Questions to ask a drain cleaning company - regarding old pipes

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Mazcar

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Hi All,

My condo bathtub has an extremely slow drain. In the time it took me to shower (longish shower) the bathtub filled up to the round cap a few inches under the spout. That's a scary amount of water. Also, it takes more than a half hour for the tub to empty that water. There is a toilet about two feet away and it functions perfectly (thanks Terry's son for the great write-up on installing it). There is a vanity sink about ten feet away and it functions perfectly. My next-door neighbor has a slow (but NOT anywhere as slow as mine) bathtub. I haven't been able to talk to my neighbor on the other side.

In a different building of my complex, two neighbors had their drains snaked by a licensed plumber. Their units butt up to each other and a drain pipe broke. Water ruined one of the guys' wooden floors. I would like to avoid that.

My plumber recommended Johnny Rooter, in Austin, because of his expertise. However, Johnny R suggested snaking only when the problem becomes unbearable. He's concerned about our forty year old waste-water pipes. I'm thinking calf-deep water is at the unbearable level.

Is there any magic elixir I can pour down the drain (BioClean, vinegar, baking soda, Summer's Eve, chicken beaks)? In choosing a rooter company, is there a certain equipment or technique I should verify that they use? Is Johnny Rooter (for the Austin forum members) my best bet?

What questions, pictures, or data do you need from me to properly advise?

As always, thank you for your help and for this forum.
 

Reach4

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Take out the two screws on the overflow, and pull up the linkage. Remove hair etc. There is more than one style. I recently had to do a little prying to get my linkage out. Also lift the tub stopper if there is one, and remove hair etc.
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Smooky

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Here is a decent video on how to snake a tub drain. It also shows a problem with the stopper:
 

Mazcar

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I'm thinking that the non-powered snake in the video is pretty safe for the forty year old p-trap?
I don't know what my neighbors' plumber used when he broke his p-trap. It could have been some high-powered machine with a ham-fisted operator.

Thanks, again.
 

Jacobsond

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I work in a 40yr old apt buildings with cast iron waste lines. I run the hand snake all the time with no issues in the tubs. IMHO if the guy that broke the pipes with his powered snake he wasn't doing it right. Tub drain all you need is that little hand snake. Same thing for sink also. If you have bad pipes already do you really want to pour acid in there?
 

Mazcar

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By hand snake, do you mean like the hand-cranked machine in the above video, or do you mean the one that looks like a ten foot coiled up rope that, I guess, you just gently feed into the pipe?

I routinely use a 18" plastic herringbone rod from Brasscraft to clean out the tubs. It gets out the hair right at the drain, but isn't long enough to get to the p-trap. Nonetheless, plastic is pretty safe.

I apologize to all the hardcore members of the forum for the hand holding, but I'm just trying to make sure to not bust anything.
 

Jacobsond

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The one I use is like the one in the video. 25ft I believe. Gets into me into the main line. Wont work on all clogs. With grease from a kitchen sink it will seal right back up sometimes. You should always try to have a little water running when doing the process.
 

Mazcar

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Thanks! I borrowed a snake machine, like the one in the video, and gently fed it down the pvc overflow down to the cast iron p-trap. It worked. A big wad of hair, covered in a black goo came out. Originally, it took almost an hour to drain the tub. Now, running the shower at full bore, zero water builds up in the tub. If I run the water out of the spout, about half the tub gets surface water. I'd say that's a pretty fast drain.

Remember, how I said my neighbor's drain is a little slow, too (but not as slow as mine)? I went ahead and ran the snake in my neighbor's slow drain, too. Again, I only fed the line to what felt like just a little past the p-trap. Again, I pulled out a wad of hair. However, the drain takes exactly the same amount of time as it did before snaking. The shower coats the tub with an inch of water and the spout does builds up more. A full tub drain took about twenty minutes. It's reasonable, but slow (slow-ish?). I was afraid to put the whole snake past the p-trap and see what else could be down there. Would that be the appropriate action? It seems to me that the more snake fed past the p-trap and along the pipe, the more stress it puts on the p-trap while cranking. Is that the case?
 

Jacobsond

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Not that much stress on the pipes. Push it down until you hit the main line. Should only take 4 or 5 feet to be sure depending on the setup. Wont hurt to go farther.Take it slow and don't force anything.My buildings I usually go 7-8 ft. The cast iron here is 40+ yrs old. If the pipes are fragile enough not to take a little hand snake you need plumbing replacement.
 
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