How to Unclog Any Drain | Ask This Old House
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- čas přidán 27. 03. 2022
- In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows us every common household drain, and how to unclog them like a pro.
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Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey teaches host Kevin O’Connor everything he needs to know about plumbing clogs. From toilets and sinks to showers and drain lines, Richard shows Kevin what each system looks like inside and where clogs most often occur.
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Where to find it?
Richard demonstrates how to handle simple clogs in a bathroom sink, kitchen sink and toilet using different mechanical devices and the proper techniques. When using a plunger he recommends creating a seal with the flange and pulling back on the plunger allowing the clog to break up.
A closet auger is used for toilet clogs and has a protective sleeve to ensure that the porcelain toilet isn’t damaged. K-3 Toilet Auger [amzn.to/3D1N9oY] manufactured by Ridgid. www.ridgid.com
The water pressure produced by a drain bladder can scour away the material left in place by a drain snake [amzn.to/36a0sYN], in this case one made by Cobra Tools. www.cobratools.com/tools/
About Ask This Old House TV: From the makers of This Old House, America’s first and most trusted home improvement show, Ask This Old House answers the steady stream of home improvement questions asked by viewers across the United States. Covering topics from landscaping to electrical to HVAC and plumbing to painting and more. Ask This Old House features the experts from This Old House, including general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, landscape contractor Jenn Nawada, master carpenter Norm Abram, and host Kevin O’Connor. ASK This Old House helps you protect and preserve your greatest investment-your home.
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How to Unclog Any Drain | Ask This Old House
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I’m a plumber in Canada, long family history of master plumbers & carpenters. I just sent my apprentice this video to explain basic drain snaking. This old house is an excellent example for everyone.
Nothing is more appreciated, than a knowledgeable person sharing their expertise to make the lives of their audience better. thank you.
You know, I've always been jealous of people who had dads/guardians who taught them basic life skills like how to properly snake a drain since I never had anyone to help me like that. Thanks, This Old House, for filling that void.
I worked for a company with 800 vacation rentals. I got a call every other day about a clogged toilet. The guests would say it's no use, they'd already plunged it. Well, they should have done it like Richard at 1:02 because that's the right way. Actually, don't pull it that hard unless you like poop in your face. No more than two or three "pulls", not pushes, and the clog is gone.
And clogged tub? It's hair. It's always hair. It's never anything but hair. Unscrew the popup or pull out the tub drain linkage. Then use needle nose pliers. As I would tell folks, "Look, I pulled out the entire cat."
Same for bathroom sinks. It's always hair. Unscrew the popup lever under the sink with a pair of channel locks, pull out the stopper, needle nose pliers down the drain and pull out that fur ball. Good to go.
My dad was a plumber/steamfitter and I went on plenty of jobs with him. Tip: if you are blocking the overflow hole to use a plunger it is more effective to use wet rag than a dry one.
i use a plunger or painters tape.
This guy. Sitcom in the making
I usey wifey finger
I would make one addition to his theory. If you don't fill the basin with water, then when you use the plunger you are just compressing air. That won't do you any good. Water doesn't compress and you will get more of your force to go against the blockage.
@@photoobject Actually, if you're doing drains on a daily basis, you also have an air 'blaster' kit in your arsenal. Once you plug the overflows, you pump up the device and pull the trigger. Often the blast of air will push the clog down the line enough to clean. But the caveat is that it could just push the clog further down the line and stop. So.....we would try the air 'blaster' first and then follow up with a snake and water to clean.
More of this style of real information in a usable everyday scenarios. Bravo
I work for a state park system. We've been using those black expanders for like 15 years. They work so well. Love them and swear by them.
Man i thought they upped a old video but no ! i need to get out the archive and watch them side by side lol . Pretty sure was video was right after Kevin O’Connor got help taking down old wallpaper in his old house then became the new host next season. I love these guys so much years and years helping people
I love you guys! I've been watching you for 40 years and you always have a solution to help me with my DIY fixes! Thanks!
All great advice. As a municipal maintenance tech ive used all of these options plus a couple more. One thing to note about the rubber bladders is they work well but make sure that no chemicals/ acids have been tried first. The rubber and acid do NOT mix. The acid can cause the rubber bladder to deteriorate and burst...often while being used under pressure. Not fun!
A note about the rubber bladder...You need to make sure you're using it in front of any branches in the plumbing behind the clog. Otherwise you will shoot water up and out of a plumbing fixture...could be a flood if you're not paying attention!
