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    MsMewiththat's Avatar
    MsMewiththat Posts: 854, Reputation: 136
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    #1

    Mar 6, 2009, 10:07 AM
    Wax in Sink
    As crazy as it sounds, is as crazy as it is... I have a teenager that was trying to be helpful. I asked him to blow the candle out in our half bath in the basement. You guessed it, he comes to report that he blew it out and dumped the extra wax in the sink. <--he was so proud that he thought of this wonderful idea.

    Subsequently the sink drains slower than molasses. How far down the pipe has this wax travelled and what steps should I take to free the wax? Please advise.
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
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    #2

    Mar 6, 2009, 11:36 AM

    The wax is likely in the trap. You can run hot water down the sink for several minutes but that isn't the best idea. I'd get a bucket to catch the water and just unscrew the two nuts holding the trap. Dump the wax and water into the bucket and inspect the trap well before reinstalling.
    MsMewiththat's Avatar
    MsMewiththat Posts: 854, Reputation: 136
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    #3

    Mar 6, 2009, 11:56 AM

    Great advice... thank you for responding.

    Okay, I'm thinking this through... Under the sink there is a elbow joint that is attached to a pipe that comes directly from the drain. If I remove the elbow joint there will be wax trapped in the bottom of the elbow and then water in front of it. So most likely it wouldn't have gone further than the bottom of the elbow huh? I should possibly consider replacing that elbow or do you think it could be scraped out?
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
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    #4

    Mar 6, 2009, 12:01 PM

    That elbow is actually your P trap. p-trap: Information from Answers.com Some have a small drain plug at the bottom but most home drains do not. Some folks also call this a J trap but its all the same as far as you are concerned. Unscrewing the nuts, draining and reinstalling should be all that's necessary. Do not replace unless there is a hole. Is this white plastic (PVC) or chrome?
    KISS's Avatar
    KISS Posts: 12,510, Reputation: 839
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    #5

    Mar 6, 2009, 12:11 PM

    Once you have it out, look upwards into the drain pipe and see if any wax is caught there. I suspect not.
    ballengerb1's Avatar
    ballengerb1 Posts: 27,378, Reputation: 2280
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    #6

    Mar 6, 2009, 12:22 PM

    Scroll down a few inches, the second trap is a PVC trap. You can see the nuts at each end of the J. KISS brings up a good suggestion since that wax probably started to set as it ran down the inside of the pipe. If so you can scrape it off with a table knife.
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