OT- Tough Drain Snaking?

Have you considered going up on the roof and running the snake down the vent. Might get you by the area where the snake gets stuck.

Dan

There are different techniques for using a snake. One is to try to drill or force the snake through the clog and this sometimes works okay. The other is to try to catch bits of the clog and bring them back out the drain. The latter generally works better on tough clogs. With a power snake you just keep it running and slide it gently back and forth, ocassionally pullling it all the way out to clear the tip. You should not run it in hard enough for it to quit turning. It takes a while but generally works if you have a suitable snake. A plumber can generally clear a completely root-blocked line.

Don Young

The drill ones are practically worthless, too hard to control. And hand snakes are almost useless unless the clog is within 2 feet or so, and they never are. I got the 50' powered one from Harbor Freight and it works fine for small problems - for main lines go rent the full-size 100' power snake.

You Have To Be Careful And Gentle When Using A Power Snake!!

Especially if you have ABS Plastic drain lines, the snake can easily break through the side of the pipes at elbows rather than go around them. Same thing with very old cast iron drain lines, if they've gotten thin from age the snake can finish them off. Ease it in an inch or two at a time, and let the spade cutter on the end clean off the garbage and work it's way around corners.

Don't use the razor cutter head (looks like a U) inside a house, that one is main lines only.

And I'm told that power snakes can easily destroy vitrified clay tile main lines from whipping, but if you gotta get it open you gotta get it open. And the cracks usually get started from tree roots that can exert lots of force as the grow their way in, if anything you are only finishing off the damage that the roots started

Again, be gentle and let the cutter set it's own pace and do it's work an inch or two at a time. When you clear the main clog you'll hear the big whoosh/gurgle as the line empties out.

-->--

Now that you have attacked it mechanically, try attacking it chemically again.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

If all else fails, use an electrican's fish tape & a blasting cap. ;-)

Don't stand over the hole!

I do wonder, if one could manage to press one's way through the soap scum far enough to penetrate the clog. I'm assuming it is a combination of hair and soap.

Another thought would be to snake tubing down to the clog and recirculate drano or similar substances so the active chemical will be attacking the clog.

Wes

-- "Additionally as a security officer, I carry a gun to protect government officials but my life isn't worth protecting at home in their eyes." Dick Anthony Heller

drano or similar

If you could put up with the back flow, a small tube with water at a high enough pressure might work. I've used the method to drill holes under concrete & blacktop to run conduit for wire, or water lines. A lot of small roots have washed out of some of those holes. I use a water hose along with the conduit I need, and push them slowly through the ground. The conduit is rigid enough to end up fairly close to where I need it at the other end. It's a lot better than breaking up a driveway or sidewalk.

Just don't do like one of my uncles, and use two full cans of Draino on one small drain. Over a foot of galvanized pipe was full of hardened Drano, and the whole section of pipe had to be cut out by a plumber, and replaced. Not only was it as hard as a rock, but it got so hot it discolored the surface.

You might be bumping into the down pipe not the clog and just not making it around the bend. I'd try going down the vent if possible as others have said. Karl

I'm not sure where the vent is in the plumbing. I know it's on the roof but I'm thinking it would be after the clog. This is my second blockage here that I haven't been able to break through but they've been years apart. We have a septic tank and the cleanout for it is in the carport. I guess I'm thinking these drains go into the main drain and since only 1 drain gets stopped up at a time, that it's in the line between tub and main. The toilet is the furthest away from the cleanout and it flushes fine. So I'm thinking the vent is on the main and the sinks are tapped into it. It would help if there was an opening in the foundation near the bathroom so I could at least shine a flashlight and have a peek.

One of our first clogged sewer problems was in the toilet. We had a time getting it out but a large "rock" had formed in the trap. It was formed in the shape of the trap. I don't know if someone had poured something in the toilet that set up or could limestone form like this? Years before city water was here, this house got it's water from a well and 3 cisterns. Is hard water known to have lime deposit problems? I was just wondering if these drain clogs are rock type deposits that formed over time. That might explain why I've been having trouble breaking through them. Thanks!

RogerN

Have you considered going up on the roof and running the snake down the vent. Might get you by the area where the snake gets stuck.