I learned about a wet vac a long time ago. Plug up overflows in sink and other nearby sinks or tubs with wet rags, fill with water, place end of vacuum hose over drain, open sink drain, turn on vac. You will be surprised at all the nasty deposits that come out of the drain. I have also sucked out things from drains without drain guards, such as toy cars and plastic grapes. You can repeat if need be. May as well do nearby drains while you have your tools out.
@tradde11 I've seen Steven Lavimoniere and hvacr videos use it sometimes outdoors on plumbing and hvac clogged condensation line and when there is no p-trap which causes the vacuum to hold water in the line
You are 100% right - Using a wet vac is one of the best ways to clean out a blocked waste pipe or trap - works very well.
Yes I use a wet vac, the easiest way ever. On double sinks I just fill both sides with water, plug one side and suck the 😅😅other. It takes two seconds and pulls everything out like a tornado. Boom. On and off. ❤. On bath room tape overflow and suck. Boom in seconds. The other ideas is a waste of time. And you do not have to clean the plunger or snake. Just dump the water vac.
Omfg I absolutely Connor wait to try this. In fact I might intentionally block a drain JUST to do this before my adhd brain forgets I ever learned this
I enjoy this show so much, I've been watching for over 15 years.
Thank you for this video. I used to watch This Old House with my mom and dad, I learned a lot from the show. This was when Bob Vila was hosting in the 80’s. I am glad there are still videos to learn from. I will be attempting to clear the bathroom dint tomorrow. It is so bad it’s driving me insane. I don’t want to try chemicals again.
Great info. I always love Richard's cutaways!
That was jammed packed with great information. Thank you.
I was able to remove a good sized block from my tub today, all thanks to this video. I was able to go through the vent and remove the block. Thank you very much for the wisdom.
The tip on the bathtub upper entry aided me in breaking the clog on my plumbing. The auger was able to go 5' down to the clog on the horizontal pipe before the stack. Thank you.
Very helpful video, thanks!
Thanks for the caution given about chemical drain solutions. It is often the go to solution of a home owner. The danger to the repairman is real. I was on the receiving end of a caustic flood once a long run drain was cleared. I had no way to get clear of the flow on a ladder and ended up with chemical burns everywhere it touched.
Good info, if you're house is newer. Do an episode on galvanized drain lines, drum traps, and the like!!
This show/channel is absolutely PRICELESS for homeowners. I've been watching TOH since I was a child though lol. I love this stuff.
Yeah; isn’t it weird seeing Norm and friends these days?
How did we get so old, man?
@@peoplethesedaysberetarded you know what I'm saying? 😭😭😭
My old man showed me the bladder trick because we lived in an old shot gun house and it would clog weekly. We were poor but this would get us through and I’m glad I learned early to do things yourself. Thanks dad!
Wonderful videos, long live This Old House!!!!
Wonderful presentation! Thank you!
Thanks for the useful and valuable information!
Thank you for this important video! I needed this information! Enjoyed from Texas!
I love the patina on the old Waterloo tool box in the background.
Excellent video. Thank you
I've often used a small wet-vac for clearing plugged lavatory drains.
I started doing trap maintenance on a tri-monthly basis since COVID. Haven't had to use drain openers ora sink and tub plunger since early 2020.
Great tips here for clogs, especially going down the overflow opening to put the snake down the drain.
Richard is the best!
Great service, wish we had a similar one over here in the UK. Thank you so much
Thanks for the garden hose attachment ended up giving me a idea i rigged up a old sink sprayer to clear my sink drain with water pressure an it worked perfectly thanks 🙏
I use my shopvac to clear any sink or tub clog. Works pretty good.
Learned a ton. Thanks!!
Very interesting, never knew about some of those techniques
Awesome! Always learn something new from Ask This Old House but the pull up with the plunger was a new one and seemed particularly helpful. Can’t wait to try it, oh wait, hope not to have to use it!
The part where you block the overflow on the sink had not occurred to me since it's years between drain clogs... and frankly, was half asleep when attempting this. I already spent an hour trying to do it with a wire to no avail. Tried boiling hot water. Nada. I thought I'd try a plunger but it was coming out the overflow and didn't think to block it. That was the ticket: plunger with emphasis on the pulling up, not the pushing down...and wrapped up tight paper towels to block the overflow. What a clogged drain... but back to free flowing now. Thanks for posting this.
Great info! Thanks!
Thanks for the useful info.
Nice job! I have been clearing drains for years as a maintenance mechanic in a hospital so I was familiar with most of the methods however, the rubber bladder with the hole in it was a new one. Thanks I learned something new today.
They have been at harbor freight for years now the worst thing you can buy other then the drain cleaner.
gotta be careful with those rubber ones...things can go bad real fast if your not sure what line goes where...
