How do I clean out my house drain/trap

[atwhatcost]

Hubby usually does this, but he has insomnia caused by overdoing yesterday. So. I want to do it. I just don't know what it's called to search online to learn how to. (I opened it. I may have to spend the next few hours trying not to puke, given I'll have to clean that out too.)

So what is that trap called? The last one in the house before it goes out into the sewage system.

(And why put this under family? Because nothing says family like this kind of emergency. It's gushing out! EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!)

 

[blue_ladybug]

what is this, I don't even.. If you mean your sink drain, and it's gushing out, then it probably needs to be plunged or something. Though if it's gushing stuff, it's probably best to call a professional.

 

[atwhatcost]

I found out what it's called. The "main line drain." It's the trap. Hubby was a steam fitter, so we have long snakes and short snakes. We don't have money to get someone else to do this.

 

[pwrnJC]

You should be old enough to realize that your question can be Googled..why waste time, effort and embarrassment asking in a CHRISTIAN chatroom? When you need a certain recipe, do you go to Auto MECHANICS CHATROOM for it? Same lack of common sense shown.

 

[blue_ladybug]

You should be old enough to realize that your question can be Googled..why waste time, effort and embarrassment asking in a CHRISTIAN chatroom? When you need a certain recipe, do you go to Auto MECHANICS CHATROOM for it? Same lack of common sense shown.

That's a bit harsh. She came on here and asked, because maybe someone here may have a good answer for her. I've seen alot more stranger questions on here than this one is. :/ As for recipes, alot of people go here to the recipes forum. What difference does it make WHERE she goes to get an answer to her question?

 

[achildofGod]

It is called a clean-out trap. If you have city sewer, the line is stopped up.
If you are on a septic tank system, the septic tank may be full. If it is full,
you have to get someone to pump it out. We had the same problem, called
the pros, they charged a arm and leg, then told us we had to get the tank
pumped out. You can try to run the snake through it, hope that it unstops
it. If that dont work, and you are on a septic tank system, you will have to
call the pros. I hope this helps.

 

[atwhatcost]

Crisis over. I left a note on the toilet to tell hubby "Don't flush," just in case he had to get up during his sleep before I dealt with this. I hear him get up. And then he flushed! (He thought the toilet was clog, so he was going to unclog it.)

So, naturally, I shouted DON'T FLUSH!

He came down, bleary eyed to ask why, I told him, and before his first cup of coffee he fixed it. My hero!!!!

When he wakes up more, he has got to teach me how to use a snake. All I got out of the two we have is the click when they hit the bottom of the trip. I don't know how to get them to bend, or what else they do.

I need trap-cleaning lessons, because there is no way that disgusting job needs to land on his shoulders all the time! Sorta like having to clean up after a dog. All members of a household need to rotate that duty. (And, I could use a nice dog now. That's less disgusting. lol)

 

[blue_ladybug]

It is called a clean-out trap. If you have city sewer, the line is stopped up.
If you are on a septic tank system, the septic tank may be full. If it is full,
you have to get someone to pump it out. We had the same problem, called
the pros, they charged a arm and leg, then told us we had to get the tank
pumped out. You can try to run the snake through it, hope that it unstops
it. If that dont work, and you are on a septic tank system, you will have to
call the pros. I hope this helps.

Now THIS is an excellent answer.

 

[atwhatcost]

You should be old enough to realize that your question can be Googled..why waste time, effort and embarrassment asking in a CHRISTIAN chatroom? When you need a certain recipe, do you go to Auto MECHANICS CHATROOM for it? Same lack of common sense shown.

I've got bad news for you. If it was a car emergency and I was home (which I can't imagine would happen, or it's not an emergency -- it can wait), I'm doing the same thing. I know my key goes into the ignition. I know that it starts the car with the starter, but after that I don't know the words. Used to be called a generator, but try looking up "How to fix a car generator" on google. That's not really going to help you, is it?

I needed the words to look it up. Even with the words, I still had to put in more effort, because most of the videos were people with traps outside. (I want that. At least when the stuff comes out, it's outside! lol) I need the words. I needed help and didn't have anyone else to turn to. So, who lacks common sense now?

