Clogged sink drain at my rental...anyone have any good recommendations that wont cost an arm & a leg?

usctrojanman29_IHB

usctrojanman29_IHB

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One of my tenants called me earlier this afternoon and told me that the kitchen sink drain is clogged. They tried draino but that didn't work. Last year I had a similar problem with the bathtub drain in my other rental and I told the tenants to call Rotto Rutter but they were over $120 for about a 5-10 minute job. Anyone got any more reasonable alternatives?
 
[quote author="USCTrojanCPA" date=1254636107]One of my tenants called me earlier this afternoon and told me that the kitchen sink drain is clogged. They tried draino but that didn't work. Last year I had a similar problem with the bathtub drain in my other rental and I told the tenants to call Rotto Rutter but they were over $120 for about a 5-10 minute job. Anyone got any more reasonable alternatives?</blockquote>


Start w/ a plunger and work it for at least 10 minutes before deciding it won't work. That has worked for me on shower drains (esp hair clogs) and the kitchen sink when I've clogged up the garbage disposal drain w/ very starchy root peelings or spinach.
 
If it is an older place, then it is probably due to be snaked. Call Paul (714) 282-1977 and see if he is available. Not sure if he does weekends though, so you might have to wait until Monday.
 
[quote author="USCTrojanCPA" date=1254636107]One of my tenants called me earlier this afternoon and told me that the kitchen sink drain is clogged. They tried draino but that didn't work. Last year I had a similar problem with the bathtub drain in my other rental and I told the tenants to call Rotto Rutter but they were over $120 for about a 5-10 minute job. Anyone got any more reasonable alternatives?</blockquote>


Question 1.

What clogged the drain?



Qustion 2.

Is the garbage disposal still working?



Most likely solution is to open the U-trap under the sink and clear it, if the plunger (hat tip, Eva) doesn't work. No tools necessary.



Drano is the devil.



-IR2
 
With a sink drain, someone will have to hold a seal over the adjacent sink drain, assuming there are 2 drains. Also, if there is a dishwasher, any lines that go to the sink or disposal will need to be pinched off (vise-grips?) so that the plunger can create pressure and vacuum.



I used to have a problem with my bathroom sink clogging fairly often. Turns out the drain pipe wasn't angled down away from the sink, but was slightly angled upward, so water and crud would settle against the P-trap. Before I fixed this, I had excellent results with a little compressed air blown down the overflow drain, after closing the plunger seal. This won't work for a kitchen sink though, at least not easily. You also have to be careful and plan for the worst, as drain lines aren't meant to carry pressure.
 
I have a kitchen sink problem once, and do the compress air trick (well, I used pressurized water). But as soon as I let go of the seal, the water came out of the drain and shoot all the way up like 3 feet. I call the profession afterward.
 
for kitchen most likely you'll need a snake to get that clear from outside unless you have some serious left over stuck underneath your sink, stuff that clogged your bathtub mostly likely are just hairs which they are easily accessible. there is this long flexible plastic teeth looks like a fish bone which sale for $3 at Home Depot, it works like a magic for me.
 
I called roto-rooter once for a clogged kitchen sink and paid $100. After seeing what he did, the next time it clogged I just went to home depot and bought a snake. They range from $10 to $100. I bought a $20 model. It's about the length of a hammer, but maybe 4 inches in diameter where the snake coils up. You can drive it with a power drill, but you often don't need to. I just feed it down the drain and keep pushing until the drain clears.



After you get the drain cleared, run the water for 10 minutes or so to flush the clog out. The snake just churns stuff up, and it will settle back down unless you get it out.



Snaking the kitchen sink can be tricky, if you can't fit the snake down the drain. The roto rooter guy told me that they usually try to go down the vent from the roof, since that is often the easiest. The alternative is to pull the trap.



I agree drano is the worst. That just makes it even worse when you have to pull the trap.
 
[quote author="graphrix" date=1254637264]If it is an older place, then it is probably due to be snaked. Call Paul (714) 282-1977 and see if he is available. Not sure if he does weekends though, so you might have to wait until Monday.</blockquote>
Thanks for the recommendation Graph, Paul came by this morning and took care of everything. Looks like I know how to call when I have plumbing issues.
 
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