[SiegeX]

On Christmas day our sink backed up after my mom threw a banana peel down the garbage disposal. I'm semi-handy so I removed the plastic piping under the sink as well as the trap and confirmed that the clog is somewhere in the 3" pipe after the P-trap. I had a professional come out and snake it with a 75-footer, he went all the way down and came back up and it was still clogged. He then switched the head on his snake to a cutting head and did it again. It was still clogged with the snake all the way in. Thankfully, as he was pulling the snake back up (still on) the clog seemed to clear.

Today (a week later) my wife decided it was a good idea to throw a bunch of chow-mein into the garbage disposal and that's all it took for the clog to come back. The plumber came out again and snaked it 2x (down,up,down,up) starting with the cutting head, that didn't work. He then asked if he could run my water hose up into the kitchen because he has a "water bag" that he can use which I guess expands into the pipe so that the water pressure from the hose cannot come back up. Well, whatever is clogging our pipe was able to hold such that it was defeating the waterbag from preventing the water from coming back up. After the water treatment he snaked it one more time and that finally seemed to do the job.

I've made it doubly clear to my wife that we can no longer throw large amounts of food down the disposal. I also told her we should not be draining the grease from cooking beef down the sink as well. However, if grease and/or food particles were the real culprit, I find find it hard to believe that it would survive so much snaking.

If the pipe backs up again our plumber is out of tricks and I am wondering what our next step could possibly be? I've heard of high-pressure water cleaners but our plumber didn't have one and he didn't know anybody who did. Is this an uncommon tool for plumbers? Any advice on how proceed if this happens again and/or any preventative measures I can take?

Thanks,
-Sean

[joypulv]

I'm not a plumber, but are you on town sewer, is the sewer line old, cast iron? It could be rusted in spots and tree roots have grown in, so I would pay for a fiber optic camera from a company who does only drains.

When my disposal wore out I thought, hey, I COMPOST, why do I even have a disposal? How hard is it to scrape plates into a little container and take it outside, and put bones in the garbage? I have a winter one close to the house and a summer one farther away.

[massplumber2008]

Hi all...

I'll tell you, when I read this the only thing that popped into my head is why is the plumber using 75 feet of snake here? Are any other fixtures in the house having issues? If not, then the problem is going to be much closer to the sink, right?

I'm guessing you are on a concrete slab here and the pipes aren't accessible, right? If the pipes are accessible I'd want you to measure how far the kitchen pipe runs before connecting into another pipe... bet not far! If the pipes are under the slab then how far is the kitchen from the nearest bathroom... again, betting not too far?

Anyway, I'm only thinking aloud here, but if the problem pops up again I would call another plumber or a drain company as Joypulv recommended. If they think the issue is farther out then a camera down the drain is going to be a smart investment here so you can find out exactly what is going on.

I'm still betting the issue is closer up and that maybe the GREASE in the drain is the bigger issue. Here, grease gathers and a snake would only mush it around not really doing much but maybe clearing a little hole so that would be what I would work on.

Keep us posted as you go along, OK?

Thanks...

Mark

[SiegeX]

Hi all, thanks for the replies. Here is some more info to address your inquires.

I live in a 3-story townhome with the garage on the first floor and the kitchen directly above on the 2nd. This townhome complex was built in 2004 so I doubt it could be rusted pipes. I don't know what material they are made from as the sewer pipe is behind the drywall in my garage (the wall I share with my neighbor). I know this because as he was snaking in the kitchen, I was in the garage listening to where the sounds from the snake was eliminating from. There was also what looks like a 5" cleanout cap on that very wall where the sound was coming from.

The plumber said that generally the kitchen drain will connect into the larger bathroom sewer drain which then runs out into the main sewage line. None of my other fixtures are having problems so as mentioned, the problem must be between the drain and the connection to the larger bathroom pipe. The plumber kept going all 75' because the clog refused to clear and he didn't know how far in it was.

If it clogs up again I'll call a drain company as suggested. Do they have the ability to pressure wash the drain? I have a strong feeling that will do the job, especially if the problem is grease (which I think it is).

I was thinking about the fiber optic camera but I didn't think that would be something *I* would have to buy/supply. How much does that run?

Thanks again

[SiegeX]

I forgot to ask. Assuming the problem *is* grease, is there some product I can buy that will make it water soluble? Since the clog has been widened enough to allow the sink to properly drain, I feel pouring drain-o down the sink cleanout is going to just waste the product, no?

[massplumber2008]

Draino is not the answer here.

A plumber running a snake 75 feet 'cause he doesn't understand why the drain won't clear is plain inexperience.

If you think grease is the issue you may be well off to run hot water for long periods in the sink. Here, the hot water may soften the grease and allow it to flow into the larger pipes where it may not be such an issue for you. You can also find grease cutting chemicals... just type in grease eater for drains (or similar) at Google and plenty of stuff pops up.

A drain company has the ability to jet a drain line, for sure! The camera is supplied by the drain company and they take a video of the drain on the spot for you. In fact here, they send a camera down the drain and they have a TV with a DVD in it that you watch with them as they record it for future inspection purposes. Most companies leave you with the DVD, too. It can be costly, but can be worthwhile for a real troubled drain.

I just don't see that being your case though! If the place was built in 2004 it is either PVC (or ABS) plastic or it is cast iron and copper... both are great products that last years trouble free so I am still convinced the issue is closer up to the sink.. ;)

Let me know what you think...

Mark

[Fr_Chuck]

I will agree, if other things are not backing up, a 75 foot snake was just for show and/or a waste of time. The clog can only be betwee the drain and the first T, if it is after that point, the other sinks would also be backing up.

[SiegeX]

I read that powered Tide can really help clear a drain with grease clog issues because it has a high content of Lye which turns grease into a water soluble material.

As for the 75' snake, I didn't get the impression that it was just for show, I really think it's the only tool he has as it was quite beat up. Perhaps its like bringing a sledgehammer when you just need ball-peen but I guess better to have too much snake then not enough.

He was a very personable guy, he replaced one of my 1.25" pipes connecting the sink drain to the disposal T-fitting under the sink free of charge. Apparently, when I got a new sink and counter top put in, the guy who did the job didn't have a pipe of the proper length so he just cut the exiting one down the middle and glued a coupler in the middle; this is where the leak was.

Mark, since you are a professional plumber, what would you have done in my case when the 1" cutting head on your snake didn't do the job? Would you have just boiled some water and ran it down the pipe to see if that did the trick?

I'm pretty confident this problem is grease related and won't need to progress to a drain company, but it's nice to know where to go next just in case.