clogged drain
 

My kitchen drain is draining very slowly. I am going up this weekend and will see if I can take off anything underneath the sink to find the buildup. If I can't find anything. is there something safe (I have septic) to pour down the drain to unclog whatever it is? Septic safe?

Just put a small bowl under the trap under your sink, unscrew it and use a piece of wire the pull out trapped debris......works in bathroom sinks, also.

As indicated above, the clog is probably in the trap. If a plunger doesn't work then taking off the trap and dunking the icky mess in a bucket will do the trick.

There's also a tool on the market specifically for breaking up trap clogs. It's a flexible plastic strip with some ridges on the sides. It may be called a "Zip-Stick" but I'm not sure. I have one somewhere but since I learned to put my thumb over the vent when plunging the bathroom sink, I haven't used it.

Good luck!

If all else fails go to the hardware store and in the plumbing section look for a product called Grand Slam drain cleaner. If you get it follow the directions carefully because if you don't you could end up with a cracked pipe.

I would definately second the Zip Stick or whatever it is called. I bought one recently to clean out a very slow drain in my bathroom sink that would take more than 1 minute to drain. I stuck it in the drain a couple times and pulled out some hair (it was very stinky). Now the sink drains in about 1-2 seconds.
I bought the zip stick thingy at Home Depot, I think I paid about $2 for it.

I have a drain snake you can use if cleaning out the trap doesn't work. Feel free to take a boat ride over this weekend to pick it up if you like. PM me if you want me to leave it somewhere for you in case I'm not there. Wouldn't go the chemical route if you can avoid it. Nasty stuff.

thanks gatto
 

wanted to avoid chemicals also so I went with the "zip it" that others had recommended from Home Depot. Did the trick in seconds. Still trying to identify what actually came out on the end of the zip it stick....lol

How long are those zip-it sticks?

length
 

about 20" long

About 2' or so. You don't even have to remove the drain plunger thingy. Just push it into the drain as far down as it can go. It should get down to the p-trap.

I was actually looking to use it for a different application at work.I have some condensate drain lines on my ac air handlers that can be up to 4 ft long with a few 90 degree elbows that clog now and then.

That would be tough, they are not long enough for that I don't think.