About once a year, our bathroom sink gets slow and needs a plumber. It's funny how it goes from lickety-split down the drain to practically stopped. The plumber snakes it, and then it's fine again for a few months. The answer I always get from the plumber is to run hot water down it regularly. Well, I do, and the only other things that go down it are toothpaste, soap, and shaving cream(along with my face's whiskers).

I never use caustic cleansers because I've heard they can make more harm than good, plus these are old steel and cast-iron pipes, not PVC.

Any ideas on how to keep the plumber away?

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

About once a year, our bathroom sink gets slow and needs a plumber. It's funny how it goes from lickety-split down the drain to practically stopped. The plumber snakes it, and then it's fine again for a few months. The answer I always get from the plumber is to run hot water down it regularly. Well, I do, and the only other things that go down it are toothpaste, soap, and shaving cream(along with my face's whiskers).

I never use caustic cleansers because I've heard they can make more harm than good, plus these are old steel and cast-iron pipes, not PVC.

Any ideas on how to keep the plumber away?

Fill basin with hot water to get maximum flow when you do the flush.

Possible that the things going down should not be mixed - unintentional chemical reactions making polymers, so make sure there is a bit of water flow between them to wash them down.

Buy a snake.

Actually find out where the block happens, in the trap or a ways father down the line. Trap issues are mostly not flushing and it sits until the next day and coat after coat builds up.

Finally I'm told that beer yeast is good for cleaning drain lines, but that is a crime.

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It's not the p joint trap issue under the sink because I've already taken that apart and put it back together. Boiling water seems to have made things even slower, but why? The funny thing is, the bathtub and toilet go down just fine.

You mention beer yeast. I'd be happy to pour something down the drain that eats whatever is clogging the pipe down the line.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

If the clog keeps coming back, it could be two things, maybe, roots, and cracked sewer pipes, get a camera equipped roto rooter type place and see where and what the blockage is, then you'll know what to do next. DIY has had that problem sometimes on First Time Flippers, it happens.

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Savoir-Faire is everywhere!
The T1 Trust, T1 Class 4-4-4-4 #5550, America's First HST

It's not the p joint trap issue under the sink because I've already taken that apart and put it back together. Boiling water seems to have made things even slower, but why? The funny thing is, the bathtub and toilet go down just fine.

You mention beer yeast. I'd be happy to pour something down the drain that eats whatever is clogging the pipe down the line.

If it's just the bathroom sink then it's probably not a root problem. That would affect the whole house.

Vinegar and baking soda usually do a good job of clearing pipes. Google it for the measurements and technique.

I recently used Drano Max Gel (in a red bottle) on my slow-draining sink and was very happy with the results.
I don't think it will damage your pipes.

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~Sue~

Baking Soda & Vinegar for Drains

I like to make sure the P trap is empty before I do this because I know the
clog is not in the P trap. You might want to do the same.

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~Sue~

If the clog keeps coming back, it could be two things, maybe, roots, and cracked sewer pipes, get a camera equipped roto rooter type place and see where and what the blockage is

I think the problem must be somewhere between the bathroom wall, and where the sink pipe meets the main drain pipe for the tub and toilet in the basement, because they go down just fine.

Tree roots are not an issue because my main drain pipe from my house to the street was cleared and lined with something special a few years ago, and the City even installed a Clean-out opening in the front yard if there would ever be any reason to auger the rest of the main pipe out to the street.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

If it's just the bathroom sink then it's probably not a root problem. That would affect the whole house.

Vinegar and baking soda usually do a good job of clearing pipes. Google it for the measurements and technique.

I recently used Drano Max Gel (in a red bottle) on my slow-draining sink and was very happy with the results.
I don't think it will damage your pipes.

I hear a lot about vinegar, baking soda, bleach, and hot water, and I've tried variations on those ingredients, but they never work for me.

Drano type products have made things worse for me in the past. They seem to make the clogs harder.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

It's not the p joint trap issue under the sink because I've already taken that apart and put it back together. Boiling water seems to have made things even slower, but why? The funny thing is, the bathtub and toilet go down just fine.

You mention beer yeast. I'd be happy to pour something down the drain that eats whatever is clogging the pipe down the line.

I have used this on a bathroom sink line that is very similar to yours, with good results.
Organic build up remover.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

First thing I'd suspect is the pipe going into the wall, or anything else horizontal.

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David
Sitting on my butt while others boldly go,
Waiting for a message from a small furry creature from Alpha Centauri.

I have used this on a bathroom sink line that is very similar to yours, with good results.
Organic build up remover.

I will look for that in Lowe's, this weekend.

Isn't the obvious answer to buy yourself a snake clearer like the plumber uses and do it yourself if it works? It would soon pay for itself. This sounds like accumulated fatty deposits, that hot water just re-arranges, and other stuff just hardens.

The thing about buying a snake myself is I'm afraid I wouldn't know how to use it correctly, and I'd break something.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Well, I just got back from a little mom n' pop hardware store, and they recommended a version of Mark's suggestion, so I'm going to try it.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Been there, done that.
Yes there are chemicals that remove clogs.
But unless you dont remove clogging hair in the pipes , (chemicals can't do that), you will have to do the same procedur within a few months.

Supposedly this stuff I bought will "eat" the clog.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Supposedly this stuff I bought will "eat" the clog.

Perhaps.
But read the safety instructions carefully before you put that stuff in your pipe.
And tell the plumber that most likely have to clean the pipe mechanically anyway that the pipe is full with caustic water.

Well, I poured about a third of the bottle into the sink as directed, and will let it sit overnight. This stuff is not supposed to be as caustic as some others.

After about 15 minutes, the stuff has foamed a little bit. The instructions say to let it work overnight for tough clogs, and then flush with lots of hot water, which I will do in the morning.

I suspect I'll still be calling a plumber tomorrow, but we'll see...

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

Well, I poured about a third of the bottle into the sink as directed, and will let it sit overnight. This stuff is not supposed to be as caustic as some others.

After about 15 minutes, the stuff has foamed a little bit. The instructions say to let it work overnight for tough clogs, and then flush with lots of hot water, which I will do in the morning.

I suspect I'll still be calling a plumber tomorrow, but we'll see...

I'll lend a hand with the holistic part...............
Ommm, Ommm, Ommm, Ommm.
That should help.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."

The thing that I do when I get s slow running sink is to fill the bowl with hot water (I keep the temp fairly high in my hot water heater). Then I stuff a wet washcloth into the overflow vent . I quickly pull out the sink stopper and give her a couple of good hard pumps with a toilet plunger and this will bring up some black looking stuff and it will push any clog down the line. You could also try putting a cup of baking soda in and then about a cup of vinegar and watch it foam. Regular applications of drain cleaner liquid should also help out--we usually forget to stay on a schedule and so have to resort to the previous measures.

Watch out with the plunger since it can throw nasty stuff all over your sink and counter.

After an overnight sit, and a couple teakettles of boiling water, I can say that stuff Mark suggested seems to have done a fairly decent job. It had gotten to the point yesterday where the water was taking all afternoon to go down, and now it's not perfect, but acceptable, with a full basin going down in about a minute.

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The mind is a weird and mysterious place

After an overnight sit, and a couple teakettles of boiling water, I can say that stuff Mark suggested seems to have done a fairly decent job. It had gotten to the point yesterday where the water was taking all afternoon to go down, and now it's not perfect, but acceptable, with a full basin going down in about a minute.

It may take a few treatments. Mine did. Holistic treatments of physical things can take time to realize they are being undertaken by other powers.

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"Time is simply the mechanism that keeps everything from happening all at once."