Comments on: Reason #372 Why I Don’t Clean

By: Building My Life Like a Construction Project: Less Sawdust, Still Crazy - DIY Life

Thu, 29 Dec 2011 18:51:06 +0000

[...] my gift. (Which is why something as simple as wiping down a sink in the bathroom can turn into, uh, this.) The same thing holds true for other aspects of my life– it’s a “go big, or go take a [...]

By: Building My Life Like a Construction Project: Less Sawdust, Still Crazy - DIYdiva Lifestyle

Wed, 28 Dec 2011 02:52:59 +0000

By: Mo

Mo — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 03:05:31 +0000

I don’t know if you solved your problem yet, but I have a suggestion if not. Vessel sinks either have an overflow or they don’t. Yours clearly does. Vessel sink drains are made two ways — for sinks with an overflow, and for those without. They are not interchangeable. I’d suggest a trip to the hardware store to pick up a new drain built for an overflow. They’re cheap.

Good luck.

By: Karen Anne

Karen Anne — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 18:15:16 +0000

I’ve just started reading your blog, so I’m very late commenting. I have no clue about plumbing and am too cowardly to try anything with it.

But one great thing I learned from the web after years of no results from Draino, etc. for slowly draining sinks is to flush the sink with a lot of hot water (as hot as the hot water tap will produce), then pour in a cup of bleach and let it sit for an hour or two, then flush again with a lot of very hot water. So far it has always worked (now I’ve jinxed myself.)

I love that you found a crust of bread under the cabinet. I once took apart a stuffed doll to wash the cover and restuff it, and found a crust of bread inside.

By: Anonymous

Anonymous — Tue, 13 May 2008 20:12:54 +0000

Yes, it can be due to the water falling directly down the drain, rather than landing slightly offset from the drain. Can check – simply use your hand to re-direct water slightly away from the drain. If it still backs up quickly, it’s not the position of the tap. If it no longer backs up (or takes significantly longer to do so), that’s the problem.

By: der5er

der5er — Sun, 11 May 2008 14:41:55 +0000

RE: Snaking…
You just had it done but was this drain slow right after it was snaked? If it was just as slow then as it is now, then I’d have to think you’ve got a venting issue. Especially with the tub/toilet connection you mentioned. (Neat trick BTW…got to get that on video!).

By: Al

Al — Sat, 10 May 2008 22:02:53 +0000

Last time I experienced something very similar, having taken the trap apart and discovered no blockage immediately under the sink, through trial and error I eventually worked out that the blockage was further along and unreachable by conventional means, ie anything ‘pokey’.

Chucking some caustic soda down the sink along with hot water, and then allowing it to work its magic for a while, before flushing the pipes through with more boiling water did the trick (be mindful of the vapours).

May be worth a shot…

Of course it could just be that, as you suspect, you had a shoddy installation, but the first thing I will always try if I have the problem again is good ol’ caustic soda.

By: kitliz

kitliz — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:58:48 +0000

Handyman: No goo. Venting sounds like something that could be the problem, I have no drainage issues from the bath or toilet up here, but when I do run a bath and then drain it all of the water gets sucked out of the toilet as well. I assumed this was a venting issue.

Gene: I did expiriment number 5000 on the sink and watched it drain. Water definitely drains slow but steady, however I hear a glugging noise down by the trap, even though there is no noticable stop-start-stop in the draining.

No toilets or anything above, this is on my top floor… and no drainage issues on the first floor or basement. You really think it needs to be snaked?? Can that much stuff build up in a year or two?

Okay, yes, probably. I have no idea why I’m so reluctant to do that.

Oddly there are no threads to tape. I mean, there are, but that isn’t where the water comes from. There is a pipe that slides in from the trap and then a seal, and the threadded part tightens down the seal. Because of my sink position, that seal (which should be on a straight part of pipe) is located on the curve of the trap. I pulled my whole cabinet about 2″ out of the wall so that seal could be tighened on the straight part and it seems to work okay. Go fig.

By: handyman

handyman — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:50:22 +0000

Yeah, I thought the makeshift sink vent was dodgy too….

By: Gene

Gene — Fri, 09 May 2008 18:39:17 +0000

Plumbers tape for the threads, and don’t over-tighten them. There’s usually a gasket fitting where the vertical tail pipe goes into trap. Make sure the gasket is straight, in the right orientation, and in good condition (e.g., not cracked)

The slow draining could be lack of proper venting as handyman says, but the solution his friends used sounds questionable. Code requires the vent to be above the maximum water level, and you don’t sewer smells venting into your bathroom (there may be some special widget that allows for that.) When it drains, does it drain slowly but steadily, or does it blop, drain some, blop, etc.?

If it’s slow but steady, more likely it’s the drain partially blocked a bit further down. Snaking drains can be un-fun if there are any toilets above that level.