A really big mess!?

Question

I had a slow drain. So, I used baking soda/vinegar mix to break down the gunk and stuff. Yet, it just broke it down and it settled somewhere making a very tough clog.

I later got Draino Gel Max.... I am not sure if it just not working or the clog is that bad. I left it overnight and it is still there. Even in the sink, that how bad the clog is.

Is it all reacted? What am I going to do with all this stuff? Should I get a plumber.

I was just thinking of buying a snake. Would it be okay to use in the Draino.

I has been sitting there since yesterday at 5:40 pm.

You couldn't pay me to touch that stuff. Would it be ok to use a snake? I since I wouldn't be touching the stuff.

Answer 1

Try the snake first. You should be able to push the clog through with the snake. DON'T put any other "cleaner" down the drain. You could cause toxic fumes and kill yourself. Some products are not meant to be used together. Since the Drano and etc., hasn't worked, use the snake. Then call the plumber.

Answer 2

Vinegar and baking soda neutralize each other. One is an acid and the other is mildly caustic and I don't know what the final product would be. If this is a sink or tub, fill it with hot water and try to move the clog with a toilet plunger. Work the plunger in a rapid up and down motion without breaking the water surface. If this does not work, then the best bet would be to run a snake down the drain.

Answer 3

TOILET BOWL PLUNGER! The old fashioned kind with the flexible reddish rubber plunger. That's the only thing I use anymore on my sink/tubs because I spent $30 on "Heavy Duty" gels & liquids for ONE clogged sink & they didn't work! A plunger will usually push it on thru!

And yes a snake is the next step if needed. I got mine for like $3 in the clearance bin at Walmart but the head's a tiny bit too big to fit down my drain unless I remove the thingie at the top of the drain, so I've never been able to use it. Just so you know, there may be different size heads to look for or you may want to consider the work involved with removing the thingie in order to get the snake down there.

CAUTION;;;;;;;;; IF USING A PLUNGER---Be sure to STAND CLEAR when you plunge since you've got caustic chemicals in there now.

Good luck.

Answer 4

Ha, I move in to this an apt and the drain in a sink was clogged, try using a wire hanger to unclog it first then go buy and use the tools if that didn't work.

Answer 5

you can try a snake but better are the things you buy that fill with air and then blast air or sometimes water through the drain if it doesn't work call a plumber but please as the wife of a plumber who has been burned by the acid in those so called drain cleaners more than once make sure you tell him exactly what you did to try to unclog it so he will know what precautions to take so as not to get burned

Answer 6

Yeah, you could get a snake.
You could always dismantle the pipe at the drainage site -- outside the house -- and see if you can get at the clog that way. My husband did that once. I'd try that first...
Hey, have you tried the "Plumber's Friend" thingy that you unstop commodes with, to apply pressure/suction to the clogged drain? Just a thought...

Answer 7

It's probably just the J trap, that curved pipe directly under the drain.....get a guy with a pipe wrench to simply remove the two nuts over a bucket and clean it out......run as much fresh water through it first if possible to get rid of all the silly stuff you've been using.....

Answer 8

what ever you try just be careful not to get splashed with whatever is in your drain especially a comerciasl drain opening chemical and if you call the plumber warn him of what is in the drain.As a plumber myself I have seberal scars on my arm from drain cleaner burns

Answer 9

I'd suggest you get a plumber. If all that hasn't helped any, you've obviously got a serious problem and those chemicals are dangerous.

Answer 10

Try the snake first. If it doesn't work, you will need a plumber. Good luck.