Hydro jet for clearing kitchen line

[Higgs Boson]

Wow! When was that? Every govt. institution so broke because of sequester that I don't know... if snaker + video doesn't do it, I may inquire. Thanks.

HB

[Higgs Boson]

I have been thinking that way. Snake-er finally coming today. He has video. Will ask him. He earlier said "sometimes it takes more than one [snake]. But I agree with you; I need to know whatthehellis going on.

HB

[micky]

My mother had never used Drano or anything like it, in her life. When she was old she moved to an apartment. When she away, the tenants on the floor above poured Drano in their kitchen sink and it backed up into my mother's, eating holes almost clear through the bottom of the dutch oven she liked so much. I don't think any went clear through, but the metal was thin in many places, and that would make hot spots, undoing the purpose of the dutch oven.

[micky]

I woudl call the company first. They're not going to want to give the money back, and they can't apply it to the hydrojet if you do that somewhere else, but they can't expect to apply it if they never came back or called back.

I know you called them once already when they didnt' come back, but that was for something different. I would call them about the refund and give them a chance before dragging their name through the mud at the bureau. it will take 5 minutes. If he's not there, I'd leave a complete message.

Good point.

[micky]

So why would there be county pipes for each house?

2 or 3 years ago.

[Higgs Boson]

Dave, this is excellent advice. I have been delinquent, and after this particular war is over, I will mark my calendar to be SURE I do monthly maintenance.

HOWEVER, you suggest products such as Drano. I have been told more than once that plumbers LOVE to have you use this stuff because it makes work for them. So I hadn't been using it for maintenance.

What were my interlocutors talking about? Can you clarify? TIA

HB

[Higgs Boson]

, that both A & B saw me coming.

peedy, a franchise, but come to think of it, consumers are supposed to chec k with the licensing bureau to see if it's current. The friend who referr ed him is married to architect/contractor who has used him on big jobs. So I assume his bona fides are in order. But I cannot forgive tradespeople w ho just don't bother to call -- which is by now more the rule than the exce ption.

ust to come out and look at it. He said he would be back later that day wi th Hydrojet.

9.95 would go against final cost of job. I'm going to write to the Calif l icensing bureau to file a complaint and demand a refund for breach of contr act.

You're right - sigh! It's just that I am terrible on the phone, but much b etter in writing. I guess I'll have to write them a "polite" letter reques ting the refund because contract not completed. If they don't repay me, th en I'll go to the Licensing Board.

There is just NO excuse for blowing me off like that, especially when it wa s framed as a very urgent matter. Now my family members will be exposed to that filthy mess in the driveway...!

ed about what A & B are telling me re: hydrojet.

[David L. Martel]

Higgs,

I use the hot water trick. I have no knowledge of the debate on drain cleaning products. Drano was popular when I was young so I mentioned it but did not mean it as a recommendation. You should look at the products and decide if you want to use them. I've no idea what you wish me to clarify. I glanced briefly at some of the other replys but saw nothing that interested me.

Dave M.

[krw]

Not buying it. Sodium Hydroxide (Drano) is an alkali, not an acid so it shouldn't attack cast iron at all (indeed, it's used to clean cast iron). If it rotted out cast iron that fast it wouldn't make much of a drain cleaner.

[hrhofmann]

The boiling water down the drain should be tried first. Then, any one of t he caustic drain openers. If that doesn't work, then its a plumber with a snake and camera so you can find out what's happening. Once you tell us wh at the camera shows, we can give you good advice on what to do to prevent t he problem from reoccurring.

[Higgs Boson]

On Thursday, October 10, 2013 8:15:21 PM UTC-7, [e-mail] wrote :

the caustic drain openers. If that doesn't work, then its a plumber with a snake and camera so you can find out what's happening. Once you tell us what the camera shows, we can give you good advice on what to do to prevent the problem from reoccurring.

I asked Patrick if he needed to use the video, and he said it would be exp ensive & not needed. I'm still trying to get my head around an honest plum ber*, after exposure to those other expensive guys who blew me off.

He also commented that the Hydrojet is used in circumstances very different from my kitchen drain problem. Something about street connections? I was so emotional I didn't get the full sense of it -- except that the other one -- the Mr. Speedy guy who proposed using it -- either didn't know what he was doing, or was trying to game me.

*No offense, amigos, but I have been through a lot, perhaps much of it my o wn fault because I was too chicken to find out whose "fault" it was, if any body's.

[Higgs Boson]

Thanks, Dave. I asked the snaker, Plumber B, (who didn't charge me to chec k the line today!) and he said there were two types of Drano. The one with sulfuric acid, he said, is basically bleach, and used for "soft" clogs, so you might as well pour bleach down drain. I haven't had a chance to check the other kind.

He strongly re-emphasized no grease down line. I don't, so I dunno why it glopped up. But I'm getting after the other person in the household, who m ight not be so careful, to keep grease out.

I will try the boiling water once a month, and hope this is it for a while.

What I like about Patrick, Plumber B (who it turns out lives nearby) is tha t he is independent, not a franchisee of a big company. He shot down every idea propo$ed by Plumber A (from Mr. $peedy), about Hydrojet, replacing pi pe, and on & on. Gave commonsense advice, and said don't wait so long to c all me.

