Clearing Slow and Blocked Sinks.

[ultrarunner]

I’m sure not a secret to many but I’ve found my small wet/dry vacuum does wonder when it comes to slow and stopped drains.

Got a service call and was close except no tools… I did have a small $39 wet/dry vac with me.

Tried the plunger and no luck… plugged solid.

Thinking I have to come back I remembered the wet/dry in the car and gave it a try.

Sink was about 1/3 full and held my hand over the over flow slot and sucked out the obstruction…

Since then it has never failed the many times I tried.

 

[Shawn T. W.]

For a sink with access, I just pull the p-trap apart ...

 

[ultrarunner]

For a sink with access, I just pull the p-trap apart ...

Only thing I had was the vac I was letting a friend borrow…

About 45 seconds and full flow restored… hairballs most of the time…

When I pull the old traps I need my slip joint pliers, bucket and more often than not hand snake and a few slip joint washers or sealer…

For many years plastic forbidden so no easy not tools disassembly.

 

[Eagle1]

Only thing I had was the vac I was letting a friend borrow…

About 45 seconds and full flow restored… hairballs most of the time…

When I pull the old traps I need my slip joint pliers, bucket and more often than not hand snake and a few slip joint washers or sealer…

For many years plastic forbidden so no easy not tools disassembly.

Good tip but I get the feeling that listing things NOT forbidden in CA would be a short list

 

[oldnslo]

Good tip but I get the feeling that listing things NOT forbidden in CA would be a short list

My guess is that using a wet/dry vac in CA to unplug a sink is forbidden unless plugged into a GFI outlet connected to a GFI breaker and you are wearing a haz mat suit

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I imagine that the cost of sinks will now go up in California, the cost of adding warning labels to sinks. Due to the Proposition 65. "warning using a vacuum to clear drain may cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm". LOL

Jokes aside, I use a vacuum to clean drains and it works quite well.

 

[rontaki]

My guess is that using a wet/dry vac in CA to unplug a sink is forbidden unless plugged into a GFI outlet connected to a GFI breaker and you are wearing a haz mat suit

Nah - using a vacuum sucks, so Califu¢kya would approve.

 

[Oaktree]

About once a year I have to clean out the line for my kitchen sink. Problem is in a ~12' horizontal section...cast iron so it's probably rough inside and grease, etc. builds up on it. There's a cleanout at the high end, what I've been doing is ramming a piece of 1/2" schedule 40 down it once a year, followed by spray from a garden hose.
Probably ought to replace that section with PVC, just haven't gotten around to it.

 

[Racer4]

I got these. They grab most anything without having to disassemble anything. If under your sink is jammed with stuff like ours are.

https://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-20-in-Hair-Snake-2-Pack-90831/324806388

 

[ultrarunner]

My biggest plumbing management problems are flushable wipes, grease and things purposely or not flushed like toys, diapers, Q-tips, etc…

Hair is distant but with some families a real challenge…

I rented a home to a mom with 3 adult daughters… all nurses with mom and oldest RN and youngest LVN and CNA

They all have very long almost waist length black hair… shower and bathtub just plug solid about twice a year…

 

[MossRoad]

Geezers, our girls had long, fine blonde hair down past their knees when they were young. Clogged sink drain was monthly ritual.

The hair snakes work great for anything within the length of the thing, but anything past that, you'd either have to pull the trap and run a snake or use the shop vac. Shop vac is much easier. But if it's past the vent, won't do a bit of good and snake is needed.

A lot of people don't like chemicals, but Liquid Plumr Urgent Clear Gel is always stocked in my basement. Has never failed to open a clogged drain at home.

My current job is a handyman in residential buildings. We don't use chemicals. I carry a hair snake and a small sink plunger (and lots of disposable gloves). 99 times out of a hundred I can clear a sink with that. If not, we call a plumber. And we never use chemicals at my employer's facilities.

The worst thing I run into is low-flow aerators. Yes, they save water. But they only run .5 gallons per minute. It won't wash toothpaste past the trap, let alone anything else like hair or shaving stubble.

 

[ultrarunner]

Amen brother… preaching to the choir on low flow.

One building was in a low flow program where faucets, toilets and shower heads replaced.

A 4-plex almost with problem became one.

The elderly tenant became such a water saver her bathroom basin was always blocked by toothpaste… she flushed once a day found her part to save and aerators all plugged from water district work in the area…

Dodged a lawsuit when another tenant had her sister visit and taking a shower the shower head flew and hit her in the eye and a trip to the emergency room…

I had pictures of the low flow heads to document and the head that flew was a heavy brass full flow???

Tenants x boyfriend changed out the water saver head for a real one…

 

[wilso]

I’ve always struggled with slow sinks, and using a small wet/dry vac sounds way easier than calling a plumber every time. I might give this a try next time. It’s great to hear it actually works. I’ve also been looking at Bath Fitter reviews recently since thinking about a bathroom upgrade, and it’s cool to see simple hacks like this can save a lot of stress before spending on bigger fixes.

 

[MAX-24-Dean]

I use a bottle brush to clean sink drains after they have been vacuumed.
The bristles on the brush collect the slim that is thick enough to stick to the wall of the pipes. That the vacuum sometimes won't pull out.

 

[ultrarunner]

For maximum suction be sure to cover the bowl vent and have a few inches of standing water… some quick alternating suction moves work best for me.

Drain Care or Drain Defense is a product that has worked for me as a preventative measure.

 

[grsthegreat]

i purchased a rigid main line sewer drum machine about 10-12 years ago after paying plumber to clear clogged drains. its paid for itself many times over. i routinely clean main lines every year and that has proved itself useful in preventing clogs when you least expect them.

 

[two_bit_score]

My biggest plumbing management problems are flushable wipes, grease and things purposely or not flushed like toys, diapers, Q-tips, etc…

Hair is distant but with some families a real challenge…

I rented a home to a mom with 3 adult daughters… all nurses with mom and oldest RN and youngest LVN and CNA

They all have very long almost waist length black hair… shower and bathtub just plug solid about twice a year…

Maybe you should add a 'plumbing surcharge' to their rent the next time the lease comes up.

 

[ultrarunner]

Hard to do when tenant is Section 8.

The most maintenance intensive is a person that never filled out a rental application… HUD just put her in the home when the mother passed suddenly… Mother was model tenant… had custody of grandchildren children that were taken away from the mother and then HUD put mother in with emergency voucher so kids wouldn’t go to foster care…

Other places one wipe incident is a teaching moment and no repeats after…

 

[ultrarunner]

i purchased a rigid main line sewer drum machine about 10-12 years ago after paying plumber to clear clogged drains. its paid for itself many times over. i routinely clean main lines every year and that has proved itself useful in preventing clogs when you least expect them.

I’ve used this for decades…

 

[mark in portugal]

About once a year I have to clean out the line for my kitchen sink. Problem is in a ~12' horizontal section......
Probably ought to replace that section with PVC, just haven't gotten around to it.

I had a similar quandary; the sink line would clog up really bad about once every year or two in my rental property.
The trouble it that the property is 1500 miles north of me.
So two or three times, I had to pay to get it cleared.

So between tenants, I took out the radiators and then the wall. The drain tube was going just slightly uphill for a couple of yards, and that's where blockage would build up.

I told the tenants not to use chemicals, because there's a sewage ejection pump down at the bottom.

I would curse the fool who put that line in 30 years ago... if it wasn't myself.