primitives discuss bathtub drainage

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=287x7928

Oh my.

Critters2  (1000+ posts)        Thu Sep-17-09 09:46 PM
Original message
 
I'm probably gonna call a plumber, but thought I'd ask. Sink drainage backing up into bathtub. 

This is the third plumbing problem I've had in two weeks, and would love to not have to call the plumber again, but I figure that's where this is headed.

After I brushed my teeth this morning, I heard a gurgling sound in the bathtub in the same bathroom. I opened the shower curtain, and found that dirty water had backed up into the bathtub. The bathtub has been draining slowly the last several days, but the sink seemed fine. I've been intending to pour some vinegar and soda down the bathtub drain...just hadn't gotten it done soon enough, I fear.

Those of you who know such things--how serious a problem is this? My other drains seem to be working fine--downstairs bathroom, toilets, kitchen sink, etc. This seems to be confined to the upstairs bathroom.

I doubt this is something I can fix, but wondered if I have a HUGE crisis on my hands, or just a problem.

The sparkling husband primitive, who does repair and maintenance on his rental units himself, being too tight, too stingy, to hire honest union-card-carrying handymen:

Stinky The Clown  (1000+ posts)        Fri Sep-18-09 01:06 AM
Response to Original message
 
1. Just a guess: you have a problem, not a crisis

It is a clog in the tub drain. The sink drain ties into the tub drain. Being higher, the sink waste backs up into the tub.

More guessing: The plumber will clear the clog through the tub's overflow.

Critters2  (1000+ posts)        Fri Sep-18-09 01:46 AM
Response to Reply #1
 
2. Thanks! Good to know.

That makes sense. I am calling the plumber in the morning. Weird, all this recent plumbing. Before this, I haven't had a plumber to the house in years.

Wash. state Desk Jet  (1000+ posts)      Fri Sep-18-09 04:29 AM
Response to Reply #2
 
3. If it's the at a connection where your sink and tub drain lines are tied in,it may be hair clog combined with other waste products. I assume yer toilet flush's ok. Or have you checked that? As a rule plumber goes into it through a clean out. Sink would be the other option.

If it were me, I would use a plunger to find out if the standing water will move down the pipes. If it does after that, I would poor some hair clog remover down the bath drain. In many cases where it is about slow drainage in the bath/shower drains, it is hair clogs.

Hair clog Remover costs about 9 or 10 bucks a gallon at hardware.That's what it's called, comes in a red bottle.Those age old rubber plungers are no good by the way. The newer plastic ones have more pressure. The cost is about 8 0r nine bucks for one of those.

OK, so if I am right, your cost of fixing it yerself is under $20.00

Those two items are good to have around the house,so why not go for it.

Again, if it were me, I would do the plunger than some hair clog remover first,before pulling out a snake.

In many cases means I run into that a lot. Call a hardware store and ask about a product called Hair Clog Remover. Or go to home depot and talk to somebody in the plumbing department about it.Tell who ever it is what I think. And have who ever it is show you the newer plungers.

Good Luck !

Reread the part about the recent plumbing you had done. How recent and what was done? Any of it have to do with drainage? And when did you notice slow drainage in your tub drain ,and was it a progressive thing ? If for example some snaking was done in a area of your drain lines, sometimes the waste is moved down the pipes and it becomes traped in a different place. In plumbers talk thats called chasing gunk in the pipes.

So if it were me, and you were telling me about it over the phone, I would want to know what was done and when before I bought the hair clog remover !

But like I said, hair clog remover is a good trhing to have around the house for bathroom sinks and bath tub/shower drains.

franksolich thinks it would be better for the clogged primitive to take the moral high road and call a union-card-carrying plumber to deal with the problem, so as to provide a workingman with a job, and to show solidarity with labor.

[LC EFA]

Three words.

Granular Sodium Hydroxide.

[DumbAss Tanker]

Plunging it in the normal way would be pointless since the blockage is obviously downstream from the juncture of the sink and tum outflows, so if the DUmmie plunges the tub all the force is just going to divert into the sink drain.  A lot depends on how poorly the system is designed and what sort of septic/sewage system it has, but it looks like snake time to me.

[JohnnyReb]

Most likely a 60's vintage "Hairball".

[The Village Idiot]

My brother tried to move into a little rent house in Dallas. There were a few problems...

The roof was sagging, leaky, moldy... the house had no foundation except stumps, the tub drained underneath the house.

Very nice if your an illegal alien, apparently that was what it was really meant for.

He lives in a nice apartment in Plano now.

[GOBUCKS]

The utter stupidity of DUmmies never ceases to amaze.

Is there really anyone beyond age 16 who is unaware that hair causes 99.99% of sluggish bathroom drains?

Or that a staple of home maintenance is a jug of hair clog remover?

It should be common knowledge among DUmmies, given the appearance of their hair.

But I guess in DUmmyland, one normally just calls the landlord.

[BlueStateSaint]

The utter stupidity of DUmmies never ceases to amaze.

Is there really anyone beyond age 16 who is unaware that hair causes 99.99% of sluggish bathroom drains?

Or that a staple of home maintenance is a jug of hair clog remover?

It should be common knowledge among DUmmies, given the appearance of their hair.

But I guess in DUmmyland, one normally just calls the landlord.

Or Mommy . . .

[Karin]

What was the topic that Critters2 was so recently embroiled in, that pissed me off so much?  I know that name.   He was a real dick.  I'm glad he's got a revolting bathroom on his hands. 

[franksolich]

The utter stupidity of DUmmies never ceases to amaze.

Is there really anyone beyond age 16 who is unaware that hair causes 99.99% of sluggish bathroom drains?

Or that a staple of home maintenance is a jug of hair clog remover?

The primitives do have it at hand, but they use it for shampoo.