I'm not a fan of using pressure bladders or pneumatic RAM's on waste-pipes or drain, especially anything hidden behind walls, under floors or in ceilings - I've seen pipework come apart so would always recommend one of or a combination of snaking cable, Flex Shaft, jetting or a vacuum.
@@mrdrains2088 but 1500psi or a nice hard metal snake won’t but air will lol 😂
@@davidblevins9513 I usually run 4000-5000PSI through a 1/8" whip hose on smaller pipes if the mechanical auger or Flex Shaft cant get the job done.
thank you for all your content! Grandma's tub is draining again and I didn't have to call a plumber.
I like the information and fishing jokes!
Good tips. Thank you! ❤❤❤❤
Draino or like is garbage. I’ve done residential maintenance for a decade. This is gold info.
My friend is the #1 Hometown Custodian!
Great video. To clear the drain in my old house I snaked the drain via the air pipe on the roof and it worked! I now have a great sense of accomplishment and the money in my wallet is happy I didn’t have to give it away.
Richard has outlasted all of the hosts.
Thanks for the great video, I just ran into an issue with a bathroom sink that would drain very slow; I placed a snake about 5 ft to clear the clog and nothing happened. It looks like the drain in this house is made of galvanized pipe and corrosion has accumulated with the many years and choked the the drain passage. Of course now the snake doesn't turn down so I guess I have to dismantle the trap and guide it into position.
Note: this issue is on the 2nd floor, so clearing the clog may clog the 1st floor, I suggest to run the the water on the 1st floor bathroom sink so it can continue removing the clog. It's never easy! Peace
You guys are great. Thank you for your time. I am a self taught Jack of all trades in many of the disciplines I have acquired. I was impressed, I knew all the mechanics of every clogged drain you showed. However, I never really acquired the theory of the processes. A lot of it is logical in the practices. Thanks for the theory. Now in your video you showed the part that you brought from home. the one with the spiral on the end that operates the bathtub drain. I have exactly the same one. However, the spiral end that traps hair. How does that Mechanically work when it corresponds to the directional lever it attaches to or what does it actually do? Cant figure that one out ??????? Thank you in advance Semper Fi
When installed, the cylinder, either brass or plastic depending on the age, is in one of two places. It’s either raised up above the tee, allowing water to drain. When the lever is moved, it drops the cylinder down, preventing water from escaping. Since you’d get your snake stuck in it, it is best to remove it prior to snaking. Just keep pulling up until it all comes out of the overflow. Then manually remove the hair from the cylinder. The threaded rod it’s attached to is adjustable to accommodate for varying tub sizes. Semper Fi.
Very useful!
I trust these guys. All of them through the years. Always have since the very late Seventies.
The reason plumbers use a cross, as you first described in a double lavatory situation, instead of using the double wye alternative you described is, with a cross, both lavatories are vented out of the top of the cross. When you use a double wye, the lavatories are no longer vented since you have “jumped/broken the vent”. If a plumber who knows the codes and what they are doing was to use a double wye, each arm coming from the trap to the double wye would have to be individually vented between the trap and the double wye. Whenever I snake a double lavatory or a back-to-back fixture/drain, I always use a drop head on my cable (not a wire) so the head will drop down into the vertical drain/stack instead of crossing over and into the drain of the fixture I am not snaking.
I was thinking the same thing. Without the vent it turns it into an s-trap. I don’t know a code that allows s-traps. It’s also the same reason there in a limit on the trap arm length.
@@shadeiland technically, you are correct - while it really doesn’t look like a typical s-trap with the long arm to the double wye, it sort of is an s-trap. You are also correct about the trap arm length. There is a maximum distance from a vent to a trap. This distance depends on what size the trap and horizontal pipe is. The minimum length of any trap arm to a vented stack/tee is two times the diameter of the horizontal pipe size. For example, the minimum length for a 1-1/2” trap arm is 3”, and the minimum length of a 3” trap arm is 6”. The shorter the trap arm is, the more the configuration looks like a typical s-trap.
I was thinking the same and used drop heads
As someone who unclogs drains for a living, I am begging you to either stagger your back to back drains at different heights or use a wye. Crosses are very hard to unclog. Same thing with back to back toilets. Always use a wye, crosses are impossible to navigate with a cable underwater.
@@brucestorey917 You're on the right path, but not quite correct. What matters in these cases is the total fall of the trap arm, not its minimum length. A trap arm (the pipe which runs from the trap weir to the vent pipe connection) cannot have a vertical fall of more than ONE pipe diameter. That's why you can't use a wye (or double wye) here. Angling the last few inches of the trap arm down at 45 degrees with a wye makes it drop more than one pipe diameter, thus creating a siphon. Use a sanitary tee or sanitary cross and put in a clean out fitting just above it.