Interesting: I asked why, if he just snaked kitchen on July 17, did it clo g up again approx s week later. He said maybe a piece got knocked loose & blocked drain. I should have called him right away.

Said he felt something break loose at 10 feet today, so that might have be en it. He answered another question asked by youse guys: Yes, he had used a "grease" type bit earlier, and yes, it did clean around the sides of the pipe.

I'm so glad family arriving tomorrow will NOT be greeted by horrible sight in driveway.

MANY THANKS TO THE PROS WHO "HELD MY HAND' THROUGH THIS MESS.

HB

[hrhofmann]

You can do the boiking water in 15 minutes. Two or more gallons of boiling water will loosen up anything that may be grease related. If that doesn't work, a couple of gallons of liquid drain cleaner poured down the drain an d allowed to sit for at least 4 hours should help loosen anything short of solid metals or concrete.

If those two ideas/tricks don't work, I think it is time to pay for a video camera scan of the line, with you in attendance to see exactly what the pl umber sees. It would be good to price a couple of plumbers with cameras to see if they are at least in the same ball park.

[micky]

A lot of houses have two vents. If your bathroom and washing machine are roughly above and below your kitchen sink, they would share the same vent. My little townhouse has 2 bathrooms above the kitchen which is above the basement laundry sink.

But it still has another vent for the powder room, only. So having two vents doesn't mean that the answer to your question isn't Yes.

[micky]

A letter or email is fine (You can call the office and the secretary or anyone who answers will most likely give you their email address. It might be on the bill. If this were a legally required communication, I'd push for a letter, but it's not.)

"Polite" means no profanity, no personal insults (though you can call the work below par, etc. ) and no threats to kill them or set fire to their trucks. It doesn't mean you have to be sappy. It doesn't have to be angry either, although maybe a little anger wouldn't hurt, enough to make them believe your serious about going to the licensing board. (A lot of people cool off and never do what they threaten.)

What are the favorite words some columnist recommended? Something like disappointed and dismayed. But I think that was just when a box of food wasn't very good, not when they've failed to come back or call back. That might deserve harsher words.

That's the attitude, but between you and me, can't you wash that away witht he garden hose. It's been raining here for 3 days.

[micky]

A month after I bought this house, only 4 years old, I had several people come for July 4 weekend. It was hot. Noon on Saturday the AC, failed, 9PM the water failed, Noon on Sunday the electricity failed. Nothing got fixed until after they all left.

**The AC was a coincidence I guess. The little AC transformer that powered the control box failed. ***The water must have been a coincidence too, though we have had 10 of them in 30 years because the original water mains, under the streets, were not flexible like they should have been. A heavy truck pushing one against a piece of big gravel is enough to cause a leak. ****The power failed because everyone else was using their AC.

FTR, I'm no pro.

[micky]

When it's put on for a couple minutes and rinsed off, right?

So what could they have used instead?

[Stormin Mormon]

didn't charge me to check the line today!) and he said there were two types of Drano. The one with sulfuric acid, he said, is basically bleach, and used for "soft" clogs, so you might as well pour bleach down drain. I haven't had a chance to check the other kind.

so I dunno why it glopped up. But I'm getting after the other person in the household, who might not be so careful, to keep grease out.

is it for a while.

lives nearby) is that he is independent, not a franchisee of a big company. He shot down every idea propo$ed by Plumber A (from Mr. $peedy), about Hydrojet, replacing pipe, and on & on. Gave commonsense advice, and said don't wait so long to call me.

July 17, did it clog up again approx s week later. He said maybe a piece got knocked loose & blocked drain. I should have called him right away.

that might have been it. He answered another question asked by youse guys: Yes, he had used a "grease" type bit earlier, and yes, it did clean around the sides of the pipe.

horrible sight in driveway.

From my chemistry background, sulfuric acid and bleach are two very, very different chemicals. And they do very, very different things.

My experience with drain cleaners, there are basically two kinds, acid and alkalai.

Acid (sulfuric, or hydrochloric) work best on calcium lime scale. They change calcium oxide or hydroxide into calcium sulphate, or hydrochloride. Calcium sulphate is not water soluble, the hydro-chloride is. So, with hydrochloric, it changes into a chemical that washes down the drain.

This is much different than the sodium hypochlorite which is bleach.

One apartment manager near me tells me that the sulfuric acid stuff works great also on grease and hair clogs. Sulfuric acid is very dangerous to skin, eyes, etc. It also destroys natural fibers like cotton. Treat it like toxic waste, wash hands after using, etc.

The alkalai drain cleaners like "crystal drano" work by turning grease into soap, also called saponification. Crystal Drano would work on kitchen grease clogs, or soap and hair from the shower drain.

. Christopher A. Young Learn about Jesus

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[David L. Martel]

Higgs,

You generate grease and oil for your skin. When you bath it goes down the drain. Bath soap is made from grease and fat. Soap scum is a major component of drain clogs. Washing dishes is a good source of grease. Grease is hard to avoid in your drains, that's why maintenance is important. Plumber B sounds like a winner. Did he have an opinion on boiling water? What sort of maintenance did he recommend.

Dave M.

[hrhofmann]

We're still waiting to hear what kind of a system is involved, septic or municipal, and whether the boiling water procedure has been tried or not!!!!