So, I decided to pour beans down the sink. Smart move, eh? We used some clog stuff and that worked until cereal magically got poured down there as well. Now we are plunging it to all hell and the water wont budge. We can not afford a plumber so I'm going to ask the good people of Yahoo! Haha. You know..we left for a week for vacation so what i'm thinking is that it hardened up pretty good? Any one have some killer ideas to get our kitchen sink back?!
2007-09-07 04:15:31 · 6 answers · asked by skinworthy87 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Do It Yourself (DIY)
Sheila has a good idea. But how fast does the drain back up? If its very quickly , the clog is in the trap, the elbow under the sink. It that be the case, you can always detach the elbow, and clean it out. Other than that, the drain travels a distance to the tile, and sheila's answer sounds the best.
2007-09-07 04:30:31 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Definitely take the p-trap off (I know, it's shaped more like a J or a U) and see what's going on inside it...if it's empty, look up thru the drain into the sink...if that's empty, too, then the clog is in the "wall arm" pipe and the drain pipe/s beyond it.
If---and I stress IF-- the wall-arm pipe is firmly attached, you can buy a device at some/good hardware stores that is made of black rubber, about 4 inches long, with a small hole on one end a fitting to go on a garden hose on the other end (no snickering, please!).
Those rubber things come in a few different sizes...you want the one for a 1 1/2" (one-and-a-half inch) pipe. Attach it to a garden hose, then insert it into the wall-arm and turn on the hose faucet. The rubber expands, blocking water from coming back into the room; the force of all the water pressure is now applied to the drain pipe and its contents. Hopefully, you will hear a 'whoosh' and then the sound of water running freely down the drain pipe again. It really helps, especially if you are alone, to have a shutoff connector on the end of the garden hose, so that you can hook up the hose, attach the shutoff connector in the 'closed' position to the far end of the garden hose, then the rubber drain-blaster is attached to the closed connector and the hose faucet can be turned on. Carry the hose into the house and proceed, as above.
Side note: Muriatic acid works, but as noted, it's really dangerous. And if your pipes are in bad condition, especially right under the sink, you'll have a caustic mess on your hands...my advice: don't even think about using it, nor Drano nor LiquidPlumr. This is especially true if you or a plumber has to work on the plumbing later...it could come splashing back onto your eyes, face, hands, etc. Bad bad stuff.
2007-09-07 04:53:03 · answer #2 · answered by Dept. of Redundancy Department 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Rent a snake auger (or buy one if you can afford it) use that; Try using a straightener coat hanger; Pour some Liquid Plumber down there. The stuff probably did harden into clay, you know how oatmeal hardens in a bowl left on the sink?
If you buy the auger at least you will always have it on hand for future emergencies.
Also try pouring boiling hot water down there first before doing anything else..
2007-09-07 04:24:18 · answer #3 · answered by llittle mama 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Momma has the first/best suggestion. Consider that the substances are FOOD first of all, and it may be that an "Auger/Snake" will not breach the built in TRAP in the sink drain. WATER however will aid in dissolving, and not introduce more toxicity into the Universal FLOW.
Second thought, and I have to do this sooooo often...REMOVE the "P" trap, and check it for free flow. IF ANYTHING is going to clog ANY sink drain, it will often be in the P trap.
Steven Wolf
2007-09-07 04:59:21 · answer #4 · answered by DIY Doc 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pull the trap off underneath the sink. The trap is the piece of pipe that has the strong curve in it that goes down then back up. Usually this is where the food sits. If that is empty then you need to run a snake(tool to unplug pipes) into the pipe that dissapears into the wall.GOOD LUCK!!!
2007-09-07 04:26:13 · answer #5 · answered by Allan C 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
muratic acid!!! buy it at a hardware store for about $4.00 a gallon pour a little in there and let it sit for just a few minutes!!! no more than three of more minutes!!!! this stuff is mean and dangerous too so be very careful!!! make sure you run plenty of hot water thru it after it has set for a few minute again be very very careful!
2007-09-07 04:22:54 · answer #6 · answered by bluebonnets1952 5 · 0⤊ 2⤋