 

[atwhatcost]

It is called a clean-out trap. If you have city sewer, the line is stopped up.
If you are on a septic tank system, the septic tank may be full. If it is full,
you have to get someone to pump it out. We had the same problem, called
the pros, they charged a arm and leg, then told us we had to get the tank
pumped out. You can try to run the snake through it, hope that it unstops
it. If that dont work, and you are on a septic tank system, you will have to
call the pros. I hope this helps.

No wonder I couldn't find a good video. Now, after hubby diverted the crisis, he told me it's a clean-out. (He also told me how to use the snake.) Thank you.

And thank God we aren't on septic systems. That's a big expense guaranteed to happen on a fairly regular basis. (Dad's grass is just as green everywhere else as on his septic tank. He's good. lol)

 

[Willie-T]

Tree roots can effectively block water flow inside sewer pipes. So, this is probably something you need to get on a schedule of doing. We have religiously done this for more than 30 years, and have never been troubled by root stoppage in all that time. (We only bother with doing the flush method..... once a month.)

Before that, it was backed up about once or twice a year... and the pros just charged us... never telling us about copper sulfate crystals.

The inside of a sewer pipe contains all the nutrients a tree needs, and trees are adept at sending their roots through small cracks and fissures to get them, thus causing plumbing problems. One way to prevent this is to treat the soil and insides of the pipes with copper sulfate.


Clearing Roots with Copper Sulphate

Copper is poisonous to roots, but it usually isn't fatal to trees, because the roots absorb it for only a short distance. Consequently, copper sulphate is a recommended treatment for sewer pipes, whether they are already blocked or not. The chemical is available in crystalline form, and a typical treatment consists of flushing the crystals down the toilet. It's more effective against small feeder roots than it is against larger, better-established ones. The latter may die within a week or so of treatment, but they take much longer to wither and wash away.

Preventative Maintenance

Tree roots avoid copper sulphate, so one way to keep your sewer lines clear is to regularly pour a small amount -- less than 1/2 cup -- of copper sulphate into the toilet. If you know where the sewer lines are, you can also treat the ground around them. An effective method is to dig a hole to the top of the sewer with an auger, sink a pipe and fill it periodically with copper sulphate crystals and hot water. The chemical leaches into the soil, and roots will avoid growing there.

 

[tourist]

You should be old enough to realize that your question can be Googled..why waste time, effort and embarrassment asking in a CHRISTIAN chatroom? When you need a certain recipe, do you go to Auto MECHANICS CHATROOM for it? Same lack of common sense shown.

This is a rude and insensitive response. If you are unsure what those words mean you can Google them.

 

[Sirk]

This is a rude and insensitive response. If you are unsure what those words mean you can Google them.

We are members of one body. I agree...What a harsh way to deal with someone who is genuinely seeking help.....on whatever the issue. Some people can be such bullies on here.

 

[mystikmind]

We are members of one body. I agree...What a harsh way to deal with someone who is genuinely seeking help.....on whatever the issue. Some people can be such bullies on here.

True, but perhaps pwrnJC just had a bad day, it happens too us all sometimes

 

[atwhatcost]

Tree roots can effectively block water flow inside sewer pipes. So, this is probably something you need to get on a schedule of doing. We have religiously done this for more than 30 years, and have never been troubled by root stoppage in all that time. (We only bother with doing the flush method..... once a month.)

Before that, it was backed up about once or twice a year... and the pros just charged us... never telling us about copper sulfate crystals.

The inside of a sewer pipe contains all the nutrients a tree needs, and trees are adept at sending their roots through small cracks and fissures to get them, thus causing plumbing problems. One way to prevent this is to treat the soil and insides of the pipes with copper sulfate.


Clearing Roots with Copper Sulphate

Copper is poisonous to roots, but it usually isn't fatal to trees, because the roots absorb it for only a short distance. Consequently, copper sulphate is a recommended treatment for sewer pipes, whether they are already blocked or not. The chemical is available in crystalline form, and a typical treatment consists of flushing the crystals down the toilet. It's more effective against small feeder roots than it is against larger, better-established ones. The latter may die within a week or so of treatment, but they take much longer to wither and wash away.

