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    alhagan's Avatar
    alhagan Posts: 1, Reputation: 1
    New Member
    		  
    #1

    Aug 13, 2010, 11:43 PM
    2 clogged bathroom sinks that sit back to back.
    Quote Originally Posted by massplumber2008 View Post
    Hey Tim...sounds like you cleared the vent stack good, now you need to go back under each sink, remove the traps and snake just into the drain a couple feet or so. YOU need to unclog the branch fitting of the vent stack now.

    Do not snake into next room (listen/feel for that), and no need to run out more then a foot or two past the stack...you know that is cleared...ok?

    So work it in that manner....snake in/out, back/forth, until the branch OFF The stack clears...Hope that makes sense.

    Good luck...Mark

    .
    Hi Mark
    We have the same issue. The two sinks are back to back... there is no clog in the toilets or the bathtub. We have cleaned the P-trap and the pop-up section of the drain of both the sinks. We have used the plunger multiple times in an effort to loosen the clog, to no avail.

    The water is still not moving. We got the snake this afternoon and have tried it several times. It seems like an impossible task to make it bend down inside the drain pipe to make it go in the wet vent area of the drain. (I pulled up the attached diagram from the net to understand how the pipes are connected). Each time the snake comes out on the other side. Is there a trick to doing this?

    We are new homeowners, never ever having faced any plumbing issues before. We have looked at all sink clog related videos on YouTube... having found no answer... asking you... want to fix this without calling a plumber. Thanks

    Al
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    hkstroud's Avatar
    hkstroud Posts: 11,929, Reputation: 899
    Home Improvement & Construction Expert
    		  
    #2

    Aug 14, 2010, 04:14 AM

    For a plunger to be effective you must block the over flow of the sink you are plunging and the drain and the over flow of the other sink.

    If plunging does not work, cut the stub out pipe of one sink, insert a short piece of 1" PVC pipe, with a end cap on it, in the pipe until you feel the cross or tee connecting the two sink drains. Pull it back about 1". With an assistant holding the 1" pipe, snake the other sink. When snake hits the end of 1" pipe it should be forced down the drain. You may have to work the snake and the pipe back and forth a couple of inches until they meet at the drain pipe.
    If the end of your snake looks like a spring with a sharp point on it, tape up the point so that it does not dig into the end of the 1" pipe. Reconnect stub out pipe with PVC coupling.
    massplumber2008's Avatar
    massplumber2008 Posts: 12,832, Reputation: 1212
    Senior Plumbing Expert
    		  
    #3

    Aug 14, 2010, 06:38 AM

    Hi guys..

    Try the plunger trick as mentioned by Hkstroud above... should get water flowing again.

    If his ideas fail then you may want to go rent an electric snake with attachments. Make sure they have a DROPHEAD ASSEMBLY in the attachments... see images.

    This drain snake attachment forces the head to drop into the drain and reduces the chance of it going up the vent. Made for exactly your circumstance.

    Let us know how you make out...

    Mark
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    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #4

    Aug 15, 2010, 06:03 AM

    If you can't locate a drop head auger tip you will have to snake from the lavatory roof vent. Put out enough cable to reach the base and 28 feet more, Good luck, Tom
    speedball1's Avatar
    speedball1 Posts: 29,301, Reputation: 1939
    Eternal Plumber
    		  
    #5

    Aug 2, 2011, 07:06 AM

    Fill both drains with water, have one person go to the other side and cover & hold the drain while the other person uses the air gun on the other side. I had two other people come 'fix it' and they didn't do anything.
    Air gun huh? Sure glad I'm not 56the other person on the other lavatory when all that nasty water explodes out of the overflow, ( Did you forget about the overflow?)
    Besides, ain't gonnba work anywat! The reason being that back to back lavatories are connected through a drainage cross with a vent coming off the top of the cross. The air won't even come close to clearing a cog in a back to back set up.
    1. Because the clog will be found below and downstream from the cross and
    2.Air guns only work when the clog's between the air gun and the vent. Otherwise all that air simply goes up the vent,
    For back to back lavs there are only two ways to remover a blockage.
    1. Snake from the lavatory roof vent, and or
    2, Use a drop head auger tip, (see image)on the end of your snake to direct the cable downward to the clog.
    Hope this clears things up about back to back lavatories. Cheers, Tom
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