# Bathroom sink not draining



## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

Ok, need to see if anyone has some ideas. Will start with the fact that my bathroom sink will not drain. Have tried liquid plumbing, home drain snakes, and power rooter. Though no new results with the drain and water going down. Within the bathroom the toilet still flushes, and the shower drains fine.

My next step is to start removing the floor to get to the drain and determine where and what the pipe is doing.

Any ideas?


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

How many feet of snake are you able to get in?


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

I was able to go about 10 ft with the home model. And was told that the power rooter went about 30ft which is about out of the house (unfortunely I wasn't home during this to know).


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

The sink does not join into the drain for shower or toilet before 10 feet?


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## RMH (Jan 17, 2009)

Tracker01 said:


> Ok, need to see if anyone has some ideas. Will start with the fact that my bathroom sink will not drain. Have tried liquid plumbing, home drain snakes, and power rooter. Though no new results with the drain and water going down. Within the bathroom the toilet still flushes, and the shower drains fine.
> 
> My next step is to start removing the floor to get to the drain and determine where and what the pipe is doing.
> 
> Any ideas?


If you can safely get up on you roof, try dropping your snake attached to a drill down the vent that is above the bathroom.


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## Treehopper (Aug 18, 2007)

...the trap is clear???-makes no sense!


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## Ranger Ray (Mar 2, 2003)

Treehopper said:


> ...the trap is clear???-makes no sense!


I was going to post the same thing. :lol:


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## Little Roober (Jun 17, 2004)

Treehopper said:


> ...the trap is clear???-makes no sense!


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

Big Frank 25 said:


> The sink does not join into the drain for shower or toilet before 10 feet?


Wondering the same. 

Not your problem if trap is clear, but the only problem sink in my house for the last 30 years has been the one that I shave at. Something about shaving creme plugs that bugger up and I have to unscrew the plastic pipes and clean the "U" when it starts draining slowly.

L & O


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## storman (Mar 12, 2008)

Does your sink have a built in vent by that i mean a hole near the top of the bowl. If it does it may have plugged up. Some of the newer tops dont have them and you need to adjust the height of the stop to allow air in to get it to drain.

Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

Was able to put snake into the vent pipe with a little problem initially but then able to put entire 25ft snake in.

As to the trap, I was very confused when I took it apart and there was only a bit of slim.

As for where drains connect it is a mystery to me. I know at least the tub drain a 1 1/2" pipe doesn't connect to a 4" pipe till the basement in a two story house (was looking in the kitchen at the wall the pipes run down, noticed something odd, a cabinet was attached to the wall by two dry wall screws) behind the cabinet are the pipes but can't see anything more as too connections.


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

storman said:


> Does your sink have a built in vent by that i mean a hole near the top of the bowl. If it does it may have plugged up. Some of the newer tops dont have them and you need to adjust the height of the stop to allow air in to get it to drain.
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


 
Not sure what you are meaning, is there a better explanation?


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

storman said:


> Does your sink have a built in vent by that i mean a hole near the top of the bowl. If it does it may have plugged up. Some of the newer tops dont have them and you need to adjust the height of the stop to allow air in to get it to drain.
> 
> Outdoor Hub mobile, the outdoor information engine


That's exactly what I was thinking. If there's an overflow (and check carefully, sometimes they're under a lip on older porcelain sinks) sometimes the sink won't drain correctly. I've seen slow drains as a result, but never stopped drains.

Also... you hired someone (a plumber?) to snake the drain and he wasn't able to lend any insight? What's the deal with that?

KW


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## Liver and Onions (Nov 24, 2000)

RMH said:


> If you can safely get up on you roof, try dropping your snake attached to a drill down the vent that is above the bathroom.


Probably a dumb question, but if a bird or squirrel got in there this would stop the drain from working like storman mentioned ? 
Good point K9wernet, seems like those guys should have seen every possible problem in their work.

L & O


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## k9wernet (Oct 15, 2007)

Tracker01 said:


> Not sure what you are meaning, is there a better explanation?


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

k9wernet said:


> That's exactly what I was thinking. If there's an overflow (and check carefully, sometimes they're under a lip on older porcelain sinks) sometimes the sink won't drain correctly. I've seen slow drains as a result, but never stopped drains.
> 
> Also... you hired someone (a plumber?) to snake the drain and he wasn't able to lend any insight? What's the deal with that?
> 
> KW


the snaked drain wasn't by a professional, but consulted a professional plumber that looked over the bathroom and said snaking it would be his first thing and couldn't grantee anything since it has been done already with no success and if that doesn't work it then would be gaining access to the pipes.


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

k9wernet said:


>


Thanks, just making sure i understood you correcting. There isn't an over flow drain.


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

Liver and Onions said:


> Probably a dumb question, but if a bird or squirrel got in there this would stop the drain from working like storman mentioned ?
> Good point K9wernet, seems like those guys should have seen every possible problem in their work.
> 
> L & O


Was able to put a drain snake down the vent fairly easily, and the vent also controls the toilet and shower which are working fine in the same room


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## Tracker01 (Jul 6, 2010)

What I am trying to determine is whether to pay a plumber to resnake the drain (rough estimate $100) or move onto gaining access to the drain through the floor (my labor and eventual remodel of bathroom that is on a honey do list).


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## Big Frank 25 (Feb 21, 2002)

Why not snake it yourself? Is water standing in the sink? What happens when running shower full and flush at same time? Any gurgle?


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