Recently my kitchen sink has had trouble draining. Draino/baking soda and vinegar not working. I removed the piping underneath and started snaking only to be stopped roughly 5 feet in. It feels like it's caught on a bend in the pipe or snagging uneven piping. It's not hitting a blockage. Stagnant water is still in the pipe but the snake is doing no good. Are there other options? Does it make sense that my snake is catching like this?
Kitchen sink drain blockage
- Thread starter JennyO
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I like the Brasscraft drain bladders. The small one may fit into your cleanout. Shove the hose as far as it wants to go, and then turn on the water.
Does your drain go down before turning horizontal, or is it horizontal for that first 5 ft?
Does your drain go down before turning horizontal, or is it horizontal for that first 5 ft?
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The water connects to the drain bladder from a garden hose. The drain bladder swells up to seal inside the pipe as best as it can, and then it spits out pressurized water.
You would want a helper to control the water to the hose. You can hook up the hose outdoors if it is warm enough out. Otherwise you can use a washing machine connection or the laundry tub spout if it has a garden hose thread. Remember to elevate both ends of the hose while moving it around to avoid spilling water that may be inside the hose.
Got it. That makes sense. I only got the 1/4 inch snake and not the bladder but I will exchange it tomorrow and try that, thank you.
Hypothetically if the clog is really bad could the pressure from the bladder damage any of the piping? Or is it just minor flooding that I'm risking?
Hypothetically if the clog is really bad could the pressure from the bladder damage any of the piping? Or is it just minor flooding that I'm risking?
I am not a plumber. It seems very unlikely the water pressure would damage your sewer piping, but I could be wrong I guess.
But you are right about the potential minor flooding. Try putting a squarish container against the wall where it will catch what might flow out.
hj
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Depending on how bad the stoppage is and where it is, the water could just go up the pipe and exit onto the roof, but when you turn the water pressure off ALL the water in the pipe riser will come out into the room.
I had not thought of that. So if there is a vent connecting between the drain bladder and the clog, that would happen. That seems unlikely if you can get the bladder past the initial vent, but it is certainly a possibility. I guess the defense for that would be to turn on the water for shorter periods initially to see if there is a bigger dollop of water coming back when you turn off the water.
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