Poll: How retarded are we that we can't unclog a sink?

Okay.� Our kitchen sink is broked.� It's clogged and there's really gross water in there.� Tried plunging.� Tried Drano.

Now we have a sink filled with gross water and a whole bottle of Drano.

Help!

Do you have a snake?� Like, that thing with the crank that has a long metal flexible rod? That works pretty good for clogs. Of course, if you have a garbage disposal in the sink I'm not sure what to do because it would stop you from getting through.

mmm snake

there's a kind of a grate thing over the drain.

those usually just pop or screw out.

Keep in mind two things, though, if you're trying to plunge it:

1. Be VERY careful plunging if you already put chemicals down there! In fact, I'd kinda recommend against it.

2. Remember that you need to cover up the vent/overflow drain for plunging to work effectively.

If you have access to the underside of the sink, get a bucket and remove the u-joint piece (commonly referred to as the "trap"). Most clogs happen here, and I find it easier to just remove the piece, clear the block and put it back on.

If the trap is clear though, you're going to have to snake it. Be careful though removing the trap, because if it is the source of the blockage, once you remove it all that nasty stuff in the sink is going to come down into your bucket. Yoiu may need a wrench to remove the trap if it's actual pipe and not PVC.

Hope this helps!

AAAAGH! A Snake! Snaaaaaaaaaaaake! It's a Snaaaaaaaaaaake!

(It's a BadgerBadgerBadgerBadgerBadgerBadger....)

(you're welcome for the earworm. ;))

-- Pauley

The snake works but first try the professional strength drain cleaners, not regular drano. The one thats' a gel is good.

That actually brings up an annoyance I have with advertising. Drano has both gel and liquid products. Their commercial for the gel is all "why are we even using the liquid, it's so stupid,� it just runs right past the clog?" and it's just so dismissive of the concept of liquid drain cleaners. It just comes off as so�fake when they sell a liquid product too. Like, if you're so sure that liquids are idiocy and gel is the way to go, why not discontinue the line?� When they advertise the liquid they're all like "woo! it's great!" :)

Heee. Sorry. I don't know why it annoys me so much. :)�

hehe
yeah, someone else brought that up to me recently... unless, like, it was you then too.

No, I don't think it was. I normally keep my insanity quiet. :)

Ahh, then clearly you're not the only insane one.

:)

I think it was my roommate... whoever it was, I'm pretty sure I was watching tv with them.

My beef with that comercial, was that they said that liquid looks like water and water just runs through pipes.i'm thinking, "excuse me, but isnt the whole problem that warter ISN'T Running through the pipes?".

I think they're *trying* to say for slow drains rather than full-on clogs, the less viscous stuff will just flow around the buildup through the small openings. Whereas the gel would have a harder time of doing that and would instead cling to the clog.

I have no help to your problem...but I'd just like to state that I read the title of this as "Skin help!" and when I saw the poll I got really confused because I was thinking "How many people does it take to unclog skin (I was thinking along the lines of pores)."� *cough*

Well, I did get a facial with extraction yesterday. Yay facials!

ew.

I saw something advertised on TV the other day that might help with this.....ah, here it is:

CLR Power Plumber

It's pressurized, so it'll prolly force whatever crap is in your drain right through.

you could always just call the landlord. :)

that's what i would do if liquid plumber didn't work.

yep.
I'd probably open up the trap as well, as suggested above... but... I have tools... and don't mind doing that sort of thing.

Of course, right now, I live in the same apartment with my landlord... so... I wouldn't do any of the above, I'd just be like, "hey chris... drain's clogged."

heh

yep. call the landlord -- and I wouldn't advise doing anything with tools. that might get the landlord pissy and blaming you for what is at the end of it his problem with his property.

*has great fear of pissy avaricious psycho landlords*

use a pair of plungers (preferrably not ones that have been previously used in a toilet -- EWW) -- cover one drain with one, to prevent you from just forcing air down one and back out the other, and then plunge with the other to try to force the clog through. Worked in a previous apartment for me.

Does not work if:
* you have a single-basin sink with only one drain...
* you've got two drains, but one's a garbage disposal (well, it might work, but I've never tested it)

-- Pauley

Of course, now I read that you've tried plunging. I quit. :-P

-- Pauley