Clogged kitchen drain, confusing results

Gunner46

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 6, 2003
Messages
3,307
Location
Frigid Ohio
I've been trying to clear it for 2 days now. Both sinks backed up. So, I clear the left side and scoop most of the water, slam with some Drano crystals and let it sit for an appropriate amount of time.

Next the plunger. Hard down and gush it up. NADA. Repeat.

Now, the Right side drains, not the left !

What's going on ?????
 
Put a bucket under there, and remove the whole trap system. Clean it out and replace. It happens quite regularly in my Wife's bathroom sink (long hair clogging it up). If you put too much Drano in there and damage that pipe, you will have to take it apart anyway. If there is a clog in one of those sections and you use the plunger to push it through, the clog might move into the pipe section in the wall and you will have more problems that you can't access as easy. Pull that sucker apart and you will see the clog. Use a paper towel balled up and push it through to get the clog out.
 
No drano!
No plunger!

Do as the others have said. Make sure to wear heavy rubber gloves and eye protection when you take apart the undersink pipes b/c they are full of toxic chemicals now.

Sometimes before using a snake I will clean out with baking soda and vinegar. MUCH gentler than the store bought drain clean chemicals.
 
Hell you don’t even need a fancy blue pipe wrench to take that bad boy apart.

But yeah take it all apart clean all the sections, did this last week because of a smell.
You still went to the hardware store and bought a few new tools and told your wife you needed a special tool to complete the job. Right?
 
The worse part about plumbing jobs is the number of trips it takes to the hardware store to complete the job. Less than 3 trips is considered a win for me.
I usually buy 3x more pieces than I expect to need. It usually works out well for me. And then I just return the pets I didn’t need next time I am close by.
 
With a wife and 3 daughters, all with long hair, clogged sink drains are pretty common in my household. While I often run a snake thru the p-traps, I have found the best way to clear clogs is to disassemble drain pipe, clean, and reassemble. Have gotten pretty good at it over the years so doesn't take long at all and yeilds the best results. Have tried various types of strainers in the drains with some success but eventually clogs are inevitable.
 

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