Hi all, hoping you can help as with Xmas coming we can't afford to call the plumber Bathroom sink is blocked, we've tried with the plunger and the caustic soda, but it is taking hours to drain. Don't know why it's blocked as only soapy water and toothpaste spit ever go down there But it is. Is there anything else we can try? Thanx for any help.
Most sinks/basins will unblock easily with a rubber plunger but it's easy to forget a few things. If there's an overflow this must be blocked with a wet cloth to stop air being pushed out rather than moving the blockage. Fill the sink with water so it covers the plunger as the water does not leak through any gaps around the plunger. You are also much safer sucking with the plunger first rather than pushing, this is easy if there is an overflow-put water in sink, press plunger down then cover overflow, then just keep moving blockage back and forth until clear.
Dismantle the trap under the basin and clean out. Use a wire coat hanger to make sure the pipes are clear. If this action and/or the above fail, try a "drain snake" from a builders' or plumbers' merchant.
You are never alone with a spilt personality - Spike Milligna (the late, great typographical error).
i once failed to unblock my sink even after using 2 types of Mr Muscle. I then stuck a wire coathanger down and wiggled it around and the blockage cleared in seconds...
It's water comes out of the overflow, not air [/QUOTE]
It would depend how much water there is in the sink, either way if the force of the plungers action is coming out of the overflow, it's not going down the pipe. If you are using a plunger you must block the overflow
Thanks all for your advice. We had a plumber round this morning and he said the blockage was NOT in our pipe, but in the main SVP pipe which is apparently the responsibility of the freeholder (council).
So we called the council and after having to take the plumber's form round to them as proof, they're coming round on Wednesday morning, bless 'em. No sink till then (and probably not after, knowing what happened last time I tried to get a communal repair fixed)
At least the call-out is covered by our domestic assistance insurance...
I assume the the person with the original problem has managed to unblock their sink ? Otherwise they've suffered in silence in the intervening 2 1/2 years
One method I often find that works, is inserting a short length of waste pipe in the waste fitting, and blowing. covering the overflow first. Or better still, remove the trap, pushing a fitting on and blowing directly into the pipe.
........................................................................ Support the PAS Go with the FLO
yes we did get it fixed thanks! Slightly unorthodox solution involving diverting the sink waste into the bath waste, but it has worked for the last few years.
The blowing method i have used more recently myself, to unblock washing machine waste, bit yucky though...
Sounds like a problem I've recently cured on mine. Bath and shower and sink outlets go to an external hopper on the downpipe - 3 short stubs of white plastic pipes into the hopper. Shower wouldn't empty but others did. I got a ladder out and looked in the hopper - the outlet from the shower was blocked with a green squodgy mess of hair and algae/moss. 1 minutes work and everything's fine again.
My bathroom sink has always been slow draining-have tried everything to clear it-plungers caustic soda mr muscle etc etc. finally complelety blocked this weekend-and used that power plumber aerosol thing which shot a big pile of tissue and cotton buds out of the u bend! sink now drains perfectly (but clearing it from the outside drain was a bit manky). I am a convert
But it is.
which is apparently the responsibility of the freeholder (council).