On this episode of This Old House - brown trout fishing!!
Even though I don't understand it, I can guess the content you shared. Wish you good health
Thanks for the laugh!!! And the wise tips!
(4:20) "if the original plumber cared at all about us...." BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
My Grandfather was a union plumber in the 1960's. Plumbing today hasn't really changed that much from his time!
My first step with a toilet is always filling the bowl to the brim with water... The additional pressure of the water on the clog is usually enough to push it out.
good lecture.
Thank you very much
Richard is the man
The Grand Canyon in the old metallic drain. I have seen it from someone that used drain cleaner regiously. A remodel exposed it in the slab. It was my uncles' house
thank you !
I used to rent sewer snakes and the two funniest stories: one guy had the snake go UP the vent, and realized his mistake when he heard it clunking against his siding; the other was a guy clearing his outside lateral of roots and realized why he had roots - a break in the pipe let the snake auger up & out of the ground!
FYI powered sewer snakes were the most dangerous tools we had - or at least, people gave them the least respect. One guy lost his eye, several had their hands wrapped in the cable, one person nearly lost a toe.
i love these guys
Funny & informative ❤
I like that last note that liquid plumber can eat through the pipe. so realistically its only good as regular maintenance to avoid clogs on a line that is regular problem, but also it'll break your line if its left to sit, which it probably is unless you can flood the line
Liquid Plumber is made from NoOH (Sodium Hydroxide) which is designed to Not harm your pipes. It only works against organic material. Never ever use NaOH in a stopped-up drain. The water will dilute the concentration rendering it ineffective, and then you have a hazmat situation. The other tip I'd give you is to use it on your drain 1st thing in the morning after the water in a slow drain has gone down the pipe. Then you can be assured that the chemical will contact the blockage at full strength.
Another trick that sometimes works on tub drains is to find a way to block the overflow, fill the drain with water a little above the drain, use a powerful wet vac to suck the clog out. This trick works great on drum traps.
If no overflow is it possible through roof vent?
Nice I never had luck with chemical drain cleaners. Good use of time in video
Good video. I have trouble explaining how things like this work to a large number of people...
NICE STUFF, I was unsure about the word "any". I suppose some would be easier to just replace.
I have PVC pipes and a drain. Clay is clogging my pipe about 25 ft from the
Sink: kitty litter. I have read not to use hydrochloric acid or any assets because of the drain field.
Thank you so much. Great video.
Field. Any suggestions please.
Prevent blockages in the first place.
Install a tub mushroom and catch all that hair. Don't use a waste disposer, use a compost bucket. Stop washing your hair in the kitchen
sink. Use a bidet, give up toilet paper.
Finally use root killer once or twice a year in your main drain.
What about those sewer jetter kits for pressure washers? Like Clog Hog. Any experience with those?
as a retired plumber, I would have mentioned that if you are clearing a blocked drain through a cleanout, if it doesn't spill out when you open it...you're probably in the wrong place
also you said if your pipe is old the drain ball might cause a leak, while the truth is, NO drain system is designed to hold pressure...NONE!!! And if there is a fixture (vent) between the drain ball and the clog...well it ain't purty!
IMO never a good 1st option
I'm a fan of the drain jet!
What’s a drain jet?
Good job guys. It has been a blast following along with this project and with you guys from almost the beginning. I bet you could drop in an "L" of plywood and rebuild those blown out corners. might not be worth the work though, just use a little extra concrete and you have already saved a ton of money by digging it yourselves. I venture to say probably better than a lot of subcontractors would do.
On the other hand, Florida State really did look terrible.
Extra funny video :) cheers!
I just finished building the handrail on my deck czcams.com/users/postUgkxfQ5_mgwq6PcudJvAH25t-I4D-3cTPz4z and used this great little router to clean up the top rail before the final sanding and stain. It was light weight but packed lots of power. Either size battery didn't seem to make it top heavy and I'm a 64 yr old women so I really appreciated how easy it was to use...................... CORDLESS only way to go !!
At 4:18, why would Richard say "If the original plumber cared at all about us..." and then introduce an admittedly (4:25) non-code compliant method? IPC and UPC do NOT allow a double combo in this configuration because it can cause the trap to be siphoned (vent connection below the trap weir). The proper alternative, instead of the combo, would have been a cleanout above or below the double sanitary tee.
At 7:07 it got kind of arkward lol! 😂
Nice video
Unfortunately many house with double sink were rough in with a simple 4 way fitting .
Making cleaning a drain blockage very hard.