Preventative Maintenance

Tree roots avoid copper sulphate, so one way to keep your sewer lines clear is to regularly pour a small amount -- less than 1/2 cup -- of copper sulphate into the toilet. If you know where the sewer lines are, you can also treat the ground around them. An effective method is to dig a hole to the top of the sewer with an auger, sink a pipe and fill it periodically with copper sulphate crystals and hot water. The chemical leaches into the soil, and roots will avoid growing there.

Thank you, but I'm city folk. We live in a rowhome, so no side yards, (neighbor's homes instead), our front yard is also the city sidewalk, and the backyard is cement. I have a tree, for now, but it's only a year old and started growing in an unused container, so I'll pull it, before it hits sapling size. (Or turn it into a bonsai, but I don't know if buttonwood makes a good bonsai.) My biggest vegetation is a too-often-trimmed forsythia in a container. Roots are a problem, but because it's root bound.

But plants don't like copper? Yikes. I guess putting pennies in with my bunching onions to stop slugs getting in isn't a good idea. (Maybe that's why there are so few onions left.) Thanks for the heads-up, even though your help wasn't quite how you thought it would help.

 

[MarcR]

Hubby usually does this, but he has insomnia caused by overdoing yesterday. So. I want to do it. I just don't know what it's called to search online to learn how to. (I opened it. I may have to spend the next few hours trying not to puke, given I'll have to clean that out too.)

So what is that trap called? The last one in the house before it goes out into the sewage system.

(And why put this under family? Because nothing says family like this kind of emergency. It's gushing out! EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!)

If you are referring to a sink trap, it is easy; but you seem to be referring to the exit trap.

This trap has a backflow valve and is usually on ABS or orangeberg pipe and is tricky to work with.

I suggest you call a plumber .

If it is the metal 'P' trap under the sink, you can buy a replacement for under $5

just loosen the 2 flange nuts and swap it out. Before tou do that back the flange nuts up their respective pipes and inspect the rubber seals.

When you tighten the flange nuts DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN them!

 

[atwhatcost]

If you are referring to a sink trap, it is easy; but you seem to be referring to the exit trap.

This trap has a backflow valve and is usually on ABS or orangeberg pipe and is tricky to work with.

I suggest you call a plumber .

If it is the metal 'P' trap under the sink, you can buy a replacement for under $5

just loosen the 2 flange nuts and swap it out. Before tou do that back the flange nuts up their respective pipes and inspect the rubber seals.

When you tighten the flange nuts DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN them!

Sinks gush? Yikes! I'm going to have to get instructions from hubby, in case I ever get that one. (Yes, you told me how to fix it, but I don't want it to gush while I go get what's needed to fix.)

Do toilets gush too?

 

[ServantStrike]

Sinks gush? Yikes! I'm going to have to get instructions from hubby, in case I ever get that one. (Yes, you told me how to fix it, but I don't want it to gush while I go get what's needed to fix.)

Do toilets gush too?

Everything gushes. Sinks, Toilets, even people sometimes.

If you've got a toilet gushing on the fresh water side, the first thing to do is to turn off the valve controlling the flow to the tank. If you look, usually right there on the left below the tank there will be a line leading up to the tank and a little valve. Right is tight, left is loose. Tighten the heck out of that valve the moment you see a toilet start to overflow and save yourself a lot of cleanup effort. You can also tighten the valve a bit and it will slow how quickly the tank fills (which can make it quieter), or loosen it for full flow.

If the sewage line is gushing... you're going to be snaking the toilet, or the clean out trap, which you've already experienced recently. Unless the toilet is below grade, in which case you've got a sewage ejector - it's a fun job to clean one of those.

Do you by any chance use your kitchen sink to dispose of kitchen grease? If so, that can contribute to clogging your pipes - try disposing of the grease separately, like in the trash can. Grease is a nightmare for plumbing - which is why commercial kitchens have grease traps.


By the way, I think it's really sweet (and biblical) that you want to help your husband with even these yucky chores. It actually really encourages single guys like me to see women who care enough about their husbands to do that.