Dan

OK, I thought of something to try today. I'll try to get some tubing down to the point where I can't get past with the snake. I'm not sure if that point is the clog or a fitting. Anyway, from there I can apply hot water down the tube and see if I can blast away with hot water pressure. If that doesn't work, I can pump all the water out to that point and perhaps try adding vinegar or perhaps other chemicals. At least a better concentration would get nearer to problem with less dilution. I just wish the thing would have been made accessible without tearing out.

Any other ideas?

Thanks!

RogerN

I have found that bending the tip of the snake ~20 degrees helps it to get past bends in the pipe better than leaving it straight. MikeB

If the piping is in good condition, you might try a Drain king, a rubber balloon/check valve affair that fastens to a garden hose and creates a tremendous water hammer in the line.

I don't know how old your place is, but drum traps were common back when, you would never be able to get a cable through a drum trap.

I don't know what your stem wall is made of, but don't hesitate to consider creating another access hole close to the problem, especially easy if it is brick or block.

I have a moderate size power snake and an adolescent girl in the house. I have the opportunity to snake out the main line from the house to the septic tank more often than I care too. If I get the cutter in and just let it do its job with mild pressure it usually clears things right out, but if I push too hard into the clog it will will double up and get all twisted just like a small snake will. I have never had any good luck with a small hand or drill operated snake. I think my last one is still laying outside under a tree somewhere.

I will tell you, a power snake will pay for itself pretty quickly if it will clear your lines over the cost of calling out a drain service a couple times, but for many people its just cheaper and easier to call out a drain service.

Bob La Londe

=A0 =A0 =A0 =A0Dan

We have lime deposits from hard water here but I've never heard of it that bad. Not to say it's not possible though. Let us know what happened when you get it cleared. I grew up in a 60 year old house. I'd be afraid to use the water pressure device on old plumbing though cutting the clog with a garden hose might work. Karl

As others have suggested, this might have a drum type trap and that may be where I'm having difficulty getting past. Anyway, I used some rubber washers and the vent plate to seal off the vent and forced some pressure into the drain. The drain is working but slow, at least it's useable. I plan to see what I can do with some chemical (vinegar, bleach, ???) and hot water. Other than that my only plan is to try to save up $$ to have the drains pipes replaced with snake friendly traps. Maybe I'll come back with a question on installing 4" drain pipe in a sink! :-) At least since it's flowing I can get some chemical down there that's not diluted in gallons of water.

Any recommended chemical treatments for hair/soap scum clogs?

Thanks!

RogerN

Hot water + caustic soda / sodium hydroxide / lye.

Its a constituent of drain cleaner, it dissolves fat & scum. It's cheap from grocery store or hardware, be very careful of skin burns and wear eye protection - it will make you blind.

On Sat, 11 Oct 2008 22:48:59 -0700, the infamous "Bob La Londe" scrawled the following:

I'm with Bob on this: Go with a large power snake and do it from the roof vents, Roger. Buy or $30 rent from an equipment rental place.

Or call a plumber each time, at $80-$150 a pop.

Is this a reference to girls tossing tampons and pads down the toilet, or just their uncanny way of using a whole roll of TP in a couple days, Bob? I change rolls once every couple months unless the family is visiting at Christmas, when I change rolls every 3 days.

3 women can go through a large roll in 3 days. Unbelievable!

-- Guard well within yourself that treasure, kindness. Know how to give without hesitation, how to lose without regret, how to acquire without meanness. -- George Sand

Maybe someone poured old kitty litter down the toilet to dispose of it? I understand it can make quite the mess/problem over a short bit of time.

I never had any success with basic (in the chemistry sense) chemicals. The only chemical that I've gotten to work is sulfuric acid. It does a great job on hair.

I get mine at the hardware store. Home Depot carries it. The stuff I use is called tempered sulfuric acid. It comes in a plastic bottle inside a plastic bag.

Be careful. Mixing H2SO4 with water produces a lot of heat; Being sprayed with a boiling mixture of sulfuric acid is likely to be unpleasant or disfiguring. If you don't know how to handle concentrated H2SO4, do some research first. I learned enough in high school chemistry to avoid accidents (so far). Some decorative pluming fittings can be "de-chromed" or stained by it. DAMHIKT

Lye AKA NaOH AKA Caustic Soda and KOH should work fine on fat. Fat plus a strong base makes soap.At least that's how I remember my mother and grandmother making soap. Soap dissolves in water and goes down the drain. Most drain cleaners are mostly a strong base.

Bob S