I've got a bathroom sink that is clogged. It's not a 'bundle of hair' type clog. I've got the trap off and all the piping under the sink, all the way back to the threaded pipe coming out of the wall. I want to snake it, but it's a shared drain with another bathroom; back-to-back on the other wall. So, the pipe is like a double-wye type thing. I can't get the snake to go 'downward', it just goes straight back, heading into the second wye. How do I get the snake to point/turn downward? As far as I know there is no vent in the upward direction and no vent on the roof from this pipe.

you have to use a snake with a 'drop-head' end on it.
coax it in and it should drop downward.

It is probably a tee and not a wye or you wouldn't have this problem. I am guessing that you are using a cable that is too small regardless. If you have a 3/8"snake, you can bend the tip of it 45 degrees one inch from the tip then about 22.5 degrees about 3 inches past that. When you feed the snake in, the tip should be pointed downward when it meets the T, and once it meets resistance, push the snake in with steady force, spinning it once or twice. Once it spins, it will either start digging through the clog or it will kick out. If you have a flashlight and this is a straight T, you can verify position of the cable visually.

Thanks for the speedy reply and the great info. I've never seen one of those 'drop head' jobbers. I own about 4 different snakes. I have a little tape jobber, a 1/4" and a 3/8" or 1/2 inch, I think. Different lengths too. I've had to snake other drains in this house before... I don't think it's a standard "T", because that would be visible all the way through; this pipe has some downturn at the top that partially blocks the top of the pipe, like you would see in a kitchen sink pipe that has a branch-inlet for the garbage disposal, if you can picture the 'deflector' inside of that type of pipe...



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I'll try bending the tip of my 3/8" snake first, before I go shopping for a 'drop head' snake. Thanks Guy's! I'll let you know how it goes...



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Hi, This is a common problem, and one that you handle three ways. First the drop head so it doesent matter which sink you go through, Second, use the access from the lower T (might just be slightly lower) and bend your cable. Third, Take a piece of 3/4" pvc with a 45 fitting on it, shove that into the T and run your cable down it.

NOTE" 3/8" Cable is for a Clean-out, very difficult to feed into a pipe, 1/4" would be much eaiser.



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Smock men give advice like that.

geesh KC.. up a couple of posts up the page you talk to a new plumber and tell him to be polite and nice to his customers. now, when someone new here tries to be polite and nice when answering a question, you have to make a snide remark about smock man.
we are all trying our best to help people. sometimes we disagree but we should try to be polite and respectful.

Thanks John, That's an interesting idea about using a 3/4" pipe. I do need something with a 'wall' of some sort, in order to get the snake to head downward. I don't have a drop-head snake, yet. I did try bending the spring head of one of my thicker snakes (I forget what it is, probably close to 1/2" dia.) into a 45deg. and that was too drastic, could not spin it in and down. So, I re-bent it to about 25-30deg. and it seems like a better angle, but I still can't get it to really go downward. So, I think I'll try that angled pipe trick that you mention. I do have a 1/4" snake. I'll have to make another trip down to the hardware store today... I'm wondering if I'll be able to get the 3/4" pipe with a 45 on it into the 1 1/2" pipe... Should I glue the 45 on or can I just leave it unglued?



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lets see if i'm picturing this right??
remove the snake from its drum..
slide the 45 down the whole length of wire.. (it wont fall off because the end of the snake is larger)
slide whatever length of plastic pipe is necessary over the wire and into the 45..
put the snake back into the drum..
insert the wire into the drain using the 45 and pipe as a handle and guide.
spin drum and the wire will be forced downward because of the 45..
clear the stoppage, remove the wire, re-assemble piping, run the water and lastly... head to the refrigerator for a nice cold beverage of your choice..

Packy, you know as well as I do that a 1/4" cable doesn't have the power to effectively remove anything but a hair clog. It may punch a tiny hole in a soft blockage, but otherwise it won't do a thing. "3/8" Cable is for a Clean-out, very difficult to feed into a pipe, 1/4" would be much eaiser." This is about getting the job done right, and easier isn't going to cut it. The OP just needs to stick with at the 3/8 and keep working on the spot. The corrosion/gunk that has built up took a while to form and is hard as a rock and will take a little work to get through, but it is nothing like trying to do the same job blind through a 90.

