Should I bring in a drain specialist?
Thanks, Brokelin. Great advice!
GoodProspect
in Handymen and Odd Jobs 12 years and 5 months ago
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GoodProspect | 12 years and 5 months ago
We own a 4-family bldg in Prospect Heights. Some of the tenants have been complaining about slow drainage in their bathtubs, bathroom sinks and kitchen sinks. We go in occasionally to plunge them, which helps temporarily. Some tenants have used Drano, which our plumber (who doesn’t deal with drains) says corrodes the pipes. I am thinking about calling in a drain specialist. Do you think it would likely help? Have someone to recommend? I am worried about the cost, since we are talking about a dozen drains (3 in each apartment). Looking forward to your input. Thanks.
cate | 12 years and 5 months ago
Give one a call. Usually they will focus on cleaning out the sewer drain in the basement, not the invididual drains — unless there is specifically a clog in one. Also, slow drainage can be caused by lack of venting or a blocked vent.
brokelin | 12 years and 5 months ago
If you haven’t tried the baking soda, vinegar and boiling water treatment in each drain, try it first. Google up the exact instructions. I live with 100+ year old plumbing and drains, and here, as in places with even older pipes in the past, I find when my drains are sluggish, I do this method of cleaning, which often works better than commercial drain cleaners, and my drains run better for many months. It clears out soap scum that accumulates quite well. I’d do it twice in each drain if you haven’t cleaned out the drains recently. If it works to make water drain faster, teach it to your tenants to do when drains seem slow – that’s what I do – if you trust them to keep their face out of harm’s way, that is – otherwise, tell them to ask you to do it when they get slow again. Be aware, though, that if you have already have old, chipping porcelain near the drain, it may chip more at the chipped edges when you do this. But first, go to the hardware store and buy little metal drain insert cups with holes for each old drain, if they don’t have a hair clog thing built in already like newer drains do. (You may not be able to put one in a new bathroom sink ot tub which has the little drain plug that pops up and down, but you can pull out the drain plug and clean it off – it will usually come out with a big hair and soap scum clog attached to it, and clean the drain before you put it back in. I used to do this periodically in my coop’s newer bathroom sink – it was easy and obvious (to me, anyway, with no plumbing experience) to figure out how to unhook and pull up the plug – if you can’t figure it out, pay a handyman. You can also unscrew the trap below the sink on those (or have someone do it for you) and clean them out that way, if you suspect a blockage in the pipe there – no advice there, as I’ve never had to do it. For the kitchen sink, if you haven’t provided a strainer/drainer for your tenants, do so. (I always seem to end up buying my own drain cups and strainers, whether I own or rent – I’m amazed at how many sinks and tubs don’t have them…a bit of prevention goes a long way toward keeping your drains clear.) Then start using these drains and strainers right after you clean out the drains to keep hair and food scraps and anthing else from going into the drains. If this doesn’t work, then you can look at more complex problems with more expensive fixes. Always works for me, though. I find drains need maintenance every so often to keep waste water running well.