Any experience with a drain auger?

Hi,

I have "responsibility" for a kitchen sink that blocks every year. I strongly suspect the problem is caused by what is chucked down there - but I have no control over that. In the past plunging and caustic soda has cleared the blockage but this time the blockage is more persistant. I have done a little research and the next stage (before calling in the professional plumbing cowboy) is to stick a snake or drain auger down there. There seem to be several lengths of auger available available. The setup I am facing is a standard (one and half inch?) grey waste pipe coming from the trap below a "basket" plug hole. The waste pipe from the sink runs for about 2.5 metres, bends through 90 degrees, runs for another 2.5 meters befroe emptying into a sealed soil pipe (not my choice).

Now I am wondering should I buy a 3m snake and try to access the pipe from both "ends" (not sure I can do this) or buy a 6m auger and push it until (if) it hits the obstruction. When the handle on the auger is turned does a screw fitting bury itself into the blockage and you then push and pull until the obstruction is freed?

Also the foam (?) seal below the plug hole and above the trap is leaking especially when plunging was tried. Is this a standard replacement part and is any special preparation or fitting needed apart from ensuring all surfaces between the sink and trap that will come in contact are clean and dry?

Thanks

Clive

Reply to
Clive
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As well as plunging and caustic soda I have also removed the U-trap in the past and it has always been completely clear and free of obstructions.

If I do go for the auger, with others experience shared, I would remove the trap and go straight into the horizontal waste pipe rather than trying the push the auger wire through the plug hole .

Clive

Reply to
Clive

Obviously it depends on the circumstances, but I've found that simply replacing the relevant plastic pipes and elbows/joints is far more cost-effective than trying to clean them.

Reply to
Paul - xxx

Thanks for the very prompt and sensible reply. The problem I have is the 6-odd metres of drain pipe are (of course) behind a wall of kitchen cabinets and very difficult to access.

Clive

Reply to
Clive

Aldi (or Lidl, I forget) and their one for a handful of quid that's about 1/4" - 1cm ish in diameter.

Then buy two, and chop one off at four feet long. Re-install the hooky end if you wish. The long one is kept for drains (and rarely needed), the short one now becomes the one you use regularly for sink and waste traps where you can get near to it, and you don't fancy yards and yards of lashing snake getting in the way.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

Chances are the "real" problem is burring on the ends of the pipe sections. Bite the bullet and strip it out. Clean up the ends properly and reassemble. Plumbers (well many of them) have a habit of hacksawing the pipe then simply sticking the joints together without deburring properly.

Reply to
cynic

It happens that Clive formulated :

I very much doubt you would get the auger through the trap. It should work through a couple of bends with trap removed. If the trap is leaking or damaged then just replace it, they are only a pound or two each, not really worth messing with.

I try to teach SWMBO to empty sinks while the water is still hot and to sometimes waste some fresh hot water straight down the plug hole. It does help to prevent build up and blockages.

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

Hopefully you can simply undo the odd joint here & there, and rod with whatever you have to hand. If they're not undoable, another option is

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cant think of anything a pro can do that you cant do yourself with a few quid's worth of equipment.

ps there is also the conc sulphuric acid option. Evil stuff, truly.

NT

Reply to
Tabby

There's one thing a pro can do that you can't - keep _your_ hands clean.

Paying for plumbers to unblock isn't about inability, it's about wanting to avoid it.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

I guess I got a diffrent impression from the OP

NT

Reply to
Tabby

You could always try the hosepipe method. Remove the trap, wrap end of a hosepipe in a damp rag and jam it into the pipe. Turn on the water. Creates a surprising amount of pressure and is particularly good if the blockage is at the far end of the pipe work.

You run the risk of damaging a joint but in practice I haven't found this to be a problem.

Matt

Reply to
matthelliwell

Thanks for all the advice and encouragement.

I removed the trap and it was completely clear.

I bought a 3m drain spring from Homebase. I bought 5m of net curtain wire from Homebase. I undid the "rodding cap" the plumber who installed it all most thoughtfully added. Some water and a nasty black "goo" came out from the rodding point. I pushed in the drain snake wire and it went in easily. I pushed the curtain wire in doubled up and then "straight" to see how far the wire would go. There was some slight resistance after the wire had gone in a couple of metres but this was probably due to the 90 degree bend half way along the pipe. The 5m curtain wire went through up to its full length. I pulled and pushed and wiggled the wires. I reassembled the trap and rodding cap. I opened the tap and the sink again filled up with water. I went through the whole disassembly and wire "rodding" twice more, reassembled everything and still the sink does not empty, or if it does, verrrrry slowly. I tested the drainage of the washing machine into the shared soil pipe and luckily that drains fine. So all I can think is the blockage is somewhere near the end of the sink drainage pipe as it empties into the soil pipe. I am defeated by this. Time for the "pros".

Yes it was dim to have such a long run of pipe behind the kitchen cupboards -asking for trouble - but the original installation of emptying dirty water from sinks into a soil pipe with no rodding points seems fraught with danger to me. How would a blockage in the soil pipe be cleared?

Clive

Reply to
Clive

Can you remove the drain pipe close to the soil pipe? Even if it means making a small coupling section up maybe .. 'cos I'd take the pipe off and then try emptying the sink and see if water actually gets to the soil pipe first.

Only other thing, apart from the soil pipe being blocked, I can think of is the trap under the sink .. have you had it apart and actually checked it's not blocked, or just looked into it? I ask 'cos we've had it in our school where the trap is full of scale that's almost white and looks completely innocuous, but slows water flow considerably ... caused a lot of headaches even from plumbers that one! Might be worth re-checking.

Reply to
Paul - xxx

I was hoping to avoid that but probably can't. The connection is behind a washing machine that needs to be pulled out. Plumber is coming tomorrow so I will ask him if we can install a "two way rod" point there.

Yep, I completelt removed the trap - it was clear - I even washed the trap (in another sink) just in case my eyes deceieved me

Reply to
Clive

Is it possible to remove the 90 degree bend and replace it with an elbow with the unused entry capped off, you can then use it as a rodding point.

JGH

Reply to
jgharston

Another "Aldi special" worth looking for is their pumped-air sink plunger. You pump it up, hold it over the waste outlet (or even on the pipe outlet outside) and pull the trigger to let loose the compressed air. Much more powerful than a Dalek plunger.

Reply to
Andy Dingley

The thing with a dalek plunger is that you don't try to positively pressurise the system, you push it in slowly and pull it up quickly, hopefully creating a vacuum and pulling the blockage back the way it came .. often far better results than trying to force it through a possible constriction point.

Reply to
Paul - xxx

All done.

I separated the pipework behind the washing machine and rodded from that end. A white goo and black goo came out. Washed out by 20 buckets of warm water (I kid you not). Of course when I reassembled the pipework there was a small drip, drip, drip, of course. I cleaned the seal very well - I guess some old gunk was keeping the joint sealed. I used some plumbers putty "behind" and "in front" of the joint and luckily it all seems sealed.

I'm sure there was a better and quicker way - maybe a thicker wire ?

Anyway, going to get another rodding point put in.

Clive

Reply to
Clive

A variation of something suggested by somebody else, use a hosepipe with water running through it as your rodding tool. I've just done a horizontal soil pipe that way, pushing in short bursts so that, say, four push/ pulls advances about an inch at a time. Quite satisfying seeing the crud flow past as the rodding pipe gets further and further in.

JGH

Reply to
jgharston

How strange, I had exactly the same reaction.

Reply to
Clive

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