Plumbing drain question

It's probably an organic brew of soap, toothpaste and human DNA. I've found it in drains many times (mostly bathrooms). Typically if you disassemble and clean out the trap (bound to be some hairy gremlins in there) and run very hot water down when it's back together it won't be a problem again for a few years.

Most products that you pour down the drain are a waste of money.

 

Congrats. It takes a lot to gross out a urologist; you succeeded.

 

LOL!

 

I'm a plumber. I've seen that goo before. Mostly in the homes of people who wash their hair over the sink and use goo in their hair. I have no idea if you put goo in your hair, I'm just sayin'...
I'd just clean the pipes under the sink with a bottle brush or replace them. You can buy a new P-trap at a home improvement store. Be sure you get the right size. If your house is old, it may use 1 1/4" pipe. Most new houses use 1 1/2" pipe. After that, just watch what goes down the drain.

some free tips: do not use any chemicals in your toilet tank. This means the bleach tablets and blue dye tablets. The chemicals will attack the rubber and plastic parts in your tank, eventually causing a leak.

Be careful what you put down your garbage disposal. No potato peels, grape stems,....well, only put plate scrapings in it. And, if you mess up a pot of macaroni, don't try stuffing it all down the disposal. You shoulda seen that house. It was like a macaroni cannon when my buddy disconnected the pipe. Personally I hate the damn things. I'd remove mine but I'm always having people over and I don't want someone to try stuffing garbage down my drain.

If you do need to call a plumber, have your house ready for him. If it's a kitchen sink problem, clean out the cabinet below. Same thing with the bathroom. Many plumbers charge by the hour. Do you want you pay $99/hr for a guy to pull stuff out of your cabinet and then put it all back? If it's a clogged drain, locate your cleanout. That's the pipe cap sticking out of the ground outside. That's where his auger will go to unclog your drain. Again, $99/hr to poke around your yard looking for a cleanout that's partially buried can get expensive.

 

My wife dumps pure Clorox down her bathroom sink - says 'it dissolves hair'.
I don't think I'm buyin' that because I have to take her sink apart underneath
and clean it out once a year anyway...

The other thing that ticks me off is when they dump boiling water down the
disposal - like pasta water. I tell em 'that can't be good for the rubber seals
in the disposal', but they don't listen to me.....

 

I had a plastic bottle of lotion that was low. Trying to be green, I rinsed out the bottle with a lot of water (probably not so green) and threw the bottle into the recycle bin. A few weeks later that sink was clogged bigtime. I ended up cutting into the wall and pipes to get leverage for the snake. Pulled up a big wad of goop, hair, and other detritus. 99% sure it was the lotion.

Going on a slight rant.....why the beep do they sell large pump bottles of lotion, soap, or other liquids, and the end of the pickup tube is 1/2" from the bottom of the bottle?!?!!?!??!?!

 

How about the trap under the sink?

Usually any real stoppage is there (it builds up slowly over time). The only real way to clean it is to remove it and dump the crap out of it (could date to before you lived there).

Here's another thought.

Is this sink on an outside wall or does the drain line pass through an uninsulated space? Does the faucet have a small leak (running all the time)? If so it is possible to have a buildup of ice in the drain that can cause it to back up (it's been pretty cold lately).

 

Nice info there! It does make sense to make the job more direct for the plumber when he arrives. I had soem septic problems about a year ago. After digging up the tank cover and exposing the sewage (ugh!) I took my kids out to show them the massive crap and toilet paper mat floating at the top of the septic tank. After that episode they have cut way down on the TP usage (based on how much we have to buy), and no problems since. $200 to pump a 1200 gallon septic tank is a bargain IMHO.

BT

 

MMMMMMMMMM! Yum!

Just when I was beginning to get hungry for lunch. LOL

 

You could try dumping some muriatic acid down the drain and that should clear the pipes up just fine! Muriatic acid will not harm plastic (PVC pipes), but will damage most other surfaces, so be careful when using it!! Also, after dumping it down the drain, flush it thoroughly with water, then add in some baking soda & water mixture and flush with that (to neutralize the acid). Muriatic acid is readily available at any pool supply store or Wal-Mart.

 

It's not a good idea to put caustic chemicals in a slow drain. It generally doesn't work the way the "Liquid Plummer" commercial shows. Once it finds the quickest path through the clog it just goes down the drain. You still have 80% of the crap in the pipe.

If you put the acid in and it doesn't drain out you have a nasty corrosive problem to deal with. If any of the pipes are brass or iron it won't do them any good. Plumbers get real testy when they have to deal with chemicals in a drain.

If you put acid in and then put in bleach while the acid is still there you will make CHLORINE GAS this can be fatal for anyone standing over the sink.

More than one person has been found slumped over a sink or toilet after this. Not a good way to die.

 

Your points are all valid, but it isn't such a bad idea to try a little muriatic acid and see the results. It might work pretty well, and would certainly be cheaper than a plumber. And if it doesn't drain, then add in some baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) to neutralize the acid. Then call a plumber, and grab your ankles !!!!

 

I've used Muriatic acid before in commercial buildings. Without adding anything else, it puts off some noxious fumes. As in burn your throat and take away your breath. I don't like the idea of using chemicals to unclog a drain in a house. Better to use an auger or clean, maybe replace the p-trap. 99% of clogged drains are hair or some slimy goo in the p-trap.

Yeah, it puts food on my table so I can't get away from any bias issues, BUT I think it's always a good idea to have a licensed, bonded professional do work like this. If you mess up your plumbing, you pay to fix it. If a professional messes it up, he pays to fix it.

I can only speak for Texas, but here, all plumbing work must have a Master Plumber involved. Either doing the work or ultimately responsible for a Tradesman/Journeyman's work. Any ad or business card for a reputable plumber will have the Master Plumber's license number and possibly his name on it.

Oh yeah- that Liquid Plumr commercial. It shows a clog at a p-trap. You could drive to the store and plunk down a few bucks for that stuff, or you could just remove the p-trap and clean it for free.

 

I'm a little late on this one, but heres the things I've tried which have seemed to work.

Muriatic acid has been suggested, and does work well. Just remember, its acid so be careful when using it (hence the reason it comes in a plastic bag as thick as vapor barrier), and it should get pretty much anything that you see.

Another thing I've tried (safe for septic systems too as we used to be on septic before having a pumping station installed to pump the sewage to the street), is the "Drain Conditioner" I believe its called. Comes in a clear bottle, and green liquid. You pour hot water down your drains for about a minute (so they warm up), then pour I think 6 ounces of this stuff down, and leave it for 6hours (dont use any drains).
I was kind of skeptical when using it, but the slow drains that didnt work with drain opener worked fine with this. Its supposed to eat all the grime and stuff in the drains (its got enzymes that react to it all I guess), but for a trip to Home Depot, it was worth it.

The black stuff could be anything from toothpaste + dirt/dust combo to oils from regular use (not a plumber or anything, just guessing). For under $20-25, the muriatic acid and drain conditioner is a good bet, and much cheaper than calling a plumber if it turns out its something easy to do.

 

Do you use shave cream and shave in this sink?