Stephen Tashiro
06-22-2009, 12:56 PM
Plumbing clogs at my house have followed a certain pattern. I'm wondering if others have similar rules-of-thumb.
Kitchen sink: It clogs up where drain line enters the wall and slightly beyond that point where pipe in the wall makes a 90 degree turn. The trap doesn't clog. The cure is always snaking. Fortunately, there is a clean-out plug on the outside wall of the house for this.
Bathroom sink: It clogs up between the drain and the top of the trap. The trap itself doesn't get clogged. Cure: Cut a 3/4 inch wide strip from a plastic bottle. Cut many slanting notches into the side of the strip so it resembles a feather with about a 5/8 inch stem. Push this strip into the drain and slowly "saw" up and down to cut up the debris while you run the water.
Commode: Can be fixed with the plunger unless it is (or was) a back up of the main sewer line. The problem there was invasion of roots in the main sewer. Cured by roto-rooter type snaking. The line was fiber pipe ("Orangeburg"). But the roots invaded where the city had connected their new PVC line to mine using a rubber boot. I had my line replaced with PVC and the plumber buried that connection in concrete.
Kitchen sink: It clogs up where drain line enters the wall and slightly beyond that point where pipe in the wall makes a 90 degree turn. The trap doesn't clog. The cure is always snaking. Fortunately, there is a clean-out plug on the outside wall of the house for this.
Bathroom sink: It clogs up between the drain and the top of the trap. The trap itself doesn't get clogged. Cure: Cut a 3/4 inch wide strip from a plastic bottle. Cut many slanting notches into the side of the strip so it resembles a feather with about a 5/8 inch stem. Push this strip into the drain and slowly "saw" up and down to cut up the debris while you run the water.
Commode: Can be fixed with the plunger unless it is (or was) a back up of the main sewer line. The problem there was invasion of roots in the main sewer. Cured by roto-rooter type snaking. The line was fiber pipe ("Orangeburg"). But the roots invaded where the city had connected their new PVC line to mine using a rubber boot. I had my line replaced with PVC and the plumber buried that connection in concrete.