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of Home Improvements

*Question & Answer Drains*

Dear Bob

My kitchen sink keeps clogging. I plunge it and it works okay but it still keeps clogging. Should I try one of those liquid drain products?

Dear SM

If your sink is clogged, first try to use a plunger to suck out any waste that is stuck in the drain. Do not try to force the obstruction down into the pipe. You want to try and suck it out. Forcing it down the line can cause a blockage again that will be much harder to get to. Many times, a good plunge will remove any hair or soap buildup that is blocking your water's passage. If that fails, disconnect and clean the trap, or use a snake if one is available.
If the trap is clear and the drain still clogs, the blockage is further into the sink's drain pipe or the main drain. To clear these drains, you'll need a plumber's auger or, as it is more commonly called, a sewer snake.
Use as follows:
With the trap removed, insert the snake into the sink drain line and push in until you meet the obstruction. When the tip of the snake is against the clog, try to hook the clog by twisting the snake's handle clockwise.When the debris is solidly hooked, twist and push the clog back and forth until you break up the clog. Flush the pipe with cold water.

Be careful when using drain cleaners! It is often overlooked by homeowners that caustic, acid-based chemical drain cleaners not only dissolve clogs, but they also ruin your pipes. Instead of using drain cleaners, try a little preventative maintenance. Flush drains weekly with hot water to get rid of soap and grease clogs.

If all else fails you will need to call a plumber who has the right equipment to clear out your drain.

Dear Bob

Sometimes we get a stench in the basement that smells like sewage. The sewer line runs below the concrete basement floor and is made of heavyduty cast iron. Do these heavyduty cast iron lines ever wear out or corrode?

Dear VY

Yes cast iron can corrode or rot through but it is rare. Before you rip up your floor make sure the cause of the odor is not something as simple as a dried out trap in a basement floor drain. Without a water barrier sewer gas and odors will back up into the house.

Dear Bob

We have a French drain in our basement but we still have water problems during the Spring and Fall rainy seasons. I checked to make sure the sump pump worked correctly and noticed that the holes in the perimeter drain pipe were facing up. Was the system installed correctly?

Dear SSD

The holes in the perimeter drain pipe should face down. When the holes are facing up the water can't drain until it is above the pipe. This causes leaks through every little crack in the foundation wall and footing. This French drain system is designed to intercept the groundwater pushing up from below the foundation. See our article on "French Drains"

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