with the problem though, or put a bowl in place first).

Otherwise, you might need to trace the path of the drain pipe. Is the other end in the open air, or does it disappear into the ground? If there are any accessible joints, perhaps dismantle those if screw-type or push-fit.

If part of the pipe run is near horizontal, there might be solidified matter in there.

You might have a go at flushing with a hose too, straight into the pipe section after the trap (otherwise it will just go anywhere else). But you need to form a rough seal around it or it might just come out backwards.

Or sometimes just a long stick will give results...

Reply to
BartC

pour granulated caustic soda down the plug followed by kettle of hot eater. Wear glasses at least. You get a mild caustic volcano. It will burn a bit on skin but washes off. It will rot clothes it touches if left for any time so wear old crap. It will destroy eyes tho so take care of those.

It will also destroy any fatty slimey blockages and utterly sterilise yer drains.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

B&Q and similar sell Caustic Soda in powder form or Mr Muscle sell it pre-mixed in supermarkets (orange "bleach bottle").

If mixing, put the water in a bucket, add the powder slowly and stir with some wood. It will get hot and I'd recommend goggles and rubber gloves because this will knack your hands or other bots of the body (it attacks grease, including that in your skin!).

Whichever you use, pour into the sink (having removed and plugged the washing machine outlet) and leave for a least 15 minutes. I normally pour some down, leave for 10 mins, pour more, leave, repeat until all gone.

Now put the plug in and fill the sink with hot water and get that Dalek plunger out. Hold a damp cloth over the overflow to form a seal, pull the plug and plunge, release, plunge, release, repeat...

You will probably find that all manner of crap appears which you then have the pleasure of removing by hand (after all the water has thoroughly washed the caustic away).

You may want to repeat all this depending on how well the cleaning went. I have to do this in our bathroom (3 women shedding long hairs into the sink!) whenever the drainage slows down - afterwards it's "good as new".

Paul DS.

Reply to
Paul D Smith

The problem with strong chemicals is that, if they don't work, you can't try other things. I had my arm down an outside drain earlier this week. Not pleasant but that and a running hose cleared it in five minutes

Reply to
stuart noble

as it said neat down the plughole, kettle of hot water to follow. The boiling and steam expansion helps clear the blockage and melt any fat.

Reply to
The Natural Philosopher

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Thanks VERY much for the tips. Will ttry chemical solution this eve, if no joy then a plunger at w/end.

Reply to
Simon Cee

For what it's worth, I've found Toolstation to be the cheapest place to buy caustic soda from at =A32.25/kg. (Free delivery over =A310 if that helps)

Also, on the subject of plungers I recently bought this one:

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high volume seems to really help - having put some water in the pipe and sink it only took one push with that bad boy to shift our blockage.

Mathew

Reply to
Mathew Newton

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Reply to
NT

I found that as well.

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> Its high volume seems to really help - having put some water in the

I got one of those, as you say - brilliant!

Reply to
The Medway Handyman

Asda 3255212, =A32.13. Homecare Drain Cleaner with Caustic Soda, 500g. Tesco & Sainsbury's probably do the same or similar. So easy to keep

1-2 on the shelf.

In order of approaches...

1 - Pump plunger, bendy wire with screw for frustration value 2 - Boiling water, for release of frustration 3 - Caustic Soda, =A32-3 for 0.5-1kg 4 - Water, because you do NOT want to chuck #5 down 5 - One Shot Drain Cleaner (95-98% sulphuric acid), =A312-15 delivered

Buy cheap but **wrap-around** eye protectors before using caustic soda (eats eyes before you know the damage is done) and sulphuric acid. Do not put fat down sinks, do not cut hair into sink (wonderful matrix for fat & debris to build up on).

Do not shove down the whole bottle of caustic soda into a sink or toilet, the excess will form a sintered glass-like mass which can cause a secondary blockage for a while or react with whatever you put down next.

Also do not copy the USA military petrol & match trick, the issue is then how to rebuild the street. A bit like using an M1A1 up close to demolish an arms dump.

Reply to
js.b1

3 followed by 5 will produce some interesting results for a few moments but do nothing to clear the blockage. I'm no H&S enthusiast but selling sulphuric acid to the public is insane I think people take leave of their senses where drains are concerned. I've never had a drain I couldn't unblock with rods or other mechanical methods
Reply to
stuart noble

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