Clogged BOTH kitchen sinks (fast help would be appreciated)

[phouka]

Oy vey ist mier. This problem has taken on EPIC FAIL proportions.

First, I know bleach doesn’t help take out clogs. I poured the bleach in after it occurred to me that I was using a plunger previously used on a shit-clogged toilet. Call me squeamish, but I knew I’d be reaching my hands in afterward and really didn’t want to be exposed to the equivalent of raw sewage.

So, I was considering the above instructions and thinking about a run to Home Depot to buy a snake. It’s about time we owned one, considering how often plumbing problems crop up. Then, my dad came out of his bedroom to find out what was going on.

Dad is 83, pretty much deaf, and has some really interesting, inflexible ideas about gender roles and his relatives. Things like “daughters are psychologically incapable of understanding plumbing”. I explained the problem to him (“Well, Dad, I think there’s a block downstream of the sink, because [description], [detail], [explanation]”).

Dad spent the next 20 minutes explaining to me all the stuff I already knew, including: the two sink drains are connected, the dishwasher drains into the same pipe upstream of them, one needs to run the disposal anytime one puts any solids down the sink, and the lever thingie works the faucet.

He spent the next 30 minutes doing all the troubleshooting I’d already performed, even after I explained that I had run the disposal, cleared the disposal, reset the disposal, plunged both drains (with the plug in the opposite drain), and that water would exit the anti-siphon valve (thanks, Joey P) but the dishwasher did not appear to have any clogs.

Then, he declared that there was probably a clog between the sinks. While I was explaining that this was not so, because the water level in both sinks would equalize when they were left alone, he went and got a Zip-It - an inexpensive plastic tool for clearing bathroom drains. I gave up when he got it stuck in the non-garbage disposal sink.

Now, I’d informed my mom of the situation, and when she got home, just as Dad was ready to disassemble the P joint and really get into the swing of things, she asked him to wait until the morning. We might just hear from Bro-in-Law the Mighty.

By morning, the sinks had drained, proving the clog was not completely impermeable. Bro-in-Law the Mighty showed up, and I esca- ahem decided to make room by taking the dog to the dog park. I also asked Bro-in-Law what he drank, as I planned to pick him up a six pack as a thank you. Turns out, B-i-L was slightly hung over from the previous night, which was why he hadn’t returned the message or text and not favor of any alcohol at the moment.

By the time I got back, B-i-L had disassembled the underside of the sink, snaked it all the way back to where the pipe met the wall, and was having a dickens of a time getting the snake to go down the drain pipe and not up the vent pipe. After a while of this, he yelled “uncle” and told us it was time for a plumber.

So, I’ve had to cancel the carpet cleaners expected tomorrow (figuring they would need access to the sink), Dad is complaining about coffee made with bathroom tap water, and Mom refuses to call a plumber until a weekday, so we all ate dinner out.

I’m afraid to touch anything for fear I’ll destroy it, for I am clearly cursed with powers of accelerated entropy.

[obbn]

@phouka

Oy vey ist mier. This problem has taken on EPIC FAIL proportions.

First, I know bleach doesn’t help take out clogs. I poured the bleach in after it occurred to me that I was using a plunger previously used on a shit-clogged toilet. Call me squeamish, but I knew I’d be reaching my hands in afterward and really didn’t want to be exposed to the equivalent of raw sewage.

So, I was considering the above instructions and thinking about a run to Home Depot to buy a snake. It’s about time we owned one, considering how often plumbing problems crop up. Then, my dad came out of his bedroom to find out what was going on.

Dad is 83, pretty much deaf, and has some really interesting, inflexible ideas about gender roles and his relatives. Things like “daughters are psychologically incapable of understanding plumbing”. I explained the problem to him (“Well, Dad, I think there’s a block downstream of the sink, because [description], [detail], [explanation]”).

Dad spent the next 20 minutes explaining to me all the stuff I already knew, including: the two sink drains are connected, the dishwasher drains into the same pipe upstream of them, one needs to run the disposal anytime one puts any solids down the sink, and the lever thingie works the faucet.

He spent the next 30 minutes doing all the troubleshooting I’d already performed, even after I explained that I had run the disposal, cleared the disposal, reset the disposal, plunged both drains (with the plug in the opposite drain), and that water would exit the anti-siphon valve (thanks, Joey P) but the dishwasher did not appear to have any clogs.

Then, he declared that there was probably a clog between the sinks. While I was explaining that this was not so, because the water level in both sinks would equalize when they were left alone, he went and got a Zip-It - an inexpensive plastic tool for clearing bathroom drains. I gave up when he got it stuck in the non-garbage disposal sink.

Now, I’d informed my mom of the situation, and when she got home, just as Dad was ready to disassemble the P joint and really get into the swing of things, she asked him to wait until the morning. We might just hear from Bro-in-Law the Mighty.

