Whats going on i just bought my first house and i noticed my bathroom sink drain set up is hacked and backing up i noticed the connection to the stub coming through the sink is nothing more than a piece of PVC that slides over the copper coming through from the sink. secondly i took the trap apart and pulled a small amount of hair out of it but nothing that i expect would make it clog up. i stuck a snake into the pipe coming through the wall also and got nothing. even if i fix the top connection i expect it to just back up into the sink, i did use some drain-o stuff to try and dissolve anything i couldn't reach. any suggestions?
Bathroom sink clogged but can't pull anything out
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Like yourself I was a neophyte homeowner some 40 years ago and one of the very first issues I had were clogged sink drains. Money was tight, ignorance ran rampant. however one of the most valuable tools which I purchased was a Milwaukee electric drain snake with a 1/4-inch 25-foot cable which has since been upgraded to a 5/16-inch diameter 35 foot cable. Yes, you can call a plumber in however you will pay dearly not because of the plumber's greed but his cost for tools, insurance, gas, and whatnot. More importantly, you will never learn but will be at the mercy of contracted help. If money is tight rent a electric snake at your local Home Depot. Besides using this tool to clear your immediate clog it will allow you to also perform preventative maintenance on all your other drains. If your spouse is like mine you will eventually have sluggish possible clogged drains in the future simply because of hair and other materials which will clog periodically. I spent $350 some 40 years ago for a Milwaukee electric snake and it's paid for itself dozens of times. My assumption is your clog is further down the drain so a 25 foot electric drain snake is your most likely fix. Avoid using caustic liquid cleaners as they are "all" a waste of money. After your clog is resolved be sure and use lint and hair traps, avoid disposing grease and food down any of your drains and learn to love pasta. Why pasta?..... the hot pasta water is fantastic when used as a preventative drain cleaner poured piping hot down your most recalcitrant drain...works for me!
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Im looking into one of the dewalt electric snakes now looks like a 5/16 tool only is 190 vs the 3/8 snake for almost 400 . wonder if 5./16 is too small or could swap to a larger bulb for cheaper money.
DonL
Jack of all trades Master of one
I have had good luck using a Shop Vac.
It will suck the clog out.
I blame the clog on my wifes long hair.
Good Luck.
It will suck the clog out.
I blame the clog on my wifes long hair.
Good Luck.
If you let the sink drain down overnight, how much water can you add in the morning before the water level in the bowl starts rising? Pour fairly quickly.
When water backs up in the bowl, how quickly does the water recede?
When water backs up in the bowl, how quickly does the water recede?
well because of the poor connection under the sink im trying to not let it get much higher than the trap, theres not even a clamp on the plastic going to the little stub. if it risen that high it would just overflow out before it reached the bowl. so iv been not using the sink
Put a container under what leaks to catch leaks, and do the test. If the drain lines don't leak when you add 1 cup of water, you could use the water leaking out after a gallon (or whatever amount) as your signal to stop pouring.
The point of the test measurement is to estimate how far along the drain piping the clog is.
Is there a crawl space under that bathroom, or what?
The point of the test measurement is to estimate how far along the drain piping the clog is.
Is there a crawl space under that bathroom, or what?
no crawl space. been in the house about a month and a half and just noticed it. its a ranch so the pipes are in the ceiling in the basement some of framed in.first thing i want to do is get some kind of reducing rubber hose to re connect that top sht connection and use some hose clamps to stop that from leaking and spattering
The lav tailpiece is 1-1/4" going into a 1-1/2" p-trap. They make a reducing slip joint washer for that.
Good chance the clog is where the vertical under the sanitary tee in the bathroom wall transitions to horizontal. That could be under the basement floor, or in the basement ceiling.
The Ridgid PowerSpin Plus worked for my lavatory drain. I was expecting to disassemble the 1-1/4 inch trap, but I tried through the trap just in case it worked. Yes, the head is much smaller than you would like. Something bigger would be better. But it worked surprisingly well for me. However I had not done other snaking of that line previously. I kept a little water standing in the sink, and boom, the water went down suddenly.
The Ridgid PowerSpin Plus worked for my lavatory drain. I was expecting to disassemble the 1-1/4 inch trap, but I tried through the trap just in case it worked. Yes, the head is much smaller than you would like. Something bigger would be better. But it worked surprisingly well for me. However I had not done other snaking of that line previously. I kept a little water standing in the sink, and boom, the water went down suddenly.
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WorthFlorida
Clinical Trail on a Cancer Drug Started 1/31/24. ☹
Have you remove the pivot rod and stopper. You'll usually find it loaded with hair and scum.
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