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Author:
TStan
Downstairs bath with inaccessible drain pipe through floor freezes every winter..it is most likely not pitched correctly and outside can be -15 f at night...I have tried drano, putting rock salt in there to defrost, and a hand type snake without luck...I cant replace pipe without cutting up floor which I would rather not do..any ideas? Do hand crank snakes work or do I need to rent an electric snake?
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Author:
m & m (MD)
No type of drain snake will work on a frozen drain- it's equivalent to boring thru concrete. About the only effective methods for opening a frozen drain would be with a jetter machine or external heat aplied to the drain or drain space to thaw it.
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Author:
Wheelchair (IL)
"its most likely...." Why not use a sewer to verify your likely theory. It might be cheaper than tearing up the floor.
A steam or hot water pressure might dissolve the frozen mass, if it is not too thick. Acids like Drano will generate heat when there is an organic partition.
Best Wishes
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Author:
KCRoto (MO)
I know a plumber that uses a piece of 1/4" poly tubing connected with a rubber boot to a dishwasher aerator adapter that he uses to thaw and snake clogged drains. He advances the tubing as far as he can down the drain, and places a bucket under the waste arm of the sink. He then attaches the dishwasher adapter to the faucet's aerator and turns on the hot water. once the bucket gets 2/3 full he shuts the water off and carries the bucket to a working drain to pour it out and repeats the process and attempts to snake the drain every 15 minutes or so. If you are having this problem, you can use RV antifreeze as a temporary fix, but you need to find out what the problem is, and a sewer camera is the best way to see and locate the issue.
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Author:
hj (AZ)
Drains do NOT "freeze" if they are working properly, because there is no water in them to freeze. EIther you have a bad drain line, or you have an accumulation which is freezing and plugging the drain line.
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Author:
marhar (FL)
turn on the water so you get a drip that will keep the water flowing although you may need more thasn a drip depending on the temperature at night. When the water is flowing a little generally it won't freeze.
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