It's not clogged, I've used drain-o, and it's been this way for several years...it's driving me nuts. I'm a stay at home mom and want to WOW my hubby with my fix-it skills;o) But, I have no idea how to fix it...any ideas?
I can just bet that you have galvanized drain pipe, and that you have a hard water problem in your home (in that you have to use a water softener.) You will probably find that your drain (waste water) pipe is calcified. You solve this by replacing the offending pipe. You'll need a hacksaw with a sharp blade, a pair of transition unions, and enough pvc pipe to cover what was removed. You determine the size of the pipe, and transition unions you need by the outside diameter of the pipe you have. Probably 1.5 I would guess. You'll need pvc cleaner, primer, and glue. No mixing and matching sch. 40 with pvc! Before you do this, check out This Old House and try and catch one of their episodes on plumbing. It sounds like a more complicated project than it is, so if you do your homework first, you could pull this off...
first, turn off the water supplies. Next, take off the trap below the sink (its an elbow joint under the sink that almost looks like a circle of PVC pipe). if the trap is clear, pour some water down the pipe where the trap was to see if that drains slow; it probably will. Now comes the hard part. if whatever is slowing down the water is not at the sink, you will have to track it through your home's plumbing to find it. sometimes it is at the sewer or septic hub where all your drains come together and leave the house
If plunging doesn't work, grab the cable auger and go to work under the sink. Remove the sink trap with a pipe wrench. The large, threaded coupling on PVC plastic traps can often be unscrewed by hand. Empty the water from the trap into a bucket then make sure the trap isn't clogged. Remove the horizontal trap arm that protrudes from the stubout in the wall. Feed the cable into the stubout until you feel resistance. Pull out 18 in. of cable, then tighten the lock screw. Crank the handle in a clockwise direction and push forward at the same time to drive the cable farther into the pipe. Pull out another 18 in. of cable and repeat the process until you break through the blockage. If the cable bogs down or catches on something, turn the crank counterclockwise and pull back on the auger.
Well using Drano isn't a 100% guarantee that the clog will be cleared. You could try running a snake down the pipe, but you'll have to remove the strainer out of the sink 1st. Under the sink is a curve in the drain pipe called the P-Trap. This is the most common place for clogs to develop in a bathroom sink. You can try removing it, but not if it's all metal because it's likely that it's been soldered in place. But if it's the black PVC type, then you should be able to loosen the parts either by hand, or with a pair of channel lock pliers. Just don't attempt to separate any of the pipes that have been glued with adhesive. Glued PVC joints are permanent, & if you have to work with them, the glued parts have to be replaced. Although most PVC parts are rather inexpensive. Once you get the P-Trap apart, you can see if it's clogged by attempting to look through it. Most of the material that will be clogging a P-Trap can be pretty yucky & gooey. If you think you would rather replace the P-Trap rather than clean it, then I recommend that you make sure it isn't oozing too much crud, & take the entire P-Trap assembly to your Hardware Store, & get identical replacement parts. If you just go there without enough knowledge about the pipe sizes you need you will end up making another trip. Whenever I take something apart that I am not sure of how it goes back together, I usually make a diagram before taking it apart. But lately I have resorted to taking digital pictures. Either will work in the event that you decide to take anything apart so you will have an idea on how to reassemble it. Good Luck & have fun!
Dear luvmyfam: Try running a flexible snake down your drain to dislodge or remove what is obstructing your drain pipe. More often than not matter builds-up at the plumbing tree located in the wall in back of the drain pipe that is usually visible under your sink. If you elect to try this be sure to run water when inserting the snake in to the drain pipe and counter turn it when back it out of the pipe moderately pulling back on it at the same time. The snake I am recommending can be purchase at any home improvement store like Ace Hardware, Home Depot or Lowes for a reasonable price. Or if you find it more to your liking get bids from your local drain services in your community. Best wishes,
