There is always water in the drain hole in my bathroom sink, right up to the top of the drain. Water drains fine, but never completely, therefore it seems to always have black moldy stuff in the drain that flushes up in the sink anytime the water is turned on.
I have tried cleaning the drain, but there is nothing plugging it. I have used many commercial and green cleaning methods, which cleans the drain for a while, but since water (and anything rinsed down the drain) always sits at the surface, it doesn't take long to become "cruddy" again. How can I get the water to drain farther down the pipes?
By RocknChr from Central NE
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Have you removed the "S" trap from under the sink and cleaned it out too? Drain cleaners may not remove all the crud and may need a metal "snake" to enter the drain and gently move around. The snake will help break up and free a stopped/clogged drain further down.
To help keep drains clear and fresh add baking soda as is to the drain til it reaches the top and chase it with vinegar and then allow it to foam up a minute or two and add more vinegar. Chase it with very hot water. This should help to free any slightly clogged drains. You may need to repeat as greasy crud takes extra effort to dissolve.
Also, I was thinking that if you have an older septic system, perhaps it is needing cleaned out. Frequent Spring rains will cause a backup if the land doesn't drain well holding water and it's nowhere to go fast enough. The worse scenario would be leach bed lines have tree roots interfering or if you have those older tiles that might be broke and needing upgraded.
re: "The worse scenario would be leach bed lines have tree roots interfering or if you have those older tiles that might be broke and needing upgraded."
I had to have new weeping tiles put in around the foundation of my house. I have a basement. My bathroom sink drain was doing the same thing as yours. After the new weeping tiles were installed, the drain was fine.
This installation required all of the ground being dug up around the foundation, old ceramic clogged weeping tiles removed and new installed.
I just finished with this problem, it is probably hair in the drain) Go to the store and buy Liquid Plumr Power Gel. Pour 2 cups down drain (it will go through standing water)Allow to work for 15 min and then flush with hot water from tea kettle.
At some point you are going to need to change out the P trap. Look under your sink. You will see a nut that is just down from the sink. Then, you will see one just before the drain pipe enters into the wall. Put a bucket under this area. You should be able to do this by hand, turn the nuts to the left. If it is too difficult take a pair of grip plyers and carefully unscrew the nut. Do the same for the back one. You will see a washer that is attached to the pipes. In side the pipe is probably coated with drudge. Don't throw away the P trap just yet Go to a home center and buy one. The bathroom usually has a (1 1/4") diameter pipe, but some have a (1 1/2"). Take your P trap, nut, and washer to the store with you. The kit is about $10.00. Put it back together, making sure you screw the nut on correctly, and don't forget the washer. You just saved about $150.00 in plumbing repairs.
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