Since I have moved into my home over a year ago the bathroom sink in our downstairs bathroom has had a slow drain problem. It was never really a big problem but the wife is now 'encouraging' me to get it resolved. I previously attempted to fix it by 'tinkering' with the existing pipes and ended up creating a nice leak. To fix that problem I had a friend come over who knew what he was doing (but not a plumber) and replaced the piping under the sink with plastic and after much effort got the leak stopped.

However, the drain still is leaking very slowly as replacing the pipes did not uncover and clogs in them. We surmised that there must be a problem with the pipe that goes to the main line as no other sinks nor toilets in the house are having this problem at all. Unfortunately I do not have access to the pipe as it is buried in the wall somewhere I cannot get to.

One more thing to note is that we got almost ALL of the leak stopped except for a VERY slow bead at the juncture to the pipe in the wall, we believe that that is because the water is being rushed backward and when the slow-drain problem goes away that little bead will stop as well.

Do I need to get that line snaked? Is there an air bubble? Is there an easier fix than calling in the big guns?

Thank you much!

Stavros

 

take the trap off and look for clogs there if none then auger the drain

do yourself a favor and pick up something like this
http://www.ridgid.com/Tools/KSpin-PowerSpin-Hand-Spinners/index.htm

you will have clogs and a decent tool like this will save big $$$ in plumbing bills

just a part of home maintenance

on the whole plumbing is fairly easy , just dirty

 

We replaced everything from the sink down up to the drain in the wall, so the trap is completely new.

Is there a certain length for that tool I need to make sure I get? I've never used one before, any tips?

Thanks for the response!

 

most all of them Ive seen are 25' you can get cheaper ones but my suggestion would be to buy a higher end one since you will be using it from time to time



another thing to check is the tailpipe (the piece from the sink to the trap )

I have one sink that gets clogged in that area , I just keep a 12" piece of wire in the drawer and clear it from above

take the trap off put a bucket under the tail piece and run water

 

Check for vent stoppage. It will cause a sink to drain slowly by not allowing equalizing air pressure from above to push out the water. Soda straw effect. Hire a pro if you don't feel good about getting on the roof, however.

 

Thx for mentioning this, as I was thinking that was a problem I might be having. I just replaced all my old metal pipe with PVC (from sink to the main) and had hopes that this might solve my slow drain problem for my upstairs bathroom. Given all the pipe is new and clear, I'm assuming my only other issue is with the vent pipe.

So my question is, what are my options for cleaning out my vent pipe?

I did a visual check down the vent stack on the roof, no blockage down to the first elbow. Beyond that I don't know. My guess is that the squirrels have been dropping seeds down there. There is a open (no screen) 1.25 inch vent pipe on the roof. Is a vacuum recommended? or air pressure or water pressure in hope of flushing it down?

Thanks in advance.

 

I would start with a dry garden hose and see if you can chug it past, then you may want to run water to make sure it is cleaned out.

 

You mentioned an upstairs bath so I'll assume that you have more than one. A 1.25 dia vent might be too small for your fixture load. Maybe one of the plumbers here can confirm that.

With that said, my guess is that you have a blockage. Vanity sinks and showers are notorious for hair clogs. Usually the mess is in the trap but it could be in the tailpiece or further along the drain line. Most vanities have a pop up drain plug and they also gather gunk.

Have you tried an enzyme type of product in the drain? That would be my first choice. I would stay away from chemical drain cleaners but the enzyme products are non toxic and user friendly. If that doesn't work, then try snaking the line. Disconnect the the drain line and snake from there.

The joint where the trap meets the drain line should not leak even if there is standing water in the line. It's probably misaligned or cross threaded or the seal is missing.

 

You can rent a drain auger for a day and try it out.

 

Take the stopper out see how it drain. Could be crud on the pivot rod.

 

Thanks for all the reply's and sorry if I jumped onto the wrong thread. All the drain pipes are new or clean, so pretty sure its a vent issue.


I'll let you know how things pan out. I'll get up on the roof this weekend and run a snake through it. Thanks again.

 

Yep, its plugged, and plugged solid with what looks like leaves and ice. Guess I'll wait till spring to clean it out. Thx again.