# Solved: Need Help, clogged sink drain



## johnnyburst79

My friends drain (really, it is my friends, not mine) is clogged with potato skins. We have tried many-a things and nothing has worked thus far. So far we have used a snake to try and break it up with no results. Drano has not worked and neither has a plunger. I'm going to give it a shot today but if I can't fix it, a plumber will be called.

Can anyone offer some advice?


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## n2gun

1st how far down is it plugged?

2nd Have you tried taking the trap off? That may be where its plugged. 

3rd Check local hardware. I have seen a small snake that hooks to a drill. That may work


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## johnnyburst79

The snake was 10-15 feet long. We put it in after the trap.

I've been putting in some acid with warm water to try and eat it away.


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## JohnWill

Actually, you should be using the lye based cleaner, I don't think you want to be pouring acid down the drain.


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## hairytoe

Dynamite will clear her!!! honest.......


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## JackAndCoke

Drano is like .1% diluted concentrate. I suggest getting a commercial rated drain cleaner from a plumbing supply warehouse like Apex. Be sure to use heavy rubber gloves and rinse thoroughly though, that stuff will burn you pretty bad.


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## Perfesser

There's a gadget at some hardware stores (usually in the country) called a clogblaster, or drainblaster. Hooks on the end of a water hose and slips into the pipe - I think there are several sizes from sink drain to sewer. Anyway, I've been able to bust clogs in septic lines with it. 
Hook it to the hose, slip it in the drain, and turn the water on; it swells up like a toadfrog to seal the pipe and starts pulsating when the water backs up to the output end.. Won't do any good if the clog is past the vent pipe.
Have someone standing by with a video camera in case it blows out of the pipe...it'll at least place on Funniest Home Videos!
Chemical means...there's a Drano product that comes in a double bottle that lets the 2 parts mix and foam up. I cleared a drain stopped up with wood shavings with this stuff.


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## johnnyburst79

Thanks for all the responses. It was cleared with the acid (I forget the name, but some drain clearer) and water pressure. After about two hours, more water was disappearing but not enough. We connected the trap back on and filled the sink up then turned the garbage disposal on. That broke up what was remaining of the potato skins.


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## Izme

moral of the story...never ever put potato skins down the drain!


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## hewee

Or use the garbage disposal side.


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## coderitr

Actually, I've had potato skins clog my drain AFTER I put them through the disposal. The best option is to take the drain apart and clean it out. Anything else you're just pushing the clog further down the pipe. The clog is probably directly under the sink so you can get to it and clear it in a few minutes. Just make sure you have everything out of the under the sink cabinet first and you have towels and a pan to catch the water that is still in the pipe. (Trust me, there is still water in the pipe.)


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## johnnyburst79

We used the garbage disposal too. And the clog was WAY down the pipe. After the acid, filling the pipe up and using the garbage disposal to create much more water pressure broke it free.


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## wacor

potato skins are the worst. notorious for plugging and difficult to clear out.

using water can be risky as drainage pipe is not rated for pressure. 

also using acids or such drain cleaners can created problems if the drain pipe is steel and old. you risk putting a hole in plumbing if it is old and in weak condition


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## Skivvywaver

wacor said:


> potato skins are the worst. notorious for plugging and difficult to clear out.


 Agreed Bill, but rice runs a close second.

The worst IMO is grease. Grease will not immediately clog a drain like rice and potato skins,(mashed potatoes are wicked also) but grease is filty and smelly and almost always needs a snake to clean it out.

I have snaked my share of drains (K-50 for small ones and a 1500 for the bigguns) and you would be shocked at some of the things I have pulled out of drains. I'll never forget the "hair weave" incident.  A 4" sewer line clogged with a hair weave. How bright can ya get?


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## iltos

johnnyburst79 said:


> The snake was 10-15 feet long. We put it in after the trap.
> 
> I've been putting in some acid with warm water to try and eat it away.


did you reach the blockage with that snake?
are you thinking it's clogged with potato skins 'cause it happened just after a potato peeling?

the skins get slimy and are tougher than they look....those skins could well have just been the last straw, catching on something that's been there for awhile....


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## JohnWill

I'd never pour acid down my drain. The reason most drain cleaners are lye based is that is not nearly as hard on the plumbing, but still breaks down the sludge.


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## johnnyburst79

iltos said:


> did you reach the blockage with that snake?
> are you thinking it's clogged with potato skins 'cause it happened just after a potato peeling?
> 
> the skins get slimy and are tougher than they look....those skins could well have just been the last straw, catching on something that's been there for awhile....


No we did not reach the skins with the snake.

JohnWill, it may have been a lye based acid, I'm not sure. The guy who gave it to me told me it was for drainage pipes in the home.


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## JohnWill

Well, lye is not acid. 

Acid is anything with a pH lower than 7.0, and pure lye has a pH of 13.0

He may have just called it "acid" because he didn't know any better.


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## iltos

johnnyburst79 said:


> No we did not reach the skins with the snake.
> 
> JohnWill, it may have been a lye based acid, I'm not sure. The guy who gave it to me told me it was for drainage pipes in the home.


rent a fifty foot power snake.....my guess is your tater skins have hung up on something else and slimed together to make a great wall in the pipe.


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## johnnyburst79

iltos, we already fixed it


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## JohnWill

johnnyburst79 said:


> iltos, we already fixed it


There's always that 2% that doesn't get the word.


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## JohnWill

*You can mark your own threads solved using the thread tools at the upper right of the screen.©*


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## coderitr

JohnWill said:


> There's always that 2% that doesn't get the word.


I resemble that.  I saw that he had solved the problem. I was posting a "next time try this" option. (Yeah, that's it. )


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## johnnyburst79

JohnWill said:


> *You can mark your own threads solved using the thread tools at the upper right of the screen.©*


I don't see any tools in the upper right of the screen. Got a screenshot?


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## JohnWill

Here they are. You won't have all the tools you see, since some of them are moderating tools, but you do have the "mark solved" tool, last one on the list.


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