My bathroom sink will not drain all the way. Had plumber in who put snake down drain from under sink and then removed toilet to enter from that end. Was told that the snake could break my lead pipe under the floor so he stopped and said that he had to break up the floor and replace entire pipe. I paid him $240.00 to snake drain and remove toilet and now he says that it will be $1100.00 more to break up floor and replace pipe. This sounds a little crazy to me. Is it true if he snakes the drain he will break it because the pipe is lead. It just seems a little far fetched to me that he had to break up my floor and replace the pipe from the bathroom sink. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Oh by the way, did he tell me all this because I am a woman... and just thinks I am stupid. I feel stupid after spedning $240.00 and the drain is still stopped up.

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Originally Posted by Rochhie

My bathroom sink will not drain all the way. Had plumber in who put snake down drain from under sink and then removed toilet to enter from that end. Was told that the snake could break my lead pipe under the floor so he stopped and said that he had to break up the floor and replace entire pipe. I paid him $240.00 to snake drain and remove toilet and now he says that it will be $1100.00 more to break up floor and replace pipe. This sounds a little crazy to me. Is it true if he snakes the drain he will break it because the pipe is lead. It just seems a little far fetched to me that he had to break up my floor and replace the pipe from the bathroom sink. Any information will be greatly appreciated. Oh by the way, did he tell me all this because I am a woman....... and just thinks I am stupid. I feel stupid after spedning $240.00 and the drain is still stopped up.

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Hi Rochhie,
You either had a inexperienced plumber or he just missed the boat completely.
Follow along with me. When he removed the trap and snaked from under the sink he snaked the lateral,(horizontal) drain line in the wall. That was good but that line only runs a few feet and then terminates at the vent.
Here's where he screwed up. You can't get to the lavatory drain by pulling the toilet and going down the closet bend, (more about the closet bend later). The toilet drain doesn't run into the lavatory drain the lavatory drain runs into the toilet drain and the only way you can snake out the lavatory drain is to go down the lavatory roof vent. So when he pulled the toilet he saw a LEAD CLOSET BEND and screwed up for the second time when he assumed, without checking, that all your drainage pipes were lead. At that time I bet he told you he couldn't snake out a lead pipe without augering through the pipe wall, packed up his tools, wrote a bill and boogied out. How am I doing so far? Back in Wisconsin when I was learning the trade in the 40's we had lead closet bends but the rest of the drainage was cast iron or, in the case of sinks, tubs and lavatories, galvanized iron pipe. He then screwed up a third time when he attempted to sell you a repipe job by thinking all your pipes were made of lead without having a shred of proof the pipes were indeed constructed of lead.
If you hired a plumbing company I would contact the service manager and file a complaint. Have them send out a more experienced man and since you have already paid the plumber for his incompetence and the fact the job wasn't completed this recall should cost you nothing. If you wish you can show them this post. Please keep me in the loop on this and let me know how you make out. Tom