DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

But copper pipe will develop holes if the pH of the water is too low.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I had a clogged vent pipe once. It did not prevent water from draining, just slowed it down.

The roof had a vent pipe, like most other houses in the area. It was a 3" pipe. When I finally figured out that it was clogged I took a look in the attic. The 3" pipe went up through the roof but in the attic it connected to a 1/2" galvanized pipe which supplied the venting for the plumbing in the house. Over 50 years the leaves had fallen into the vent pipe and collected in the reducer to the 1/2" pipe. Fortunately it was a straight shot about 5' to the reducer so I just got some rebar and a hose and turned the hose on into the vent pipe and pounded the leaves enough to break them up and flush them out. I then put a screen over the vent pipe.

The problem was there from the construction of the house. The only other houses I have really looked at had the vent pipe as an extension of the soil pipe from a bathroom. The other small drains had 1/2" galvanized pipe connected to that vent, but the connection was from a y on the soil pipe oriented so that anything falling through the vent would not enter the 1/2" piping.

Sunsniper

Drop a sinker on a string down the vent tube on the roof.

47greyfox Loc: on the edge of the Colorado front range

Hmm, let me think about this.
Step 1 - Jerry goes to HD and buys a longer snake
Step 2 - Jerry returns to HD and buys a spinner snake
Step 3 - Frustration setting in, Jerry climbs on the roof and drops a sinker down the vent tube. Jerry slips and tumbles off the roof.
Step 4 - Despite an aching body, Jerry looks around the house, goes to HD and buys what he needs to replace the pipe.
Step 5 - "Dammit, this is starting to annoy me...... nothing's any better and I've wasted two days."
Step 6 - Jerry calls a plumber, $125 spent and problem is solved. Total cost after figuring in gas and materials and doctor bill, approx $300. Good news is Jerry has a new friend in the plumbing department at HD.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

That's what's so puzzling. Of course, I'm just estimating the distance. If I put 20' of snake into the pipe, the blockage could be 21' away. With twists and turns, it's not 20' in a straight line.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

But that should also interfere with the toilet and washing machine that are downstream from the kitchen, right? The washer and toilet drain fine.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Replace HD with Lowe's and Amazon.

I won't be getting a spinner snake because there's no way it would make the two 90° turns to get to the outlet pipe. The plumber would charge $100 just to arrive here, and judging by what I've done so far, this isn't going to be a simple fix so the final bill would be substantial. Aside from that, I like solving problems on my own - regardless of time "wasted." As for the tools I've bought, I know I'll need them again. I have a five-gallon bucket under the sink, so it's not totally useless.

The house was built (1963) on a concrete slab - no basement - so replacing the pipe is out of the question.

tommy2 Loc: Fort Worth, Texas

It never ceases to amaze me the wide range of topics on this forum. Want to inject mine on this subject - about clogged drain pipes.
A new house we purchased 20 or so years ago had the pipe from a toilet crease to function properly after use by guests for the first time. That bathroom had not been used since purchasing the place.
All sorts of methods to unclog the pipe failed so a camera was sent down it to find it had collapsed during construction of the concrete slab. A jack hammer was brought in to dig it up and while doing that a post tensioning strand was broken which in turn sliced another crossing over it in half. Needless to say this caused an explosion of sorts causing a large hole to develop in the slab. There were pieces of concrete stuck in the sheetrock walls of that bathroom caused by that explosion. It's amazing neither of the two workers were injured.
This caused a couple year long, sometimes very intense, skirmish with the builder to get everything back to almost new. During that time our property taxes were reduced and the builder put us up in another new home in the community. (He had taken it back because of construction failures so used it as a temporary location for displaced residents. It looked like a nice house until the carpet was picked up to reveal a large crack all the way across the slab.)
We finally approved the repairs to our home after documenting everything from the very beginning with my trusty Kodak 3 Mp digital camera which proved to be invaluable while getting everything completed - nearly every image was e-mailed to everyone concerned with the project. One such almost tragic event was I went after having one of the involved engineering firms license revoked because of miss-representing the quality of the repairs - really got their attention. Amazing some of the other businesses that also tried to get by with not fully completing their obligations.
That little camera provided absolute proof of the sometimes non-quality of the job's materials and workman's ship.
In the end the builder handed me a nice five figure payment for all my trouble as well as incorporating a few upgrades to our house.

