Help, Kitchen sink drain frozen.?

Question

I thought it was clog but two of my neighbors have exactly the same problem (same builders) and occurred the same day. I have already tried boiling water, two containers of liquid plummer, Industrial drain cleaner with Hydochloric Acid ( Gets pipes Hot).I have plunged until I have blisters with no flow. I can access the 5 inch metal pipe that runs under the slab (no basement) via a test plug below the PVC piping. But i can not snake it with quarter inch snake.
Should I add halite to the acid now in my pipes?

It's a rental and it is seperate septics systems. No one 's has thawed yet. lanlord says if the acid dosen't work then we'll have too wait until spring thaw....Coldest it has been here in the midwest in years....

Answer 1

mixing drain cleaners is a no-no, read the label?

Ice melt, rock salt will work sometimes with all that acid in there tho it's hard to say. If you're not backed up completely it means you have some flow. If this is the case most of the acid will go by without ever really stopping long enough to do any good and it will only dissolve organic materials anyway. You said you are on a slab, when you look in the clean out, how far down is the pipe itself? If it's not overly deep you may want to cover the ground outside with straw bales/tarp to insulate the pipe where it exits the building.

My suggestion since you have access to the line itself, get a bag of rock salt/ice melt, whichever you prefer. Wrap and tape a ball of rags to the end of your snake, make it like a cannon plunger. Put some salt down the clean out and use the snake to shove it down the line as far as you can. Don't worry about using to much, it should dissolve over time and you're going to need a good enough concentration to actually do some good. Just be reasonable in how much you put down there. I'd also suggest using the finest sized pellets you can. Be patient, it may take some time.

What you need is flow, without that, it will never un-thaw. Best wishes and good luck.

P.S. you have a lousy landlord, I've been fixing frozen plumbing for the last week non-stop. Technically this isn't your job to fix but I understand your dilemma.

and since I just saw it is a septic system, go to the tank and take the lid off. Look inside for the pipe that comes from the house, estimate it's depth under the ground. If it is less than 3 feet under the ground, get some straw and some tarps. spread the straw over where the pipe runs to the house, cover it with the tarps and then stake the tarps to the ground. Also check to see that the tank isn't full, ie: the inlet pipe is not under water. If it is get your cheapskate landlord to get it pumped out.

Answer 2

Spring thaw, Baloney: Tell him you want someone like Rooter-Router in there now. Have him call a plumber with a steamer, there usually reasonable. You can't wait for any spring thaw.
I wouldn't add anything more to the line, it's just sitting there, doing nothing. It's plugged out away from the house. The line may be to shallow and there's going to be trouble every year unless the line is covered in the winter to prevent freezing down.

Answer 3

Apparently, the guys that installed your plumming did not winter-proof your pipes. However, If you are renting then this sort of problem should not be listed in your lease as your responsibility. The landlord should not be saying anything, he should be hiring a contractor to come out and fix that problem for you. Otherwise, I am pretty sure that some sort of compensation can be legally withdrawn from your landlord. Your lease agreement should say something about your apartment having plumbing that works. Therefore, since the lease agreement is a legally binging contract, you have a legal right to have working plumbing in your rented home. It is NOT your responsibility to fix, however I understand a dire need to have working plumbing pronto. You should call your landlord and politely demand repair. If he does not comply, then as long as your lease is in effect, you have every right to press legal charges. Your landlord has to provide everything listed in the lease agreement otherwise it's a breach of contract. He must pay for the repairs and if any harm comes to any inhabitants included in your lease then you have a right to sue. I am sorry, I have no idea how to fix this problem yourself but A plumber can be paid to come out to your residence and do what is necessary top fix the problem... Good Luck.

Answer 4

Oh my goodness -- I'm amazed your pipes haven't dissolved from all the chemicals. Treat it very carefully, and be sure you have safety goggles and rubber gloves on if you do any more Mr. Chemist stuff.

So, the frozen plugged part is under the house? If it were simply in the cabinet, you could open the cabinet doors, turn up the heat, and set a fan blowing into the cabinet. It's slow, but it works.

If it's under the house, though, you'd have to set up a space heater or something in the crawl space. If it's under ground but above the frost line, then you'll have to wait until spring or until your landlord is ready to spring for a plumber.

If you manage to get it unplugged, you can get styrofoam covers to put on your pipes. It helps keep them from freezing. And running a little dribble keeps your in-let pipes from freezing -- running water may keep your outlet pipes doing OK, too.

Good luck, and I hope you get the landlord to do his/her duty.

Answer 5

The hot water is re-freezing, which is making the plug bigger....open your cabinet doors (under the sink) at night to let the heat from the house slowly thaw it put.....the same thing happens to mine but I now open the cabinets everyday when I leave for work and overnight and never have a problem.....but be careful about kids and pets....make sure everything is sealed or moved.

Answer 6

I wonder if you could put anti freeze in it? but then you put all those other chemicals so I wouldn't know. I'd call a plumber and then make the builders pay for it along with fixing the problem. The other guy was right. I would get the tv media involved. They do amazing things.
Rutgers has an extension service that could probably help you with this problem too. Right off hand I don't know the number, but it is called Rutgers Extension Service. Good luck.

Answer 7

After s little research I learned that the kitchen sink is considered grey water and often does not run into the septic tank but into a leach pipe. In this case I believe it was drained into the pond in front of the house. Due to the cold weather the pond froze deep and blocked the the leach pipe exit into the pond,I got the lanlord to fix it by suggesting I call roto rooter and deduct it from my rent. He opted to fix it by tying it into the septic system by rerouting a pipe in the house. Thanks so much for all the great answers.

Answer 8

thank you all! Iown my own house .out in the woods. in the middle of no where. i have been reading all of your replys and it has brought back some memories! Blow Dryer! and some patience. Feed my deer and wash the dishes in the tub.THANKS! BYE

Answer 9

no, call a plumber, call the builder, call the city. Get everyone involved and complain. And if they don't solve it then call the tv station to embarass them into fixing the situation for you and your neighbors.

Answer 10

This might sound funny, but my friends did this with theirs, they took a hair dryer and used that, but it takes a long time. why don't you ask your neighbors how they got theirs going. good luck.