Hi -

I have a sink which is draining very slowly (hours) and thus appears to be clogged.

The clog is not in the trap. I tried augering but I believe my auger seems to snag a couple of feet in. The one time it seemed to go beyond that, it sounded like it was going up the vent. It seems that the clog would be very close by based on how much water can run before the drain backs up into the sink.

I have a Cobra drum auger. I am entering the line from under the sink and it is a really tough angle. I have tried from above with the same problem. I have augered other drains successfully with this auger.

This is a second floor bathroom sink. It is the only bathroom on the second floor.

Any tips?

Thanks.

Mike





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Remove the stopper on the pop up assembly and remove the toothpaste gunk and hair

Again I will emphasize that all of the obvious is clean - my clog is after the trap.

how far did you auger go in?

is this a kitchen sink or bath sink?

another possibility is you used an auger that end up poking a hole through the clog, and the clog is a soft greasy blockage much like a blob of jello made of hair, grease, cosmetic and cleaning products, and it blocks the pipe, the auger runs through it like poking a pencil size hole through it and kept going, and as soon as you withdraw the auger it closes the small hole again.

Usually an auger will not direct upwards if the plumbing was done correctly as all the fitting should have branches direct downstream and downstream, but if the wrong fitting is used anything can happen. Or if you have a back to back sink and they both connect to the same stack with a sanitary cross, the auger can shoot past the vertical pipe and land into the other side.

Also, if the auger is "forced" to the bottom of the horizontal pipe, aw that "S" trap would do. when the auger reaches the tee. it will be easier for it to go upwards than down.

Try a drop head auger on the end of the cable, or cable it from the roof vent down to the main drain



Edited 1 times.

Hi - I just added more detail to my main post. This is a second floor bathroom sink. The auger snags a couple of feet in. It comes out clean. It is the only sink - no back-to-back situation.

This is a second floor bathroom sink. The auger goes in about two feet, starting at the trap, and then snags. When I try to work it in at that point, it keeps coiling up in the pipe and won't go in any further. I'm not sure if that means it is hitting the actual clog and that the clog is something really solid, or if it's snagging for some other reason.

I cannot auger from the roof vent. I have a steep roof. In light of the other details I added, do you still recommend a drop-head?

The visible piping is pvc there is a chance when it was redone the pvc was connected to copper or lead and you may be stuck in a copper 90• elbow, at this point I put the machine in reverse and try to push through… but as stated earlier you may go UP the vent, a drop head may work

So if worse comes to worse your either cutting a hole in the wall to access the vent or the ceiling below to access the drain

if it were me I would be tempted to make a cut in the middle of that pipe coming out of the outlet of p-trap, and that will provide a much better entry for your auger that may make a difference.



Once done you can either solvent weld a coupling, or use a mechanical coupling like a PROFLEX so it can be taken apart again in the future, or use a trap adapter there and use a tubular P-trap.



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I was considering that I might have to remove the mirror above the vanity and cut a hole in the wall to access the vent, but that's a bit further than I'd like to take this if there is another way. As far as I know, there is galvanized steel in the wall. One thing I'm unclear about - there are three fixtures in this bathroom. It is the only plumbing upstairs. Is it my expectation they all share the same drop down the basement, or would they each have their own? I am obvious wondering about getting in from below and going up. The toilet and shower drain fine.

Aha! I had thought to cut the PVC and use a no-hub coupling - but there is only 1.5" to work with there (it's either 1.5" or a smidge less) and I didn't see any 1.5 x 1.5" couplings. If there is such a coupling, then I'm slightly uneasy about making a crooked cut - or if sawing the pvc causes some other joint to loosen up ... ?

Re: using trap adapter with tubular P-trap, that seems like a good solution - but do I have enough room to do that? Would I then be cutting at the midpoint, or elsewhere? I would then cut the P-trap down to size so that it properly fits in that space? it looks like the trap adapters use up a good amount of space, so I'm not sure if I have the space to do this, given that everything is aligned straight to the wall ... ?

If you cut the pipe and put in a trap adapter, the tubular P-trap will be a thinner and smaller diameter pipe so it should fit, also a tubular P-trap has more play because you can rotate the U-bend as well as the depth of insertion of the outlet pipe into the trap adapter.

I’ve cabled plenty of drains and don’t see a reason why the pipe has to be,cut the trap is removable and you can only get in about 2’ as you stated meaning the trap 90 is not the issue but if you insist on cutting the tiny piece I will suggest an oscillating tool or cable saw then use a mission band to put back together

You have an existing code violation "S" trap

As you can see it is virtually unseviceable to snake as it will force the snake straight into a 'dead end'.

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



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OP can't use a mission to put it back because he has only 1.5" of pipe there and a shielded 1.5" coupling there is 2.13" in length.

A temporary hack until you can open the wall and correct the height....

If you do not have enough room on the straight section of 1-1/2" for a 1-1/2" no hub coupling you can use a 2 " x 1-1/2" no hub coupling. The 2" end of the coupling will fit OVER the 1-1/2" hub and 1-1/2" will fit on the pipe.

I'm sure some people will fall off their chairs or turn over in their graves.....

Is it possible that the way the drain is designed is causing the issues, versus a clog?

Does he have to open the wall to fix the S-trap?

That up turning street 45 can possibly be removed with a fitting saver bit? Then he can put in a street trap adapter, then a tubular p-trap may clear the floor of the cabinet?

There is not enough clearance between the bottom of the trap and the base of the vanity.

If you undo the union nut on the trap90 side you can the swivel the trap out of the way and cable

cut where the red line indicates

glue on a tubular trap adapter

use a tubular trap



..... still an 's' trap, but a removable one for snaking purposes



SHEEZ .... what simple stuff for a debate ....

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Looks like the trap adapter is 2 3/8" long. Spacing will be tight. The trap is almost a straight shot to the wall connection, so little margin of error. Or are there other tricks so that the trap can be swiveled out and thus create more space to work with?

yes, the tubular trap has a swivel joint

yes, the tubular trap 'extension' needs to be cut to length

adapter to glue onto cut stub: [cdn-tp3.mozu.com]

tublar trap:


==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Thanks : ) But even with the swivel joint, my point was that everything is almost in a straight line - so how do I get the benefit of that wiggle room from the swivel joint unless the rest of the piping is offset from the tailpipe?

if the SMALLER tubular trap will not fit THEN you have no choice but to redo the piping in a code compliant manner

your problem is the two fittings used to raise the trap to fit inside the cabinet when the 'tapping' is actually too low


your plumbing is WRONG

it (now) does not drain

it is virtually inserviceable 'as is'


fix it yourself OR call a licensed, bonded, insured PLUMBER

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638

Call a plumber your trap is easily removed by a professional with the current setup with the 2 slip joint on it around here we call it an L.A trap, don’t know why I guess is popular in L A, regardless of the fact you can reduce it to a 1.25 slip joint tubular trap you have a problem

#1 you have a clog that you can not personally clear
#2 your drain is stubbed out of the wall too low and you can not remove the trap to clear the drain because you lack the skills and knowledge/ understanding

Call a pro and be done with the situation



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When you use a trap adapter you have an additional play in the length of insertion of that tubular outlet pipe. That pipe can be inserted shallow or deep into the trap adapter which makes it easier to install compared to a SCH40 setup you have now. When you cut that pipe it does not have to be as precise. When you need to remove it for servicing you have a straight shot to the wall elbow. You current setup you have to go up then horizontal to the wall then left or right to the stack then down, that may be a challenge for a DIYer like us.