Day.Old.Pizza Loc: Maple Grove, MN

A long time ago I had a similar problem to what you describe. It turned out that on the vent for that run of pipe from the kitchen sink there was a spring-loaded siphon break that got gummy and would not open. This slowed the water floe significantly. Check under the sink for a plugged vent. It might be further downstream too.
Good luck.
Pat

Ava'sPapa Loc: Cheshire, Ct.

Jerry, this may sound crazy but it's worked for me a couple of times. It may or may not work for you. An old neighbor told me this years ago. Grab your garden hose with the nozzle attached and set it to it's hardest stream. Place it into the drain and then wrap a towel around the hose and drain so that the water doesn't come back out and turn it on. You'll know fairly soon if it worked or not. It's saved me some money. Good luck.

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

Not so fast. We had a similar problem a couple of weeks ago. Called a plumber and the total out the door cost was $750.00. Your projections might be just that, projections with none of it coming true. You don't really think the plumber would fix it in one hour do you? I am not trying to be an ass, just being realistic because I have been there.

Dennis

Toby

Jerry. many years ago I had a similar problem except it was with the main drain into the septic tank. About every 6 months or so every thing would slow down in the main drain. Eventually I found it was getting clogged near the inlet to the septic tank. To release it I would lower a hose with a right angle nozzle and direct it towards the inlet pipe. it would break up the plug and clear the path for another 6 months. Finally I go tired of this and hired someone to dig up the ground around the tank inlet. As it turns out the septic tank was set too low in the ground and the main drain from the house was too high to match up with the tanks inlet. Rather than do a proper job of lowering the entire pipe the contractor just forced the pipe down which put a kink in it (it was obviously not the heavier pipe used today). The drain pipe was too narrow at the kinked area and eventually materials would collect there and continue building up until plugged. Once corrected no problem since. Hire good, honest subs when you build.

BrianFlaherty Loc: Wilseyville, CA

Jerry:
I was a "grunt" plumber and contractor in the San Francisco Bay Area (Plumbers Union Local 159) and the Lake Tahoe area (EXPENSIVE CUSTOM homes in a VERY rural area) for over 20 yrs; and, subsequently, (for another 20 yrs) practiced as an "expert consultant" in litigation cases in the courts [I mention the above by way of my "credentials"]. . .Send me a private e-mail to: expert@volcano.net. . .And, I can offer you some suggestions and send you drawings of what I believe you are dealing with. . .My feeling is that the kitchen sink is indicative of "other" problems that may be impacting your system. . .

Brian Flaherty

PS. . .There is no charge for this offer. I just like to help people <smile>
PS #2: My company name in the Tahoe area was: Flaherty's GOOD Plumbing; and, as "recognition" of my "skills," I had an omelet named after me on the menu of the Squeeze In in Truckee, CA . . And, how many plumbers are there that can lay claim to THAT "award?" <another smile>

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Hello Jerry,

First, I admit that I’m surprised the drain line is copper, but anyway. There is an interesting tool at your local owes or Home Depot that works on most blockages. It’s a round black rubber bladder that screws onto a standard garden hose. They come in various sizes fro 1” to 4”. You simply stuff them in the pipe and turn on the water, the rubber bladder expands to block the pipe and then pulses a high speed blast of water until the pipe clears - usually takes about 30 seconds. They cost $5-$10 and will clear almost anything - I even used them to clear gutter drain pipes. Since it’s a kitchen drain and it may be grease, I’d hook the hose to the washer hot water line and use hot water IF you have a rubber hose that will tolerate hot water.

Good luck!

Earnest Botello Loc: Hockley, Texas

We had the same problem at our house a few months back, the snake did not do any good, 25 foot, from kitchen to septic drain pipe. Turns out it was where the laundry drain pipe meets with the main pipe that was
the problem, it was stopped up with grease from the kitchen sink. Cut the laundry room pipe, ran the snake through that way, now everything is fine.