Using a metal snake on ABS plastic drain pipe?

[Diggin It]

The toilet seems to flush fine, the shower drain is a little slower than it used to be. A sink full of water can take an hour or more to drain. But when I took apart the P-trap I didn't see any restriction including when I examined the pipe after the P-trap.

That says the problem is before the P trap. As indicated above, pull the drain stopper assembly and work the lifter a few times while running hot water. That should flush the goop that can't get to the P-trap.

 

[ChiefBodie]

When I took the P-trap off, I examined it and the drain pipe downstream from it. I didn't look down the sink drain hole.

I will try what is suggested with hot water and the lifter. If that does not work I will disassemble it again and look down the hole.

Update: I just removed the stopper and looked down the sink drain hole. There is no restriction I can see. I can operate the lever and see it working in the drain pipe. There is standing water visible about 8-10" below the beginning of the sink drain. I presume this is the water that stays in the P-trap to provide an air seal?

 

[Diggin It]

There is standing water visible about 8-10" below the beginning of the sink drain. I presume this is the water that stays in the P-trap to provide an air seal?

Probably.

If the block isn't there, the next step is to start tracing pipes to see where that drain pipe joins the rest of the system. You say it's an older house with mixed pipe types, so it could be a real task. If all other sinks, showers, tubs and so on drain fine, it has to be that one line and the block could be in a union or joint anywhere along the way. I'd remove and replace all cast iron pipes if possible (not buried in walls) since rust can be a huge issue.

A snake may not do it either. They're not always successful.

 

[pmsmechanic]

When we moved into our house we always had trouble with the kitchen sink drain. It would plug several times a year. Eventually I caught on and changed the drain to a slightly steeper slope. Basically I moved the pipes around under the sink so that I had about a 1' better slope in that area. It's never been plugged since and that was about 20 years ago.

I still have troubles with the bath tub every few years. Mostly longer hair from when people stay over. I just use the plunger with several inches of water in the tub and pull up sharply several times. That's always been enough to restore adequate flow down the drain.

 

[jfh28]

as others have said be very careful with galvanized pipes.......their useful life is 50 years.....after that rusting thru becomes an issue.......I would not use any snakes in a galvanized pipe......for slow running drains the first thing I try is to remove the pop-up drain or drain screen......plug up the overflow outlet and then insert the nozzle of a wet/dry shop vac into the drain opening.....wrap a cloth or paper towel around the nozzle and the drain to create a semi air tight seal and turn it on......you'll feel the debris going thru the hose.....after about 30 seconds turn it off......a good portion of the time this is all that I will need to do to get the drain running again......run some hot water and see....it's a good idea to open the windows and turn on the exhaust fan as drain gunk stinks.......also DO NOT do this if you have already used ANY drain cleaners.......Jack

 

[2manyrocks]

If you put chemicals in the drain and it doesn't clear, you then have the chemicals to deal with.

Those little sawtooth plastic drain tools are only $1.00 at our local dollar store.

Could you shoot a few pictures of roughly the first 3-4 feet of your pipes? My clogs always seem to be in the first few feet of line.

 

[MossRoad]

Well, since you can see the water in the trap, and you already pulled the trap, you can be pretty sure the blockage is further down the line from the trap. I'd still try the plunger first, as it's the least expensive, less invasive, less work method. Can't hurt.

Hope it works out for you.

 

[ChiefBodie]

I tried the vacuum method. I heard clunking in the hose pipe and was hoping it was debris. But in the end, it only sucked the water out of the trap. I did plug the overflow hole. I repeated several times and don't think that will work.

From the output side of the P-trap, the drain line goes almost completely level to inside the wall. The nearly perfectly level section is galvanized, and it connects to a 90 degree galvanized fitting that is in the wall. I can see it. It would be tricky to get any more fall in that pipe, and ... the drain used to work OK but has slowly degraded over time to almost complete stoppage.

I believe this section of the house was built in 1946-- ugh!

My wife is enroute right now to purchase a sink plunger!

 

[ChiefBodie]

Here is a picture of the drain setup.

 

[Diggin It]

Is this on the first floor or second floor? Is there a basement or crawlspace?