Snaking a T-joint

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SLAN

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Hi Everyone

New here and came cos I've encountered a small challenge.

I have 2 sinks upstairs in my bathrooms and they are placed back to back. They have been clogging and now water from one drains into the other. I tried everything till I got a snake earlier and I thought it was going somewhere, but I have just realised that it was just going across to the other sink when I fed the wire. It appears there is a t-joint which is where the blockage is. How do I deal with this - getting the snake to bend downwards and knowing where to make it bend.....The 2 showers upstairs are drain well (though a little slowly sometimes)

Any help is appreciated.

Thanks in advance.
 
It’s probably a sanitary cross in the wall.

Drop head cables are used here.....or careful cable work to make the cable drop down the stack.

You can also possibly access the vent from the roof or attic to drop down the vent directly to the clog. That’s how I prefer to approach it, from the roof vent if there is one accessible.
 
Post a picture of both under-sink areas.

You might have more options than you think.

There might be a clean out plug on the wall somewhere, below the cross.

You also should be able to shine a light into the trap adapter at the wall, and guide your snake down the drain at the cross.

You can also try adding a slight gradual bend to the first 6 to 12 inches of the snake, then aim it down there.

You should remove all the drain piping up to the wall, to be able to head downwards.
 
I had one that the problem was in the lower portion of a sanitary cross and not even a drophead would drop down, it would just skip right over the clog.

It was also revented and the revent was under the plywood floor of a walk in attic.

I removed the drophead and every 3-4 passes the cable would go up the revent.

So I had my helper go in the attic and listen for My cable. We located it and cut the floor and found where the vent went vertical. Cut the 90 off and installed a sanitary tee with a C.O. In the top of it.

Dropped the cable down the stack and that alone broke the clog up.
 
Yeh, they can be tricky,bending the cable and just bumping the trigger is the way I do Patience is the key,I have also had to climb on roofs to put the snake down the common vent,I wouldn't recommend this unless your experienced
 
Sometimes, manual snaking and rotating the crank the opposite way will let a snake move down a tricky fitting.
 
All good ways to go listed.

My first go-2 would be the bend at the end of the cable as Andy suggested. For sink lines, I do not use a cutter. Just a sort of hook at the end of line with 2 bends. So it looks like the top of a question mark but not as sharp. Just bent enough to still be a line. Aside from making turns, junctions easier. It also cleans the pipe by rattling around and abrasing. With sink goop, a cutter really doesn't do much. Some folks disagree with me on this and prefer a cutter 1 inch smaller than the pipe. Getting threw a T, a cutter will defiantly make turning a lot harder. Play with the junction 3 times and you will get the feel. Knowing your distances is key here. Don't bend much. Just enough to make a turn like this.

The drophead would work here but ya need to know when to stop spinning and hand feed. I seldom use them. I worry about breaking them off

Try to push and wiggle when you feel it wanting to stop at the T as Jeff suggested. Aside from going down, it's very often where the blockage is. A helper listening across, on the other side of the T will help. Ya can feel it though. (Up or down or too easy and just going across) given enough distance. In a case like this, I mark safe distance with a file or wire brush (scrape a clean, shiny spot) to warn you to not go further than needed. (I had to buy the nice lady a toilet once. Long story and I look bad, snork)

Like most drain cleaning, do not to push or rush or go to far. Feel what the cable is telling you, Grasshopper.

Just how I do it and many ways to feed a cat.

Please be sure to post how it's going.
 
SLAN the OP is MIA, so this thread is probably dead.
Har, LoL. Misread that Jeff. Was wondering how you knew Slan was no longer with us in the larger sense. (Told ya I was slow)
Really thought this was a good clogged sink thread. Kinda covered most ways to attack. So might still help someone.
 

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