What do i do if i have a clog right at the elbow in my main floor drain in the basement?

[BeauS]

Its like 8in down and i cant get a snake through it. Its almost like theres something hard stuck or gunk built up so much.

1. Tried a bladder multiple times didnt do anything.
2. was able to suck the water down to get to the elbow, vacuum sucked up some gunk.
3. tried pouring baking soda and salt with vinegar and soap, didnt unclog it.
4. snake get stuck right at that elbow and wont go any further.

How do i get the snake to get through the elbow? It looks like a 90 degree.

 

[breplum]

A pro using a power snake Will be able to do it.

 

[MicEd69]

Your main floor drain has a trap, so it is not a 90-degree elbow, but it is a 180-degree trap with a 90-degree elbow after that. Floor drains accumulate stuff over the years as their only flow is usually condensate from you air conditioner. As you did not know this basic plumbing fixture, and as you tried the things you listed, I would be hesitant to continue to try to do this yourself as I've seen the results of DIYers using steel rods and hammers at such things. Those fittings are probably cast iron and they do break when pounded on with a hammer.

As breplum indicated, call a professional for this one.

 

[humbolt]

I once had a PVC (plastic) clog in the elbow that drains my washer...it kept backing up. I tried multiple solutions to include DIY at home remedies but none removed the clog. I did not want to try this solution. I used a product is called CLEAN SHOT Drain Opener Professional strength fast acting Sulfuric Acid. It is a strong drain unclog product and says not to be ussed on metal pipes. I picked it up at Lowes. I went ahead and used it and it did unclog the drain and all seems to be OK.

But again, Sulfuric Acis drain unclogers and strong and powerful and does require a little thought concernking damage to your pipes before using. As suggested and at this point, you may want to consider a professional plumber or company to assist you.

 

[MASTRPLUMB]

All the Acid will do is EAT a Hole though the Bottom of the Trap,
Then you will need a Professional to dig up the Floor and replace it !

 

[Geofd]

What size is the floor drain ,what size is the cable your using,sometimes if you run the snake in reverse it will go thru thru the trap,like previous posters have mentioned no chemicals, breplum is also right, maybe have a professional drain cleaner clear it , then try snaking it yourself and see if your snake goes thru the trap

 

[LMHmedchem]

I have had luck using a sodium hydroxide (lye) based main line cleaner. There are several available and you should be able to find it at any hardware store. Just make sure that it is labeled as a main line cleaner and labeled safe for all types of pipe.

There are several keys to using this type of product successfully. The first is having access to pour the cleaner as directly as possible into the clogged area. If you have to pour it through a trap (like under a sink) then you may not get all of it onto the clog without diluting it. The next thing is letting as much water drain out past the clog as possible before trying it. The times when I have had a main line blockage there was still some water getting past the blockage. The drain was just very slow. If nothing is getting through then this product may not work.

It is important that there is at least some flow of water through the blockage if you are going to try caustic chemicals. If there is no flow of water at all, the cleaner will get stuck at the blockage and may sit long enough to damage the pipes. Also, the cleaner will still be there when other methods to clear the block are tried and this can present a hazard.

The last thing is being able to leave the product sit for 6-8 hours without using any water to dilute the cleaner. If you can do all of these things then it may work.

I do this procedure,

1. stop using water after dinner at night, put nothing down any drain
2. try running a snake at this point to see if it will open some
3. allow the system to drain overnight so hopefully the water level will drain down to the blockage
4. pour in the gallon of cleaner in the morning and again don't use any water
5. wait for 8 hours and then flush with hot water to see if the blockage is cleared
6. try again with the snake
7. repeat again the next day if it didn't work the first time

A gallon of this type of cleaner costs $15-$20 so I think it's worth a try if you can manage what is listed above. This has worked 2 out of the 3 times I tried it. It didn't work the third time so I am creating access to go the cleaning route.

LMHmedchem

 

[Twowaxhack]

I don’t like chemicals for a few reasons.
They can injure you and can damage your fixtures.

Then when they don’t work and the customer calls me I have to deal with the chemicals.

But if a person has success then I’m not going to argue against it as long as I’m not personally being exposed to the chemicals.

 

[LMHmedchem]

I don’t like chemicals for a few reasons. They can injure you and can damage your fixtures.

Then when they don’t work and the customer calls me I have to deal with the chemicals.

I am a chemist, so exposure to chemicals is a forgone conclusion for me. I don't consider lye to be very dangerous, but everything is dangerous in the right (or wrong) circumstances. Every substance on earth is harmful and even fatal at some level of exposure. Most everything is also safe at limited low level exposure. The bar can also be at a very different level for folks who have to work with these things on a regular basis where exposure must be considered to accumulate over time.

I have edited my post above to make it clear that one of the reasons that caustic chemicals should used in situations where there is at least some water flow is that even a limited flow will allow the chemical to clear and dilute to safe levels.

LMHmedchem

 

[Twowaxhack]

I am a chemist, so exposure to chemicals is a forgone conclusion for me. I don't consider lye to be very dangerous, but everything is dangerous in the right (or wrong) circumstances. Every substance on earth is harmful and even fatal at some level of exposure. Most everything is also safe at limited low level exposure. The bar can also be at a very different level for folks who have to work with these things on a regular basis where exposure must be considered to accumulate over time.

I have edited my post above to make it clear that one of the reasons that caustic chemicals should used in situations where there is at least some water flow is that even a limited flow will allow the chemical to clear and dilute to safe levels.

LMHmedchem

Chemicals can also ruin my drain cables.

It’ll make them brittle then they’ll break off later in another drain.

 

[MicEd69]

The best place for chemical drain cleaners is in the bottle on the store shelves. They cannot compare to a mechanical cleaning of a drain stoppage. Sure, caustic drain cleaners aren't SUPER dangerous, nor is muriatic (hydrochloric) acid, until they are encountered by someone who doesn't know they are dealing with them.