Drain cleaning

[Charlie Knox]

My mom has a six flat and I was told that I need to put something down all the drains periodically to keep them clean. One person suggested clorox because that will dissolve hair but I really don’t know what to use. Can someone help me with this question? [email protected]

[Retired plbg1Participant]

Pouring something dow the stacks will not do much, only where it touches. You would have to plug them and fill them up and let it set awile and then release, better order a couple 55 gal. barrels. Better would be run a cable down each one. Just wait until one stops up then have cable run through, unless you got lots of free time.

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Art retired plbg

[AKPlumberParticipant]

It’s a good idea to have a competentr drain cleaning company to come out on a yearly basis or less if blockages occur frequently to snake out the main line from the outside clean out. Many larger apartment buildings, condo complexes, etc have maintenance contracts with drain cleaners for just this purpose, who use the very large drain snakes that are used on main lines, and have specialized snakes for tubs, sinks, etc and have the experience. They can do the job in a fraction of the time it takes a layman. Reason beingfor the maintenance snaking is a substance can build up inside on the pipe walls called tallow which, over extended time, will build up enough to cause blockages.
I don’t recommend using caustic drain openers, and I highly recommend against using the acid based openers, since these can wreak havoc on older systems and pipes, especially older cast iron or copper lines.

[[email protected]Participant]

I understand what you mean. The bathtubs in the building have those old traps that look like canisters in the floor and hair always seems to be the problem there. I was just thinking of using clorox in the tubs to break up the hair. Would that be a good idea?

[AKPlumberParticipant]

The type of traps you refer to almost always have a clean out, usually you’ll need a pipe wrench and some muscle if they have’nt been opened in awhile. If hair and crud has built up to a good degree, enough to cause serious stoppages, I doubt clorox will do any good except to make the gunk cleaner? You’ll need to open those canisters up and clean them out if you really want to be sure the trap is OK. Since you do have what sounds like older plumbing, again, I’d really hesitate to pour anything more volatile than Clorox down them, especially nothing like Mule Kick.

[[email protected]Participant]

Thank you AKplumber for the much needed advice!

[Retired plbg1Participant]

Tose canisters in floor are either salem bath traps are a Drum trap, you might have to apply some heat to that brass topp and tap it litely with hammer to get them off, after you get them off put a little grease on the threads.

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Art retired plbg

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