how often does your sink clog?

[anoop]

I've lived in the US for close to 30 years now, but I've been experiencing clogged sinks only since I started wet shaving, previously in an apartment and now in a house.

Do certain shaving soaps make the sink more susceptible to clogging?
Is it due to low flow faucets that don't generate enough pressure?
Is there something I can do about it without using toxic stuff like draino?

I'm about to get a plumber in for the second time this year because of the slow draining sink. It's getting pricey. Also not sure if snaking the drain with power tools will weaken the pipes over time.

Any thoughts?

 

[rfm8os]

There are three women sharing the bathroom I use. It's always clogged!

 

[rfm8os]

I've lived in the US for close to 30 years now, but I've been experiencing clogged sinks only since I started wet shaving, previously in an apartment and now in a house.

Do certain shaving soaps make the sink more susceptible to clogging?
Is it due to low flow faucets that don't generate enough pressure?
Is there something I can do about it without using toxic stuff like draino?

I'm about to get a plumber in for the second time this year because of the slow draining sink. It's getting pricey. Also not sure if snaking the drain with power tools will weaken the pipes over time.

Any thoughts?

I typically use drano or liquid plumr and it works fairly well. it seems the drain plugs that go up and down with a lever cause a lot of clogs because they tend to trap hair. I have been considering removing them and ordering those replacement drain covers that pop up when you push them and have a built in basket that catches the hair. They pull right out so you can dump the hair as needed. Seems like a good idea but I don't have first hand experience with it yet.

 

[anoop]

I typically use drano or liquid plumr and it works fairly well. it seems the drain plugs that go up and down with a lever cause a lot of clogs because they tend to trap hair. I have been considering removing them and ordering those replacement drain covers that pop up when you push them and have a built in basket that catches the hair. They pull right out so you can dump the hair as needed. Seems like a good idea but I don't have first hand experience with it yet.

I don’t think hair is the problem for me — a day or two of stubble is all that is in there. Usually when the plumber comes he isn’t able to bring up much other than bits of black gunk, which I assume is build up of a combination of soap and mold. Then when he runs the snake, things open up.

I am concerned about things like draino because of environmental impact and potential damage to the pipes. Every plumber I have had come in has recommended strongly against using such products because they say it damages the plumbing.

 

[mrlandpirate]

Fire up the tea kettle and poor the water down the drain usually melts most gunk pretty quickly

 

[ColtRevolver]

I probably unclog a bathroom sink 4 times a year. Theres usually hair and toothpaste/soap clogging the stopper rod. I just take out the stopper and remove the trap. It's a 5 minute job.

As far as snakes go, they have there place. I have several kinds. For a bathroom sink, I use a power kind that goes on an electric drill. They are inexpensive and very easy to use.

 

[Go West Young Man]

At my old house, shaving in the bathroom sink would make it start draining slowly almost right away - lather and tiny hairs would get caught in the traps and start hardening pretty quickly. Usually a kettle's worth of boiling water cleared it up.

 

[Rhody]

It doesn’t happen that often but unfortunately it’s one of life’s problems that requires major firepower like drain o or liquid plumber. Those products do say safe for pipes including pvc. Maybe not but I have had a plumber lie to me before. He was trying to scare the daylights out of me saying how our sewer connection pipe was terrible because it didn’t have a clean out connection. He went on and on about the doom and gloom. He could add one for $500. I allowed him to go on and on because I was so confused the connection was replaced recently and literally 3 of those clean out things. So I asked him to describe what he was talking about and then I pointed to one of them and just looked right at him and said, oh like this? Lol
That was it. He didn’t acknowledge or apologize. He had already completed the job he came for so he left. Long story short, plumbers lie. Lol

 

[ColtRevolver]

Before pouring boiling water down the drain, check and see if you have PVC or ABS pipes and do your homework on the amount of heat they can withstand.

 

[anoop]

Before pouring boiling water down the drain, check and see if you have PVC or ABS pipes and do your homework on the amount of heat they can withstand.

