Plumbing Problems

Last night after I finished giving my son a bath surprisingly the bath tub did not want to drain. I tried various common techniques last night to get the drain to unclog. I used my humble little 1/4" snake from the the bathtub, from the toilet, and from under the sink. All to no avail. I also tried to use it from the clean-out outside but seemed to get stuck. I gave up for the night.

This morning I didn't want to deal with it but what choice do you have when you have a toilet that's not flushing and a sink that seems to work until you realize it's filling up the bathtub in the other room. So, this morning I had a couple of other ideas to try. I tried snaking from under the kitchen sink (and at one point got the snake inside the walls). I tried going up on the roof and snaking through the vent stacks. But I never got the sense that I had reached the blockage with my snake.

After lunch, I was about ready to try my last move before calling a plumber. The ole' Drano method. I had not yet used any kind of Drano product because I don't believe they really work for serious problems. But a $5 bottle of Drano is worth a shot if it can save a $200 plumber visit. I also had a sneaking suspicion that my "snake" (1/4" auger) was inadequate. So I went to Lowe's to get my Drano and check out the other options for freeing drains. While there I was looking at various methods but they all seemed hokey and unlikely to work. Then a Lowe's employee came up and asked me if I needed help. (I honestly don't think this has ever happened before.) He suggested I consider buying a more heavy duty snake. There was a flat-wire option and a 1/2" coiled wire option. I went with the coiled wire option because you could still spin it to help break through or grab debris and the flat wire is just for pushing through. I picked up some Drano as well.

I came home with renewed optimism and hope for a solution without calling a plumber. I took my new big auger and went to the clean-out on the side of the house. As I shoved it through the clean-out and the central waste line I had a good feeling. The 1/2" cable just felt more substantive and like it could do something. Eventually I felt it hit the blockage. I had never felt this with the smaller auger. I tried pushing it through but didn't feel like I was getting through. I tried spinning it to free the blockage. I wasn't sure if it was working. I pulled it out to see if there was anything on the tip that would indicate progress. And I checked inside but the toilet still wasn't flushing right. I prepared myself for defeat. The $28 solution wasn't such a solution after all. But I decided to give it one more shot. I put the auger back into the clean-out and when I hit the blockage I spun it until it felt like something changed. Unfortunately the auger must have coiled up on itself because it seemed to be stuck. But I unwound it and it seemed to free up. I gave it one more chance and this time I broke through. I was able to push the auger further into the house. Was this my solution?

I went into the house almost scared to hope that it had been solved. But sure enough, when I flushed the toilet it drained properly. To finish the job I poured the bottle of drano down the kitchen sink and gave it 20 minutes to hopefully clear out the rest of the blockage. We'll see how long this lasts but tonight I couldn't be happier. It was really rewarding to do this all by my unprofessional self.