Plugged kitchen drain

[Jacks]

Question for any plumbers on the site. My kitchen drain is fully clogged. I removed the p trap and snaked the pipe out to a T fitting, when the snake hits the T fitting it always goes up not down. I found an inspection cover about a foot under that T fitting and snaked it right out to the main line. the plug is between the T and the inspection cover and I can't get the snake in there no matter how much I mess with it. I tried feeding a coat hanger up from the inspection hole with no luck, tried getting the snake to go up from the inspection hole with no luck. Plunger doesn't work, I'm pretty sure where the pipe goes up leads to a vent so there is no seal to force the clog. I've run out of ideas short of cutting the pipe but I'm not doing that and would need to hire a plumber. I don't like the idea of trying a liquid drain opener because if it doesn't work I'll be stuck with a pipe full of chemicals that I have to deal with. Any ideas? Anyone had good luck with Liquid Plumr or Drano?

[CaptainCrunch]

Yeah I had a plugged kitchen sink today, so in went the supermax drano. waited 50 minutes poured down a ton of boiling water. The sink drain made a sound like a Yeti fart, and then presto bango boomo no more drain problem.

[Jacks]

Did you have standing water in the sink before you put the drano in?
I've got the pipes drained right to the wall, when I put it back together it will be dry, I wonder if I should add a liter or two of water to fill the pipe before adding the drain opener?

[Northendzone]

Wonder if ther3 is some gadget you could rent from Home Depot.

A different snake, or one of those video cameras to see what is going on.

[Wormius]

What kind of distances are those in the drawing? Any idea why the snake won't go up?

Is the coat hanger just not reaching? Could you try duct taping a couple of coat hangers together to make a longer string and see if you can jab at whatever is there.

Is it draining at all? You could try some boiling water or something to start, and if that goes through then go with the chemically stuff.

If its anything like the stuff that was stuck in my drain, try some magnets to see if they are utensils that got jammed in there. With a sufficiently strong magnet, you should be able to tell if there is something magnetic lodged there.

Or, worst case you cut it open, pull the debris out, and put it back together.

[Jacks]

Distance of the pipe to the T is about 5'

I think it won't go down because that's where the blockage starts so the path of least resistance is up.

The inspection hole faces down on a 45 degree angle so to work the coat hanger up you have to bend it around, I tried for about an hour to get it worked up there but it wasn't happening. Doesn't help that the pipe is under a corner counter in a tight space.

It's not draining at all, I tried boiling water and a plunger and that didn't do anything.

It can't be a utensil, that would never get past the bend in the P trap.

If this chemical crap doesn't work I'm going to have to somehow drain it and then cut the pipe out.

[getbak]

Where does the T go up to? Would you be able to get to the blockage that way?

[Jacks]

I think it goes to a roof vent, problem is my roof is really high and icy right now. Also from what I can tell of some plumbing diagrams it may not even be a straight shot up, it might loop back down and connect with another drain somewhere in the walls.

[Ducay]

Are any of your P-traps detachable (ie either a cleanout or removable at the elbow)? Would give you a good point of access for a snake.

I would agree on NOT pouring liquid plumber/Drano down. Success chances are low with that much of a run, and then as you mentioned, you're now dealing with very caustic chemicals when you go to unplug downline after it fails.

Do you have any other sinks downline from there? I had a similar situation and ended up busting out the clog from a cleanout in the lower level by sending the snake upwards. Again, very very glad I didn't have Drano shooting out at me (the sewer goop was enough thanks)

[Jacks]

Unfortunately the pipe goes straight to the main, no other access points.

Too late on the Drano, tried it and it didn't work Guess I have to get a plumber in to do some cutting, he/she'll be happy with the Drano no doubt.

Needed to be done anyway eventually, the pipe leading from the P trap to the pipe down aren't graded correctly anyway. That's probably what caused the problem in the first place.

[Robo]

you could rent an auger with a drop attachment on the end of it a small attachment with a weight on it to make sure it drops

[speede5]

You said your snake goes up instead of down when it hits the tee. Is the tee installed upside down? That would cause some problems. The grade being uphill doesn't help either. When its clear it will still drain but you will always have standing water and crud which will not clear and builds up faster.

Go buy a fernco (Rubber coupling with 2 worm clamps) and cut the main line 3-4 inches back from the tee, disconnect your p trap and pull that line out. You should be able easily feed in the snake and get it to go down the right direction. If it works your out $10 and if it doesn't the plumber will be in there anyway.

[fleuryisgod]

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.t...001043630.html

I used this when I had a drain that a snake wouldn't get out. Worked very well for me.

[Ducay]

Originally Posted by fleuryisgod

https://www.homedepot.ca/en/home/p.t...001043630.html

I used this when I had a drain that a snake wouldn't get out. Worked very well for me.

Those can be effective, but in this case the clog is after 2 open-air points where the pressurized gas would just go (rather than pushing on the clog).

[BOSSY]

Had a similar issue - rented a industrial snake from Home Depot and took off the "claw-type" thing on the end and just used the cable with no end... Took a few tries but managed to get it to go the right direction...

[Wormius]

Did you ever figure out the clog was?

[BloodFetish]

Originally Posted by Wormius

Did you ever figure out the clog was?

I'm on the edge of my seat. I have to know how this ends!

[puckedoff]

Please be plastic shopping bags

[Reaper]

If my drain has ever gotten slow running I've always run really hot water through the drain followed by filling the open portion with baking soda until packed full. Wait 5 minutes and pour pickling vinegar (7% acid vs 5% acid with regular vinegar) down the drain until there's no foam. Plug the drain and fill the sink with the hottest water that will come out of your tap. When full, pull the plug and drain the sink. I've never had a clogged sink because this washes all the grease and grime deposits out of the sink pipes.

[Jacks]

Turned out that the whole pipe was slimed right to the main, when I snaked it out it just plugged right back up after. Ended up pushing a garden hose down the inspection cover, had to pull it back out about 10 times and clean the end out. Once the hose went all the way down I turned the tap on and blasted water through the hose while slowly pulling it back out. After the bottom part of the pipe was clean the Drano had weakened the top clog enough to flush it with a sink full of hot water. Pretty damn disgusting the crap that builds up after a couple of decades.