Can you tell what kind these are?

 

[ColtRevolver]

The red and blue are PEX supply lines. The black are drain lines, likely ABS. I see a small white pipe. It could be either ABS or PVC.

 

[Bakker1964]

Fire up the tea kettle and poor the water down the drain usually melts most gunk pretty quickly

Do NOT do this. You will damage the PVC pipes over time, to the point that they will simply snap when trying to unscrew one of the elbow collars. I learned this firsthand.

But hot water IS the solution. When you are done shaving, rinse the sink out with hot water to wash everything down the drain. Then fill/drain the sink 3-4 times in a row while letting the tap run. The hot water, coming through with some pressure from the full sink, will wash any soap residue though the system (or at least to a larger diameter pipe.

 

[Bakker1964]

Alternatively, there are some "green" drain cleaning products available that work by emulsifying the fats in the soap and allowing them to be washed away.

I pour one down the drain every few months, just as a preventative.

 

[anoop]

Alternatively, there are some "green" drain cleaning products available that work by emulsifying the fats in the soap and allowing them to be washed away.

I pour one down the drain every few months, just as a preventative.

I have used one of those that I got from my local ACE hardware, but it doesn't seem to do much.

Unique Liquid Drain Opener 1 qt - Ace Hardware

Super digest-It is an effective, bio-enzymatic, drain cleaner and opener. This drain opener will unclog most drains overnight without using any outdated chemicals. If used as a drain maintainer you'll have perfectly running drains without any hassle. You can use this bio-enzymatic drain opener...

www.acehardware.com

 

[Bakker1964]

The one I use is a green powder. I'll see if I still have some and snap a pic for ya.

 

[njpaddy]

I have never used Draino or Liquid Plumber.

Over 10 years ago I switched to wetshaving and never had a clog. Every 6-8 weeks, when I cleaned my Cuisinart coffee pot with 2/3 vinegar and 1/3 water, I would put baking soda down the drains, and overflow holes, and pour the hot vinegar/water from the coffee pot down each drain and overflow. Before my youngest moved out, a Zip-it was also my friend. Her hair always clogged up sink and bath drains. When she got married, I even gave her husband a Zip-It.

When I moved into that 1960's house with well water 18 years ago, both bathroom drains ran slow. I replaced the drains and elbows under the sink, but they still ran slow. For me, the problem was clogged overflow holes. It must have taken an hour to clear each overflow with vinegar and baking soda until they ran free. Both drains ran fine after that. If that doesn't help, and the clog's in the wall, than it's plumber time.

A couple months ago, we sold the house and are now in an apartment with soft water. I still use the hot vinegar/water and baking soda in drains and overflow. Why waste a hot pot of vinegar?

 

[StuMcB]

Sorry my bad thought it was a discussion about constipation.

 

[Ivo4u2]

I typically use drano or liquid plumr and it works fairly well. it seems the drain plugs that go up and down with a lever cause a lot of clogs because they tend to trap hair. I have been considering removing them and ordering those replacement drain covers that pop up when you push them and have a built in basket that catches the hair. They pull right out so you can dump the hair as needed. Seems like a good idea but I don't have first hand experience with it yet.

Got a picture of that pop up with serve?

 

[Ivo4u2]

Shaving soap clogs for sure if I see my sink it coats nicely in a week.

get some air valves on the pipes they prevent backpressure and helps a quick flow.
Of course large drains pipes with steep angle trajectory helps a lot.

Running hot water with a bit of dishwasher detergent helps too. And if needed baking soda, vinegar even stronger stuff. Bear in mind some of that can hurt thin piping

 

[emwolf]

Been in my house 20+ years. I have only had issues while my daughters were still living there, lots of hair in the drains. I've probably cleaned the drains a couple times since the last one left about 10 years ago. I just use baking soda and vinegar when it starts to act up (with the girls gone no need to snake for hair).