The sink in our bathroom has been draining slowly for some time now and suddenly it just sort of stopped draining all together. What should I do? 

Thanks,

Stopped-Up

Nevada City, Ca.

Dear Stopped up in Nevada City,

  Keep a sharp eye out for signs of a sluggish drain. It’s easier to unclog a slow drain than it is to open a drain that has completely stopped. When the drain is slow, you can try a couple of easy things first. First try pouring scalding water down the drain to loosen any buildup of grease or soap scum. If that doesn’t help, you can clean the stopper, pop-up or drain screen. (This is not for the faint of heart.  My wife makes a funny face whenever I clean the pop-up.) If this doesn’t solve the problem, the next thing you’ll want to do is grab a plunger. If you don’t have a plunger, or if you have one of those silly little guys from the grocery store, go out and buy a good one.  Pick a plunger with a large enough suction cup to completely cover the drain and create an airtight seal against the surrounding sink. The one I use is black rubber with a yellow handle and has a cone on the bottom which can be folded up when I use it for clearing sinks or tubs. First cover the drain with the plunger and fill the sink with hot water and completely cover the suction cup. Seal off the overflow if you have one with a wet sponge or a rag. Push out any trapped air beneath the cup, and then give the plunger 5 to 10 vigorous up-and-down pumping strokes to jolt loose the clog. It may take 3 or 5 times to do the job. (One thing you should know is a plunger works with both the up and down stroke, so really tug up on it.)

 If none of this works you could try using a hand cranking snake, but let me tell you from my experience, they don’t work so well. They take a lot of effort with very little affect. You really need a good electric snake to do the job right. You may be able to rent one from the rental yard, but it helps if you know how to use it, they can be very dangerous to use.

 One other thing you can do before the drain gets clogged is to use an enzyme drain cleaning product. The enzymes help to digest the organic material and break it down to it basic element. It’s a great, environmentally safe product. And if you’re on a septic system the enzymes will work their way down into the tank and digest the gunk in the septic tank as well.

 If none of this works, well then I guess it’s time to call out the professionals.

Always start any plumbing repairs on your Auburn home by turning off the water shut off valve to your home so you can work on the pipes without the fear of flooding your Auburn home.

FAUCET LEAKS:

Bathroom and kitchen faucets will often leak due to the washer or O-ring wearing out. Washer are usually made of rubber. The washers are discs that seal and restrict the flow of water when the handle is turned. This type of faucet is known as a compression faucet or rising stem faucet. To replace a washer, remove the decorative cap to get to the screw that attaches the handle to the faucet. Next remove the handle. Then unscrew the packing nut that holds the valve in place by turning it counterclockwise.

Valve washers come in many various sizes and shapes, plus both flat and beveled. I would suggest that you take the valve stem with you to the hardware store to match the exact size needed. An even better idea is to simply replace the whole valve stem. After replacing the washer or the valve stem and your faucet still leaks, the seat may have been damaged.

FIXING A DAMAGED VALVE SEAT:

If the washer has become too worn prior to replacement, the metal will grind against metal and damage the valve seat. Water particles and mineral deposits can become trapped between the seat and the washer so that closing and opening the faucet handle grinds the particles inside and damages the seal beyond simple washer replacement.

Most local Auburn hardware stores have a seat-grinding tool that is commercially available for do-it-yourself (DIY) home repair. The tool comes with easy steps on how to reshape the damaged seat to accept the new washer properly. Now you know the basics on how to repair that leaking faucet in your Auburn home. As always, if you run in to any problems and have some questions and/or need some help, please feel free to call us; ABT Plumbing, Electric, Heat & Air: 530-272-9120

• Remove all water from the sink or tub and pour about 1 cup baking soda down the drain.
• Then pour 1 cup vinegar down the drain, plugging it immediately (if you’re unclogging a double sink, plug both drains).
• When the bubbles have died down (about 30 minutes), chase them down the drain with some hot water.

If this recipe seems familiar to you, you may have as I did (at one point in your school days) used this recipe to make an erupting volcano for science class.  Baking soda, a base, combined with vinegar, an acid, reacts to form carbon dioxide and sodium acetate—the bubbles that do the scrubbing work inside the drain.  Once drain sludge is dissolved, these all natural, non-toxic ingredients get flushed down the now clog-free drain and will do no harm to your plumbing and or septic tank.

Baking soda and vinegar as you know are natural ingredients preferable to the manufactured chemical sodium hydroxide, also known as caustic soda or lye. Sodium hydroxide is the active ingredient in most grocery store drain cleaners.  While the chemical isn’t too harmful for the environment since it’s broken down by the time it flows into oceans and rivers, it can be harmful to whomever it touches. And it can do a nasty number on the working of your septic tank.

According to the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry, sodium hydroxide can burn skin. If swallowed, it can cause chest and abdominal pain, and has the potential to lead to death if it severely damages the lungs, tissue, or causes a loss of pulse or shock.

Baking soda and vinegar are common, consumable (though perhaps not together!) ingredients that don’t pose health dangers and are probably already sitting in your kitchen cupboards.

And hey if the home remedies don’t work you can always call ABT and well be right out. 530-272-9120