Hi Guy's,

I got the 45deg. all set up. I glued it together. But, it doesn't fit down the 1 1/2" pipe opening. It only goes in about 1 inch and the bend in the drain doesn't start until about 2 1/2" down the pipe... I guess I could try grinding down the outside of the 45-elbow and see if I can get it to slide into the pipe a little better?

Well, I took my angle-grinder and ground down the edges of the pvc elbow a little bit and I did manage to get it to fit quite a bit better in the drain pipe. But, it didn't work that well with the 1/2" snake... Maybe I'll try it with the 1/4" snake.

RANCHER, i admire your tenacity. you get an "A" for effort.

Thanks Packy,

I've had other drains in this house that were difficult and I've been able to snake them and get them flowing again. It just takes the right approach. I haven't quite found the right approach on this bathroom drain yet. I'll try the 1/4" snake with the 3/4" pvc-jig, and if that doesn't work, maybe I'll pop for a drop-head snake... They look kind of pricey...but maybe I can find one that is relatively short. I don't need a 50 footer for this drain... Also, maybe another plumber will chime in with another great suggestion... I'll keep you guy's up to date...

Go back to the 3/8 snake and lose the gimmicks. When you get the head of the snake into the T, use your dominant had to flex the cable to about 75 degrees perpendicular to the drain (almost parallel to the wall) and use your off hand to push on the back of the bent cable, applying pressure inward. Kick the machine on and give it hell. It may jump out a few times and shoot past the T, but just back up and hit it again. You can have the drain open in less time than it took you to make your guide pipe if you just keep at it.

sounds like an extra set of hands would surely help.

Okay KC,

I just tried the 1/4" and it didn't work for me. I cut it down to 12' from 50' because 50' on a 1/4" diameter snake is basically useless; at least for me and my pipes out here. That's why I bought the 1/2" and then bought another longer one in 1/2"...works good for my long kitchen drain run, w/cleanout...

I'll give the 1/2" snake some more tries with a bent head and some brute force.

I think the clog might be right up near where the pipe heads downward and maybe that's why I can't get any traction here.

1/2" may not traverse the corner, and 1/4" is too flimsy

1/2" may not traverse the corner, and 1/4" is too flimsy



Right. Definitely 1/4" is too flimsy for this job. 1/2" is robust enough, but maybe
I should pick up a 3/8"?

I would either rent a unit with a 3/8 cable or call a pro. Either way will get the job done, but I think you would be more satisfied to get this beast tamed yourself after all this. Your call either way.

I got my calipers out and actually measured these snakes. I've got 1/2" and 3/8". I don't have 1/4". The snake that seemed to make a bend the best was the 3/8", but it was too flimsy to do the job. The 1/2" is sturdy enough to clear the clog, I think, but doesn't make the first bend very well; it will make a (45) bend in my long-run, kitchen drain though; I've done it many times...

Are you using the cable with the heavy spring steel? It should look similar to this. This is the type of cable that most machines have on them, the hand operated snakes like this don't have heavy enough cable.

Right, I had one of those 'enclosed-in-a-housing' types with a handle a long time ago, I think I threw it out. All I use now is the heavy-duty snakes (open type) like the one in the top photo. Here's another tidbit that I verified for myself, today. I took a coat-hanger and bent it up appropriately, and tried to put that down the drain. It won't go more than about an inch or so. So, my suspicion that this clog is up high in the drain pipe, appears to be correct. I was able to dig some hardened clog material out. If I can clear away a little bit more material, I might be able to get the head of the snake to stay down...If I can do that, there's a good chance that I can drill out the clog...

UPDATE: I still haven't cleared the clog yet. I've been trying to brainstorm some new ideas. I've ordered a special flex shaft for a cordless-drill. I'll modify a drill bit or two by making them shorter and see if I can drill through this clog. The tip of a snake doesn't seem to be able to do the job. Plus the clog is in a bad spot for leverage along with the bend issue...

What about opening up the wall and replacing the pipe? In the long run you would be money and frustration ahead. You could also just call a pro.

Well, we'll see what I can do with the flexible drill extension first. I ordered it online, so it will be a few days before I get it... Hiring a plumber, for this type of thing, would be my last resort. I don't hesitate to call a plumber if there is some major copper pipe work to be done. Replacing the pipe would be a messy job. That would be my next-to-last resort.