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hcsv posted 9/25/2018 19:43 PM

Since divorce I love learning something new about caring for or repairing my house.

I have had a slow draining sink for months. It even comes up in the other sink and now the dishwasher isn't draining completely. So, I have one double sink, one farmers sink and the dishwasher all connected and draining slow. I have used boiling water, draino (hate using that stuff), a 5 foot augur and a 25 foot auger.

The 25 foot augur went all 25 feet, went through some nasty stuff, but the drains are still not draining as they should.

I'm going to use the long auger again tomorrow, but short of calling a plumber, does any one have any ideas?

I'd really like to do this myself.

FaithFool posted 9/25/2018 19:51 PM

Have you tried a plunger (minus the Drano...)? I use vinegar and baking soda w/ boiling water and a little plunger. Takes a few tries before the disgusting black gunk comes out, but it works.

LilBlackCat posted 9/25/2018 19:56 PM

The only thing I would think right offhand.. is if you have any large bushes or a tree in your front yard (assuming your sewer line goes that way) that you have a root issue.. or if you have noticed and soil movement like a sinkhole or something similar.. could be a damaged pipe..

Quick question, do you have a crawl space under your house?

if so, check underneath ASAP cause the you might be having overflow issues that would happen when flushing the toilet as well.. that large influx of water has to be going somewhere.

Good luck.

hcsv posted 9/25/2018 21:02 PM

I've used a plunger, boiling water and baking soda/vinegar.

I have a basement. Think I might go down and take a look under the ceiling panels to see if there is an access down there underneath the kitchen.

Nothing else in the house is draining slowly or seems affected but it is certainly something to check to see if it is a more systemic issue and not localized to the kitchen.

Thank you for your input.

Superesse posted 9/25/2018 22:06 PM

hcsv, could be many things, and I agree with the suggestions all have given about drain lines being checked, etc.

If the problem seems to have started suddenly, AND if the problem is limited to one drainpipe, my guess is something went down in the line and got hung up.

I assume you have used those serrated straps that you can snake down a trap and pull out hair and stuff? But sometimes, a solid, small object can get down the drain and then lodge sideways.....beyond reach.

I had a house I bought once that was old, had the old-style bathtub trap made of galvanized pipe, which no longer met the Code, because they were notorious for getting things stuck in them. The bathtub just wouldn't drain!

I finally undid the trap below the tub, from the dirt floor cellar, and guess what was stuck just below reach? A plastic shampoo bottle cap!

hcsv posted 9/26/2018 17:52 PM

I think maybe I cleared the drain. Plunger, hot water and the auger this morning, again and again. we'll see. Thank you all for your input.

Jeaniegirl posted 9/26/2018 18:08 PM

We sure can develop skills when we need to.
My home is older - built in 1974 and I've learned to work on the pipes too. Plungers are a girl's best friend.

I.will.survive posted 9/27/2018 05:21 AM

I hope you did get it cleared!

When I bought my current home, two weeks after living here drains stopped up and the washing machine seemed to gurgle in the kitchen sink.

Turns out a shrub had grown through the cap of the clean out pipe in the front flower bed. It was buried under mulch and I never would have found it. Cost $1200 for RotoRooter to dig it out by hand!

If you still have issues, check for that round white lid/pipe outdoors. When he took the cap off, the fine, threadlike roots had grown into a round circle with a square on top...just like the cap!

Cabrona posted 9/27/2018 07:57 AM

In case it comes back, I discovered this thing you attach to a garden hose that high pressures out a clog, it’s called DRAIN KING and costs about 10 bucks. Works better than anything else I have ever tried.

hcsv posted 9/27/2018 11:07 AM

Drain king. Thank you so much. It sounds great.