Dig Doug
New Member
Problem: kitchen sink almost fully stopped up. All other sinks, toilets and baths are on other side of house and connected together and have no problems whatsoever. Pipe from sink is 2" and I'd say about 50 feet before joining the rest of house pipes; I can follow the pipe in the crawlspace a good ways before it disappears in the wall. As there are no problems with the rest of the house, I assume the problem is in the 2" pipe between the sink and where it joins the pipe for the rest of the house. All pipe is PVC.
A few years ago called plumber out and they got it flowing for $500. We quit putting anything down the drain, although dishwasher debris obviously still goes.
Problem came back recently. Wife used a few bottles of Drano that didn't seem to help. I told her to stop using chemicals. I snaked it with a 50 foot snake; very little on the head when I pulled it but got it flowing for several weeks. Stopped up again and 50 foot snake didn't get it flowing. Bought a 100 foot snake. Couldn't retract it so I pulled it out through the cleanout (which I measured to be about 85 feet from the sink). Got a little flow but backs up when I run any water beyond just a little. Not 100% blocked because it does slowly drain. Snaked it to the cleanout and pulled it through three times total. No noticeable debris on the head. Each time I try running hot water and soap right after but it backs up quickly.
Looking for advice on what to try next. I assume I have buildup in the pipe but I do get the 1/2 inch snake through it. How do I get that removed? Is there a safer alternative to Drano I should try? Or try Drano now? I do not want to hurt myself with chemical residue the next time I snake it.
POST-NOTE: wife is super concerned over COVID or we would have had a plumber come in. For now, I'm relegated to fixing it myself or living with it until COVID passes and she feels safe to have someone in.
Thanks in advance for any tips or advice.
Doug
A few years ago called plumber out and they got it flowing for $500. We quit putting anything down the drain, although dishwasher debris obviously still goes.
Problem came back recently. Wife used a few bottles of Drano that didn't seem to help. I told her to stop using chemicals. I snaked it with a 50 foot snake; very little on the head when I pulled it but got it flowing for several weeks. Stopped up again and 50 foot snake didn't get it flowing. Bought a 100 foot snake. Couldn't retract it so I pulled it out through the cleanout (which I measured to be about 85 feet from the sink). Got a little flow but backs up when I run any water beyond just a little. Not 100% blocked because it does slowly drain. Snaked it to the cleanout and pulled it through three times total. No noticeable debris on the head. Each time I try running hot water and soap right after but it backs up quickly.
Looking for advice on what to try next. I assume I have buildup in the pipe but I do get the 1/2 inch snake through it. How do I get that removed? Is there a safer alternative to Drano I should try? Or try Drano now? I do not want to hurt myself with chemical residue the next time I snake it.
POST-NOTE: wife is super concerned over COVID or we would have had a plumber come in. For now, I'm relegated to fixing it myself or living with it until COVID passes and she feels safe to have someone in.
Thanks in advance for any tips or advice.
Doug