There seems to be a hairline crack at the bottom of the drain trap of my utility sink. The odd thing is that it seems to be leaking when I use the bathroom sink one floor above. Should I simply replace the drain trap, or is this potentially a larger issue as to why that would leak when a different sink is in use? How is the water getting into that trap? I have a marked up photo for reference. Thank you!
Yes, replace the trap. Its quite possible more will be involved... a little ABS will need to be cut and possibly a new sink tailpiece. Things could leak if the connections aren't clean... so replacing with new clean parts will ensure that it operates problem free.
Definitely replace the trap. I wouldn't worry so much about when you notice the leaks. The important part is that you caught the leak and can fix it before you have a bigger mess on the floor.
Just an FYI about tee's and wye's on a vertical drain pipe.
I'd definitely start with just replacing the trap.
But the fact that you're getting water in the trap from a sink above does imply that there's likely a partial clog somewhere below the slab. I personally wouldn't worry about it until it starts backing up into the basement sink, but you could definitely snake it now and see if you can clear it up.
Snaking is always easier when you have a clog and can see/prove when you've cleared the clog. But there's no harm in snaking out the drain pipe and seeing if you feel/see anything that needs clearing.
Thanks for all the help, I did replace the drain trap and am still dealing with some the fittings on them leaking a bit, so I'm tightening those a bit more to see if that will help. In the meantime, when I run the washing machine that is next to the utility sink and floor drain, I seem to get water coming up from the floor drain. I have no idea why this is happening. Any suggestions or things I should look into?
Floor drain putting out water during washing machine cycle.
Thanks Pilot Dane and everyone else, here's an update. I took a drain snake to the floor drain, but after several attempts, just could not get it to go down the drain further than a foot. I ended up opening up the clean-out plug (top left of photo) and put the snake down there. I ended up going down about 15 ft and came back with a bunch of black, smelly, viscous goop on the entire length of the snake. Any thoughts on what that was?
I cleaned the snake, tightened up the clean-out plug (which was pretty loose when I first removed it) and poured some water directly down the floor drain, and in the utility sink, and ran the washing machine (which is how I first noticed the problem, it drains into the utility sink), all three tests went okay and I didn't have any back flow from the floor drain.
Should I worry about the black goop? Do I need to call a professional to clear out and get down the floor drain? I had it professionally done a few years ago (1950's house for the record) and they cleared out roots and other debris.
Thanks again for all the help, the information I'm learning is really great, but the growing confidence in myself is invaluable. All the best!
Having it professionally done is an option. They could use a longer auger and also jet the pipes and send a camera down to look for problems... things you likely can't do,
The black gunk is probably grease from the kitchen that's turned into all sorts of yuckiness. Sometimes the problem with grease blockages is the snake pokes a hole through it, but doesn't fully clear it. You might need a snake with a larger head on it.
But as long as everything is running well now, I personally wouldn't bother having a pro come out. But the next time it does clog, it might be worth it to get a bigger snake down the pipe and possibly camera for roots again.
Hey Guys,
So recently my kitchen sink (left side) has been overflowing when the garbage disposal (right side) is running. These are the things I did:
1. The allen wrench trick under the the garbage disposal. To see if anything was stuck. It was moving freely.
2. I took apart all the pipes underneath and cleaned them thoroughly.
The issue was not solved. I realized that even if I let the water run on the left side, eventually the garbage disposal side will start to overflow, and vice versa. But all the pipes were clear. Here is a picture to show you where I cleaned.
[img]https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.doityourselft.com-vbulletin/1080x810/kitchen_sink_2f4f7d9a04f877bf984d267835f135b7d46f231e.jpg[/img]
If I'm still having issues, then could my issue be further down the pipe that leaves the kitchen? So I dumped some Max Gel on the left side, and things have improved. Now when I run water on the left side, the garbage side is not overflowing. However, when I look inside the garbage disposal drain, I can see standing water inside. Seems to be right at the height where the pipe connects to the left side sink. I figure this is normal but I'm not sure, since 've never looked before. So I'd like you guys to tell me if this is normal or not. Or, if I should keep cleaning using draino, max gel, etc. Or anything else you guys can think of that might be going on my situation. Thank you in advance.
I live in a condominium. The HOA pays for the water. There are garages below each condo unit. In between garages, there are capped off pipes for the most part.
when I walk around the complex, there are several where it is not capped off and has a hose bib.
I want to confirm if water is indeed flowing to the pipe capped off next to my garage. If so, I will plan on installing my own hose bib.
The issue is, the water shutoff is for the whole building (8 units), which I want to refrain from as much as possible.
Any way to detect if water is flowing to the pipe?
the pipe is between two walls, and only an inch or to coming to the outside.
04-15-21, 06:37 PM