By morning, the sinks had drained, proving the clog was not completely impermeable. Bro-in-Law the Mighty showed up, and I esca- ahem decided to make room by taking the dog to the dog park. I also asked Bro-in-Law what he drank, as I planned to pick him up a six pack as a thank you. Turns out, B-i-L was slightly hung over from the previous night, which was why he hadn’t returned the message or text and not favor of any alcohol at the moment.

By the time I got back, B-i-L had disassembled the underside of the sink, snaked it all the way back to where the pipe met the wall, and was having a dickens of a time getting the snake to go down the drain pipe and not up the vent pipe. After a while of this, he yelled “uncle” and told us it was time for a plumber.

So, I’ve had to cancel the carpet cleaners expected tomorrow (figuring they would need access to the sink), Dad is complaining about coffee made with bathroom tap water, and Mom refuses to call a plumber until a weekday, so we all ate dinner out.

I’m afraid to touch anything for fear I’ll destroy it, for I am clearly cursed with powers of accelerated entropy.

In other words what I call “Tuesday” when my dad comes for an extended visit. Wow, I really feel your pain. Love my dad, but he is opionated and no matter the subject his universal rule is “You’re doing it wrong”. Good luck to you!

[Morgyn]

It’s the week, now, phouka. Did you get a plumber in?

[phouka]

Yep. He was here for about three hours.

Verdict: atherosclerosis of the plumbing. There was a grease clog downstream of the sinks. Took him a while to clear it.

So, from now on, every Monday night, we will pour a little degreaser down the drain, run enough water to push it through the P trap, and let it work its magic.

I am so very, very glad it’s over.

[Cheesesteak]

@Black_Train_Song

Okay, this might come across as somewhat complicated but it isn’t.

Under your sink…where the dishwasher hose connects to the garbage disposal is a rubber fitting. Use a pair of vice grips or another human being with a pair of pliers to crimp the rubber fitting.

Then fill both sinks about half-way.

Then force a sink stopper or another plunger into one of the sinks…and plunge the hell out of the other.

This is generally what I do, though I don’t crimp the rubber fitting, I remove it from the disposal, and replace it with one that has the opposite end blocked.

Yes, I actually built a “garbage disposal rubber stopper for plunging” device
Yes, I’ve had to do this many times
Yes, sometimes I want to throttle someone who threw a bunch of inappropriate stuff in the disposal
Yes, sometimes that person is me

[Duckster]

@phouka

Yep. He was here for about three hours.

Verdict: atherosclerosis of the plumbing. There was a grease clog downstream of the sinks. Took him a while to clear it.

So, from now on, every Monday night, we will pour a little degreaser down the drain, run enough water to push it through the P trap, and let it work its magic.

I am so very, very glad it’s over.

Plugged Pipes Rules
[ol]
[li]If it ain’t leaking or overflowing, take a breather and slow down.[/li][li]Never pour any chemical down the drain unless you are absolutely sure of the problem and the properties of the chemical you plan to use.[/li][li]If completely flabbergasted, call a plumber.[/li][li]Learn what to dispose of in the garbage disposal and what not to dispose to avoid Rules #1 through #3.[/li][/ol]

[Mama_Zappa]

@automagic

It has happened to me too. What I did was get the nerve to stick my hand in the dirty water and take a rag and stuff it in one of the drains and hold it there while the other hand did the plunging in the other sink. This will force the pressure down and hopefully solve your problems.

If not hopefully you have a friend with a snake.

Yep - I’ve had this happen a couple of times. I don’t use a rag, I use the sink drain cover in the non-disposal side, and plunge the other side. It takes a few minutes sometimes. I think the plug is downstream of the sinks, actually.

[j666]

@phouka

Yep. He was here for about three hours.

Verdict: atherosclerosis of the plumbing. There was a grease clog downstream of the sinks. Took him a while to clear it.

So, from now on, every Monday night, we will pour a little degreaser down the drain, run enough water to push it through the P trap, and let it work its magic.

I am so very, very glad it’s over.

Every try a cup of baking soda rinsed down with a cup of distilled white vinegar? Seems to work and it’s fun.

[JBDivmstr]

@phouka

Yep. He was here for about three hours.

Verdict: atherosclerosis of the plumbing. There was a grease clog downstream of the sinks. Took him a while to clear it.

So, from now on, every Monday night, we will pour a little degreaser down the drain, run enough water to push it through the P trap, and let it work its magic.

I am so very, very glad it’s over.

Three hours?! How much did he charge you?

FWIW, you should never pour grease down the drain. Instead, pour it into an empty 1 gallon container (after it’s cooled, of course), when it gets full you can take it to almost any restaurant and they’ll gladly empty it into their grease storage pit.
(Most, if not all restaurants, get paid for their used grease these days. You might want to ask first, though.)