# I did something stupid now the sink doesn't drain. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 30, 2009, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085 "2009-12-30T20:39:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085/21 "2010-01-03T16:49:12Z")
So, have you solved the problem yet ? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085/22 "2010-01-03T17:20:02Z")
Extremely unlikely that the vinegar will do the trick. Snake first. If no go, disassemble (and possibly snake further) next. Good luck. ---
**Author:** ![qazwart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/5fc32e/32.png) [@qazwart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/qazwart)\ **Post date:** [January 3, 2010, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085/23 "2010-01-03T23:15:32Z")
> [@picunurse](#): > > Hubby is at work. I foolishly put (a lot of) egg shells down the garbage disposal. Now the sink doesn’t drain. When I was renting back in my college days, I would toss egg shells down the garbage disposal, and one day the sink was clogged. I called a plumber, and he had to snake out the entire line beyond the trap (the u-shaped bend in the bottom of the pipe in the sink). It was a mess. If you’re lucky, the problem is with the trap under the sink (the u-shaped tube under the drain. You can try cleaning the trap out by hand. Here’s a video. It really isn’t that difficult : [http://www.associatedcontent.com/video/90236/how\_to\_unclog\_a\_sink\_drain.html?cat=6](http://www.associatedcontent.com/video/90236/how_to_unclog_a_sink_drain.html?cat=6). If you have a metal trap instead of a PCV trap, you might need to use pipe wrench to undo the nuts and get some plumbers putty or teflon tape to put over the threads when you reattach the trap. If you go to Home Depot or Lowes, someone can explain the whole thing to you. ---
**Author:** ![picunurse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@picunurse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/picunurse)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085/24 "2010-01-04T05:15:04Z")
Problem solved. Hubby came home from class carrying a half gallon if liquid plumber. 15 minutes later… Glub glub… runs like a gazelle now. Of course, now, I’ll never hear the end of this. He’s the one who asked for the damn egg salad. Thanks for all the suggestions. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/9fc348/32.png) [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2010, 5:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085/25 "2010-01-04T05:31:17Z")
So, what was that acid drain cleaner you tried first ? ---
**Author:** ![bethers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c2a13f/32.png) [@bethers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bethers)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 1:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085/26 "2016-07-22T13:13:47Z")
Thank you so much for sharing all. I especially related to picunurse, I did exactly the same thing. I read all the advice she got and did some searching on you tube for some videos and resolved it by plunging the sink. I did not know when you had a double sink that one side had to be plugged up with a stopper. I was saved probably $100 or more plus so many hours of worry, my husband came home late from work without a clogged sink to have to deal with. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [July 22, 2016, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085/27 "2016-07-22T14:25:12Z")
> [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](#): > > So, what was that acid drain cleaner you tried first ? Good question. Most drain cleaners are very very basic. You certainly wouldn’t want to add it to anything leftover that is acidic. ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [July 23, 2016, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085/28 "2016-07-23T00:59:04Z")
> [@Folly](#): > > Good question. Most drain cleaners are very very basic. You certainly wouldn’t want to add it to anything leftover that is acidic. Many drain cleaner contain H2SO4. That is not basic. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-did-something-stupid-now-the-sink-doesnt-drain/523085.md?page=1)