Those water bladder clog buster should be used carefully.
My friend used the bladder . Fill up the drain pipe with water . Water went up the vent pipe instead of busting the clog.
When he take off the bladder .
All that water in the vent pipe come draining on his floor .
Yeah be careful !!!!!!!
Thank you This Old House. I wish I were a knowledgeable homeowner. We just bought our first house, and we are, at least I'm, VERY nervous about all the upkeep and knowledge to keep the house functional. Scared & stressed... hopefully I'll learn from your channel 🙏🏽🇺🇲🙏🏽
Your best bet if you're nervous about home maintenance, is to look up preventive maintenance videos on CZcams. They'll help you understand what you're doing and why, and a lot of the preventive maintenance procedures will also help if an emergency arrives.
And always remember, although it may cost a lot, calling a professional is nothing to be ashamed of. Sometimes things are just too much for you to handle, and that's ok.
@@FlameStrykeShadowDark OMG! Thank you so very much for your kindness 🙏🏽 Sooooo sincerely appreciated. Yeah, that's what I have been doing so far, calling the experts, which has been really hard on the wallet. Therefore, trying to learn some myself to avoid extra costs as much as I possibly can.
Since the home purchase just only recently, I had to call a plumber twice for the boiler, sewage drainage guy, etc. Con Edison been charging $650-740 per month for my simple single family house. Learning the windows lack the insulation etc.... Phewww! I started digging CZcams for ANY help.
Lol... I just vented here. But I truly thank you for your kind advice 🙏🏽 Have a good night!
There is nothing you can't learn how to do on youtube. I looks at youtube videos as a tool in and of itself. My advice would be invest in basic tools to do as much as yourself as possible.
@@FlameStrykeShadowDark That sounds great! Thank you so much 🙏🏽
@tradde11 That might be a while for me cos I don't yet know even the most basics:(. I only learned caulking yesterday:) Thank you 🙏🏽
I had a problem tub drain for many years. Reluctant to spend the $, I bought the Bauer chordless power drain cleaner at Harbor Freight and a 3 amp battery. That thing is worth every penny. I ran it through at the p trap and flushed the line with the water attachment shown in the video. Problem solved.
Quick question about using the snake. When it goes past the p trap and enters the main pipe (going down to septic), is there any way to make pressure go up or turn the snake upwards clear a potential clog in the air vent? Richard said they some times go up or down, haven't tried the snake yet, but starting to think there is a clog in the main pipe blocking air from going up to the air vent. My roof is really high, it's winter in New England, and I have no easy way of getting up there. Any help would be much appreciated as I've tried everything at this point.
Nice 👍
There are many homes where the main sewer line is buried beneath a concrete slab, so NO CLEANOUTs at each 90 degree bend. I have a stubborn kitchen sink clog which affects ONLY that fixture. The other 7 drains in the house work perfectly. After removing the trap, when I run the snake in, I don't know if the snake goes DOWN to the main sewer pipe, or UP the vent pipe. Looks like I'm going to need to run a snake straight down the vent from up on the roof. Writing this helped me think through my problem. It won't be fun, but tomorrow I'm heading up the ladder!
When the caption read "any drain", I was hoping storm drains would be included. Do you have any videos/advice on that? Thanks...
I install those cross tees all the time and I never thought about how a drain snake would react. Ima have to spread the word haha
I had never thought of using a plunger in a sink, but it unclogged my bathroom sink very effectively, after Drano did nothing at all.
That was a great tip with 2plunger in the shunky, but I've never heard a was basin being called a lavatory.
Best toilet plunger? I'm great with a plunger but can find a good one. Thoughts?
I now used a very large shop vac for all clogs from sink to toilet...
Works most of the time.....as a Landlord....I have tried and own most of other tools.....Pressure washer with long hose is last resort.
4:00 Bingo, this is my problem, old Apartment Building, my kitchen line meets very likely an old T which my bathroom sink line meets also, and grease buildup just overflows BOTH my kitchen and bathroom sinks, together, every 4 months. I snake it both ways, until yucky grease is loosened up, and carry on for a few months. I can't see the in wall exact plumbing, but an old T likely or something else, used in this 70 year old apartment building, in the walls, can't get to without opening the wall.
But thanks, your 4:00 problem is similar I think to mine. Patience, snake auger fiddling, is what works for me.
Am going to run water my next snaking of my dual lines which get blocked, as that's the thing I've not been doing. So thankyou very much!
The combination double wye is legal in Jersey it’s such low flow the venting for the sink will still
Exist under wet conditions
He makes the closet auger sound so gentle and easy. Its only easy on an unclogged toilet. Clogged ones are much worse.