bathroom drain refuses to clear

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jbaumga4

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I have a bathtub drain that wont drain. The toilet, bathroom sink, and kitchen sink, all drain fine. I have a 15 foot snake (which maybe I need a longer one). I've snaked the tub from both the drain and the trap lever area ( and I can only get about 2-3 foot in before I'm blocked by something that seems impassable). I've snaked from the bathroom sink. I've tried to snake one of 2 pipes on the roof but 15 feet only goes so far. The pipe I snaked on the roof was a 1-1/2 inch pipe. There is also an old cast iron pip about 8 inches wide hat I have not tried to snake yet because I didn't know if it was for the plumbing or not. I've tried to use 2 plungers on the tub with one over the trap lever area and the other plunging the drain. Our bathroom sink has a vent that when I plug I can plunge water from the sink up through the drain on the bathtub ( which then it stays there with some added black gunk). I've even tried to shop-vac the drain and so far nothing has worked. Do I need a longer snake for the roof or should I try the other pipe as well up on the roof? I'm thinking that there has to be something clogged somewhere by the tub but I'm just so unsure what is going on at this point. I'd normally call a plumber but was recently laid off and just don't have the funds for it this time around.
 
It sounds like you're not getting the snake past the tub trap. What needs to be done is use a small power snake through the tub overflow. Trying to get a hand snake through the tub trap is not going to happen.
 
Try some one shot drain cleaner but be carefull its sulphuric acid
As for the snake you may be hitting and elbow
 
havasu said:
I'm not a plumber but know enough to never use drain cleaners.

No your obviously not a plumber most showers block with hair and soap
The drain cleaner breaks it down if you don't have access to a cable drill
 
Most plumbers with drain cleaning experience that I have run into are of the opinion that most chemical drain cleaners, at best, burn a small hole through the clog, then flow down the drain without removing the rest of the clog. And at worst, don't clear the clog at all, damage our cables, and put us in danger of chemical burns. :)
 
Agreed with phish. Most plumbers have the sense to avoid chemicals. I don't know about you but I'm not too keen on losing an eye/burning my skin or snapping a cable, or burning a hole in the piping etc. That's the last thing I would suggest to anyone.
 
I've been plumbing for 12 years now, and never used drain cleaners. Once the line is backed up its too late. If a plumber uses drain openers, it's a ploy(in my opinion) to get a upsell. If a plumber doesn't have drain equipment, he's not a service and repair plumber.
 
stevemachine said:
Agreed with phish. Most plumbers have the sense to avoid chemicals. I don't know about you but I'm not too keen on losing an eye/burning my skin or snapping a cable, or burning a hole in the piping etc. That's the last thing I would suggest to anyone.

If you know what your doing and have the correct ppe there is no issue
Never had any problem with it before
Admit it is a last resort
 
stevemachine said:
Agreed with phish. Most plumbers have the sense to avoid chemicals. I don't know about you but I'm not too keen on losing an eye/burning my skin or snapping a cable, or burning a hole in the piping etc. That's the last thing I would suggest to anyone.

Oh and not all chemical cleaners are sulphuric acid there are also bio degradable one that work just as well
I maintain 50 toilets in a well know company and urinals are a problem
I use a chemical to release the scale in the pipe work and then a rigid cable drill to clear pipe work
Been doing it 20 years and works for me
 
I would agree with a urinal, that scale hardens up real bad. Besides that I avoid them. Enzymes aren't chemicals, to me that's different. I agree with enzymes in certain situations, it's better than drain chemicals
 
There must be something clogged somewhere by the tub, but according to your description it has been tough to find out what is the thing and another problem is that it seems impassable. You should try some drain cleaner first, but be careful when using them. They are pernicious most of the time. After using the cleaner go again and try.

cheryl
 
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Drain Cleaners are for homeowners and folks that have no idea what they are doing..... 1. I NEVER use drain cleaners 2. I ALWAYS use a drain machine 3. if the cable dont pass thru find out why, access from vent works in most cases... 4. if still wont clear, THERE IS A PROBLEM and it must be fixed by cutting out problem area and/or replace...5. i have never walked away from a job and said i CANT fix it... Enjoy
 
I do plumbing at a state hospital so if I break It i gotta fix it. Very rare for us to use drain cleaners. Will use sodium hydroxide to help slow drains but not as a drain opener. We do keep sulfuric acid based drain openers but as a last resort. Besides the stuff stinks bad and the people start complaining about the odors. Always use a drain snake first. Just my opinion, but what the hell.
 
I have to disagree with some of what has been said about drain cleaners. I understand if we don't see eye to eye on this, but maybe somebody will find this enlightening.
I will use drain cleaners as a maintenance product and sometimes if a drain is sluggish. Depending on the drain, a snake may not always clear all of the debris from the pipes. A jetter can't always be used and if the pipes are not the true problem, why cut them out? When used by a professional who understands how to properly use it and when to use it, a drain cleaner is a very useful tool to have.
I think that many of the plumbers that I've worked with in the past are afraid of a damaged ego by using a cleaner to do the job. Afraid that by using it, they are showing weakness or a lack of skills. I think by choosing the appropriate time to use them shows confidence and a knowledge of our trade to use the appropriate product or tool to take care of the issue. There's nothing wrong with starting small to see if that does the job before breaking out the jack hammer and sawzall.
I do not endorse these products to be used by customers/consumers. I believe that even OTC drain cleaners are not treated seriously enough when used and are too dangerous to be sold to the public. Plumbers should never sell these to customers or leave them in their houses for later use. Even a 15 minute tutorial isn't enough time to teach a customer how to properly use bio-clean.
Okay...now that I've said that...you can let me have it. Just don't hit below the belt.
 
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Well, I learned something new about drain cleaners.
My plumber actually once recommended using drain cleaner (probably bc he didn't want to come out) but I can't use anything too harsh because I have a septic tank. I guess having the septic tank probably helped prevent us from damaging pipes.
I will know to avoid using them in the future. Some of them did have limited success but we ended up having to get things snaked.

At least I know how to take apart the plumbing under the sinks to clean the trap or to use a snake that won't fit down the sink's drain.
 
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