Clogged Sink Drain

[Dogmeat]

Again...my kitchen drain is iron...not PVC.
The "fix" the plumber did a few weeks ago are not working...it's draining very slowly again.
I'm thinking about buying a powered snake....cuz I'm not gonna pay anutter $125 to have them snake it again.
Even thought about getting a camera....but I've read lots of reviews about them being hard to see and not very clear.....
Haven't put ANY chemicals down it so far. Hell, who knows where it goes into....it's an old house, and I wouln't doubt it if
they just ran the end into a damn hole in the ground!!
If this keeps up, I MIGHT even consider digging a 4' deep hole just outside of the kitchen drain, in the yard, and running pvc
to it...with a perforated "bucket" of some good material, and using it as a "small drain field" just for this drain. (And have an easily removable lid for access to pull the "bucket" up if necessary for cleaning, etc.) I'm sure Michigan's
laws would not approve this, as it's considered as "grey water"...but, hey, I'm not going out of my way to let them know!

Thoughts??

 

[mike93lx]

Has anyone suggested renting a camera with a locator? No?


Rent a camera with a locator

 

[HoosierMark]

I have used a small expandable bladder plug that fills the cavity and then lets the water pass thru at city water pressure. Available at big box stores. i have also just threaded a fitting with a hose connection on it to the drain pipe. Turn the water on and the constant pressure should clear it. These work sometimes. And sometimes you will get a back flow elsewhere but that also tells you what else is connected to the drain. But if it backs up then that drain should be running slow also.
But it sounds like your bigger problem is why it clogged again.

 

[BillK]

It's an old house...and the drain goes UNDER the damn concrete floor (no crawl space)....The drain is IMPOSSIBLE to trace just where it drains into, as I've watched the line going to the septic tank, and nothing shows up....

How far from the kitchen is the septic tank ? It takes a lot of water to running to fill a long pipe and show up in the septic tank.

I would go down to the auto parts store and buy a couple of the bottles of leak detecting die they sell for cooing systems. Get one of the cheap uv flashlights they sell too. Mix the die up with a couple of gallons of hot water and pour it down the drain. Then run the hot water and go watch in the septic tank. I dont know how old your house is or the area you are in but I simply cannot imagine there is a septic tank and all of the plumbing is not connected to it.

 

[dcg9381]

I have used a small expandable bladder plug that fills the cavity and then lets the water pass thru at city water pressure.

This will only work if you can insert it past the vents and branches. Otherwise you may have "unexpected" results.
I think these are designed for use in "clean outs" that are not subject to branch or vents below.

 

[whateg01]

...
The "fix" the plumber did a few weeks ago are not working...it's draining very slowly again.
I'm thinking about buying a powered snake....cuz I'm not gonna pay anutter $125 to have them snake it again.
...
Thoughts??

So snaking the line only fixed it for a short while, but you think getting a snake and doing it yourself will work better?

 

[grissom]

Does your sink have a garbage disposal?
Have you been good at wiping out pots and pans of grease and food?

Since running a cable snake was only a temporary fix I would look at having the line hydro jetted

 

[no704]

Buy a hydro jet kit. Cheap and easy if you have access to a pressure washer.

 

[Crazyjake8493]

Most likely goes to a greywater system / drywell. Our kitchen sink and basement utility sink go to one, rather than the septic. Time to look around your property for a cover of some sort.

The few times we've had an issue, I run a snake down it without issue. We also have a few Ridgid K-750's at work if I really get into trouble.

We also use a Milwaukee M12 AirSnake at work, but there's zero chance I would try that now that you've put chemicals down there.

Never, ever, ever use chemicals for slow/stopped drain lines.

 

[mike93lx]

Buy a hydro jet kit. Cheap and easy if you have access to a pressure washer.

I've used a cheap hydro jet kit and they don't even come close to the stuff pros use.

Their jetting heads cost more than a normal homeowner pressure washer.

 

[no704]

I've used a cheap hydro jet kit and they don't even come close to the stuff pros use.

Their jetting heads cost more than a normal homeowner pressure washer.

I’m sure they do, but I have had good luck with the cheap kits!

 

[Dogmeat]

Buy a hydro jet kit. Cheap and easy if you have access to a pressure washer.

I do have a pretty powerful pressure washer. Could you please post a pic/source for the hydro jet kit?

 

[no704]

 

[mike93lx]

I do have a pretty powerful pressure washer. Could you please post a pic/source for the hydro jet kit?

If it isn't 4gpm or more, I wouldn't bother.

 

[no704]

I did mine (although a 2” under slab line) thru the roof vent with a pretty small electric pw. Really was probably only clearing leaf’s and some soap buildup. But it worked for me.
You can get a pretty decent endoscope with a display for short $$ to. I got a 30’ unit for like $45. Longer ones are not much more.

 

[no704]

I’m not saying these will cut roots, if that’s your issue it’s a much bigger issue. But for years of running powder laundry soap and basic greese build up it works. And you can get a kit to try for lots less than a plumber visit. Easy to do. If you’re pw doesn’t have a locking trigger, a zip tie does just fine. I didn’t get much into what the different heads do, as the first run thru worked, although I did run thru that area maybe 4x

 

[6869704X4]

I'm gonna get me one of those. Kitchen sink drain gives us trouble now and then. My charming bride swears she doesn't let grease down it but I have my suspicions. I have a 4gpm hot water washer. All the hoses seem to be rated at 140F, 60C for you Canadians, so I would have to turn it down. Or just not use the heat.

 

[Dogmeat]

Had Roto Rooter come in.....the BEST device I saw them use, and it worked good, was a drain BLADDER, where it expands with water pressure so it won't let water come out back out of it, and then it shoots the water with a smaller orifice that shoots down the 65 psi from my well, down the pipe, and it cleaned out the damn blockage! I went to Menard's yesterday and bought one, and I also have the connector from the toilet supple line thru my water hose, to the bladder, so I WILL be using this setup if it clogs again!!
Roto Rooter actually made TWO trips here (as they had a job they HAD to go to in between coming back here), and went out of their way to track down various scenarios...they did NOT charge me even $.01 for the 2nd trip....their TOTAL [for the 1st visit] was $260....no complaints here!! They had to travel 45 miles EACH way, 2 times, so I'm sure how they even made any profit for all they did!!