Using a metal snake on ABS plastic drain pipe?

[D2Cat]

Has anyone ever used one of these? :
Amazon.com: Drain Cleaning Water Bladder with Garden Hose Attachment, Medium: Home Improvement

I have a couple of different sizes. I use the smallest one when I drain a radiator and flush the cooling system in a vehicle. I remove the hoses to the heater core and put it on each side until clear water comes out. Do the same at the fill point for the radiator. Remove the overflow line to the overflow tank and use it to flush there also. Don't need much pressure, but it works nicely.

 

[PILOON]

I came across a german device that resembles a large grease gun.
Uses a standard type rubber cup at the business end and a serious handle that you pull/push to force a considerable amount of water to flow by the pressure you apply.
To use this effectively the toilet needs a 1/2 bowl of water or more and a sink needs to be about 1/2 full.
The 'gun' cylinder is about 2" in diameter and about 12" tall.
I guess the theory is to force a volume of water that dilutes the clog and pushes the clog or plug forward. Since it is hand powered U don't exert excessive pressures. Once the flow starts gravity takes over.

My experience is that it beats snakes and usual plungers hands down.

 

[CobyRupert]

I have blown pipe fittings apart with one of those. I would not use it for indoor plumbing.

(IMHO) I'd only worry if it was a toilet seal being subjected to the pressure.
While the (impulse) force one can apply with a plunger, and the force from a garden hose with these bladders (a.k.a. balloons) can vary greatly, I'd imagine they'd could be comparable.

 

[ChiefBodie]

I did apartment maintenance for several years. To resolve stoppages we had three tools: a plunger, a garden hose balloon attachment, and a pressurized plunger that used a disposable compressed air cylinder.

We quickly learned to almost never use the one that had pressurized compressed air. It caused too much damage. If I remember correctly, we also had an occasional problem with the garden hose balloon attachment. The construction quality was not good, so maybe we had loose fittings to start with that the balloon method just aggravated.

I did not see any vent through the attic above the commode or sink. There is also a shower in the bathroom. I will do some more investigation today to see if I can find a vent. Yes I agree the commode should be vented, and if it is, the others are likely tied in.

 

[MossRoad]

....
I know what a Studer vent it, but I don't understand how it would make a difference compared to the air that is allowed in anyway as the water goes down the drain hole?

The way it was explained to me was that it needs a smooth flow of air for the drainage to flow smoothly down the pipes. When it gets to horizontal runs, which should be sloped at something like 1/4" per foot, if there's glugging going on in the pipe, it causes waves in the horizontal sections, not a smooth flow.

Those waves can cause ripples in the sediment, waste, poop, etc... that look like sand dunes or hills on the floor of the horizontal run. They don't get flushed out completely.

As time goes on, those sediments harden, mineralized, etc.... and can cause blockages.

There's a whole science about not enough slope VS too much slope (which is also bad). I saw a nice video on it somewhere, but can't find it right now.

 

[2manyrocks]

If water runs off too fast because of too much pitch, it doesn't carry stuff with it. If it runs off too slowly because the pitch is inadequate, it doesn't carry stuff with it. Pitch and venting are important.

Another way of roughly looking for a stop is to put hot water in the drain and feel where the pipe goes cold or use an inexpensive infrared thermoneter. Or use a cheap USB borescope, make a video of the gross stuff in your drains, amaze your family and friends.

 

[ChiefBodie]

Update:

I located TWO vent drains just outside the wall of the bathroom where the sink, commode, and shower are. One vent has a cap on it-- the other does not. I am not sure but presume it had a cap someday that has been lost long ago. It is just a pipe sticking up, and if it rained the drops would go down the pipe. We have lots of leaves, etc, some of which also certainly went down the pipe at some point.

I tried putting a metal fish tape down the pipe but only got about 2 feet until it stopped. I am guessing I hit a 90 degree elbow. I poured several gallons of hot water down the pipe, sometimes on its own and sometimes while the sink was running. Then I plugged the sink overflow and used the push/pull method with the sink plunger. For about 10 minutes this time.

Just like last time, after working it like this it drains faster than the faucet can deliver water. Nice! And I can hear water draining out the top of the vent pipe that has no cap. Last time and this time, it almost seemed as if using hot water was "magic" that caused the drain to open. And last time, by the next morning, it was draining slowly again.

I will test it again in the morning. If there were any leaves in the vent pipe I am hoping I washed them down and out.

 

[Redlands Okie]

Caps on the vents are not usually used, At least in this area. Usually no problems. But every once in a while a animal will get into them and of course starts a frustrating experience figuring it out and getting the vent or drain pipe opened back up. So....... caps are nice to have.
Hopefully your starting to gain on the blockage and it will get better

 

[MossRoad]

Good luck! :thumbsup:

 

[kc5dlo]

I'm finding that out as I go.... low flow is great for water conservation, but it doesn't move enough water down the drains to clear the pipes. Just wait until you have to install low flow flush valves in urinals and the urine crystallizes in the pipes to eventual blockage. The snake doesn't clear it and the pipes have to be opened. I've seen it a couple times already, and days like that, I'm glad I'm not a plumber!

A place i used to work at had a urinal with a slow drain problem that was diagnosed as crystallized drain. Owner decided to fix the problem with a water-less urinal! Plumber hired to install it warned that the problem would be exaggerated with the water-less urinal. It now has a "DO NOT USE" sign taped across the front of it.