Plumbing help/advice needed

[taco.vidal]

The kitchen sink has backed up. I suspect the clog is from waste that has gone through the garberator.
The way the basement was developed, i dont have access to the trap in the floor near this drain. However, the drain pipe coming down from the sink into the basement floor was already cut and reconnected so this gives me access. Ive run a 25 foot snake and havent encountered any resistance so Im assuming the clog is further than 25ft.

What options do i have? Id prefer to try something myself before calling a plumber? Is there anywhere i can buy a snake longer than 25 feet? Or should i rent from home depot? Id prefer to buy in case this happens again.
Also wondering if i should be worried about something else going on? House is from the 60s here in calgary.
Any suggestions?

[speede5]

Is anything else backing up? toilet, tub, etc. I take it this drain runs into the main line under the floor and not through the stack. What are your DWV lines made of, I would assume cast in the floor and possibly copper throughout. Your under floor could have collapsed or let in some tree roots.

Pics or a diagrm would really help, I'd hate to advise you to do something that will make a mess downline or bust something.
If it's just a single line running into the main line and not the stack you could try pushing the blockage through with water pressure. You can get an adapter that goes on the end of your hose and inflates to plug the line and builds up pressure in the line. Could make a big mess though if your blockage is upline from another drain.

A plumber won't be that expensive if they just need to snake that one line, you can't be too far off. You might try a rental store for a bigger snake, probably the safest bet if you don't know the integrity of your lines. If they are ABS though you would be pretty safe with using water pressure.

something like this;
http://www.amazon.com/Cobra-Products.../dp/B000KKRQUM

[Bindair Dundat]

Either pony up the cash for a real power auger:
Or pony up the cash for a drain cleaning service.

Warning? A real auger (in inexperienced hands) can potentially damage "buried things" that will be very expensive to fix. If your buired drainage is cast iron (which I'm assuming it is, given the date of your house), rust scale may well be a large part of the problem; these kinds of blockages require use of a proper auger. The little handyman "snake" is only useful for hair balls and "soft" clogs.

Was your sink (at one time) draining properly? or has it always been "slow"?

There are a few other potential problems (venting, for one) that can also contribute to such a situation. The vent termination on a lot of kitchen sinks is quite low down (near the eave overhang of the roof) and after many years, it can get blocked by an accumulation of fallen leaves and "tree stuff". This is a potential "contributor" to a slow draining sink. I've seen it many times, usually where there are a couple of 90's used (around a window opening) to get the vent pipe into the sink cabinet. The horizontal branch on the vent is sometimes packed solid with "tree stuff". There are also other things (right under the kitchen sink) that may be "contributors", but it's hard to say from here...

I've busted out lots of concrete and cast drainage over the years (adding/moving bathrooms in basement developments) and auger everything I can get access to before closing back up. The kitchen line is almost always the worst, especially if the drop into the floor is located a long way from the main stack(s)/building drain, (which is often the case). There should be (required by code) an accessible cleanout located at the point where the "stack" from your kitchen sink enters the concrete floor. This is usually done with a 45 "TY" fitting. The soil pipe enters the branch, and a cleanout plug is located in the upstream end of the fitting. A 45 fitting on the other end (under the floor) is used to "roll out" to the proper gradient (1":4') for the trip to the stack or building drain.

Personally? Given the age of your house, It's time to call a plumber...

...otherwise, you'll most likely be dealing with this as an ongoing issue for years to come.

I'd pop by for a look...but I live in St. Albert.

[DuffMan]

Originally Posted by speede5

ahh,
holy crap I thought I had a redirecter malware or something for a second.

[speede5]

I thought twice about posting that. lol

In all seriousness, I have had to use one twice on my septic system, to clear a blockage in a 300' 1.5" line. works pretty good.