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Kitchen sink has started to back up and drain very slowly.
Judy first noticed it last week.
We were at the farm over the weekend so I’m just now dealing with it.
The fittings under the two bowls are clear, there is no GD, and snaking the stub out with a 25’ 3/8” auger didn’t find anything interesting.
I haven’t used the dishwasher so I don’t know if it’s involved; the DW connects to the right bowl.
Upon reassembling everything and running hot water, the sink drains for a few minutes then starts to back up into the second bowl.
Does this suggest a problem with the vent pipe?
The bathrooms and showers are all fine.
Only the kitchen sink is giving us trouble.
Gary
Please don’t quote the trolls.
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Usually it's the horizontal runs between traps.
I treat everything between the trap & drain baskets as disposable. It's cheap to replace, easier than cleaning
Ed
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The parts are less than 2 years old with no buildup.
I took everything apart and replaced the trap arm as it had a slight film inside; the horizontal runs and P-trap are clean and clear.
The main line out from the wall at the stub out snaked easily and didn’t return any gunk.
This is why I asked if it could be the vent stack.
If tomorrow evening is nice (dry) I’ll get on the roof to check it.
Gary
Please don’t quote the trolls.
Liberty, Freedom and Individual Responsibility
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Is it possible the problem is beyond the reach of your snake?
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(09-17-2018, 09:25 PM)Gary G™ Wrote: The parts are less than 2 years old with no buildup.
I took everything apart and replaced the trap arm as it had a slight film inside; the horizontal runs and P-trap are clean and clear.
The main line out from the wall at the stub out snaked easily and didn’t return any gunk.
This is why I asked if it could be the vent stack.
If tomorrow evening is nice (dry) I’ll get on the roof to check it.
Mine has the same problem about every three years. So I doubt it's the vent. I'll assume it still drains eventually. The problem with mine has been grease solidifying way down stream. My 2" drain runs about 25' after it makes a few turns and a short drop. The second time it happened I changed an elbow to a tee-wye and put an end cleanout in an easily accessible spot. I use a long (straight) length of PEX with a garden hose fitting on the end to run hot water down the pipe. My wife did try to clean it with boiling water followed by lots of scalding hot tap water. It did work for a while so with a little luck it may be all you have to do.
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We had the same issue a few years ago. The lines from the sink were clear into the wall. The issue was in the wall pipe where it connected to the main line that runs under the slab. All of that is cast iron and over the 60 years my house has been in place, the junction had worn away. That was allowing dirt into the waste line, clogging the pipe. They had to bust up the concrete and fit a new junction in place of the rusted out one.
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09-18-2018, 08:57 AM
(This post was last modified: 09-18-2018, 08:57 AM by MarkSingleton.)
I have a heck of a time getting people to not put fats oils and grease down the kitchen drain.
They think if they run hot water it "melts" it away. It sorta does, until it cools, often FAR
down the system.
You only have to see a "fatberg" once , to get it. Sewer workers can tell you about the huge
mess they make with waste systems.
Start, with the vent. Could be an issue there. Make sure though, that ALL household members
get it: No FOG in the sink.
Mark Singleton
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Yeah we scrape out the fat and wipe it out with paper towel before washing the pan
I often use a lot of extra dish soap when hand washing the rest out of the pan with the hope that the extra dish soap is helping to keep the fats from getting together again down the drain
Still every 5 years or so I’m having to rent the big auger and snake out the drain under the basement floor
Ray
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Was told by a relative that cleans restaurant drains for a living......
Dawn dish soap is the best thing to use to keep a drain from getting plugged, eventually it will still happen.
Ed
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(09-17-2018, 10:08 PM)Phil Thien Wrote: Is it possible the problem is beyond the reach of your snake?
That was my first thought. And my last, at this point, since the OP stated that it takes a few minutes of water running before it starts to back up.
My last house (in NJ) had a 'house trap' that had clogged almost completely with grease. That trap was way beyond the reach of my snake, at least from the kitchen.
Perhaps there are other cleanouts downstream from the kitchen?
Tom
“This place smells like that odd combination of flop sweat, hopelessness, aaaand feet"
