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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?

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On 7/9/2012 10:38 AM, Ray wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which
stands overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that
carbonated soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when
you get them on sale.

Is this correct?



I've used boiling water, with Dawn dish detergent added after heating
it, and poured slowly into the drain. This was not a totally clogged drain.
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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

On Jul 9, 10:38*am, "Ray" wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


My experience has always been that none of the drain
cleaners, whether liquid or dry type, have been effective
at clearing blocked drains. At most, they made it a
little better and it was soon back to where it was again.
Only a snake has worked for me.

As for soft drinks working, forget about it. Most of the
drain cleaners are based on alkalines, not acids. But
whether acid or base, the cleaners are orders of
magnitude more powerful than a soft drink like soda.
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On 7/9/2012 9:38 AM, Ray wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which
stands overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that
carbonated soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when
you get them on sale.

Is this correct?


Like most all generalities/home remedies "yes and no"

There are any number of drain cleaners on the market that are more or
less effective depending on just how badly and what a clogged drain may
be clogged with. One problem w/ many of the more aggressive cleaners is
the conditions of the pipes themselves; particularly if metal. The
cleaner can be the final straw that eats through a thin point...

Carbonated drinks are dilute acids so indeed do have some of the same
properties. Whether they're strong enough to do any good for any given
case depends on the above conditions. Being much less aggressive than
the stronger commercial products they are safer in the sense of being
unlikely to cause a failure--otoh, being weaker they're less likely to
be successful in a hard case or at least not w/o either a very long time
to work (which means can't use the sink for anything else for that same
long time) or many applications (which tends to wipe out any cost
differential)

So, "all depends"

--

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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

On Jul 9, 7:38*am, "Ray" wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


As per the other posts......once the drain is completely blocked,
liquid cleanser seldom work, mechanical intervention is typically
needed.

The overnight stuff is DrainCare enzyme / bacteria powder but you have
to to have some flow to distribute the stuff.
I use this & highly recommend it as a preventative measure.

http://www.amazon.com/Enforcer-DC16-...zep+drain+care

cheers
Bob


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Ray wrote:

A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available
which stands overnight in sink drains to clear away grease
build-up.


http://i.walmartimages.com/i/p/00/01...13_500X500.jpg
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On Jul 9, 10:38*am, "Ray" wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


My long haired wife and daughters clog up our shower and sink drains
at least twice a year.

I've settle on a non-chemical fix:

I dismantle the drains, pull out the dead-rat looking mass of hair and
soap scum and then put the drains back together.

It takes about a half hour and I know that the drain is perfectly
clear until next time.

No chemicals and no cost other than my time.

Oh yeah...one more step: I bitch at the ladies telling them that if
they'd remove the hair instead of washing it down the drain, I
wouldn't have to take the drains apart twice a year.
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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

On Mon, 9 Jul 2012 09:09:11 -0700 (PDT), DerbyDad03
wrote:

On Jul 9, 10:38*am, "Ray" wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


My long haired wife and daughters clog up our shower and sink drains
at least twice a year.

I've settle on a non-chemical fix:

I dismantle the drains, pull out the dead-rat looking mass of hair and
soap scum and then put the drains back together.

It takes about a half hour and I know that the drain is perfectly
clear until next time.

No chemicals and no cost other than my time.

Oh yeah...one more step: I bitch at the ladies telling them that if
they'd remove the hair instead of washing it down the drain, I
wouldn't have to take the drains apart twice a year.



From my experience, you are better off talking to the wall !!!!
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That's what I need.

The immediate blockage has been dislodged. I want something to prevent
future blockage.

Thanks, Ray

"DD_BobK" wrote in message
...

On Jul 9, 7:38 am, "Ray" wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


As per the other posts......once the drain is completely blocked,
liquid cleanser seldom work, mechanical intervention is typically
needed.

The overnight stuff is DrainCare enzyme / bacteria powder but you have
to to have some flow to distribute the stuff.
I use this & highly recommend it as a preventative measure.

http://www.amazon.com/Enforcer-DC16-...zep+drain+care

cheers
Bob

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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

On Jul 9, 7:38*am, "Ray" wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


Don't know about the solution, but about using carbonated beverages...

Back in the student days when one was forced to live in accomodations
less than one would put up with today; four of us lived in a rented
house [to save money it still took all four of us]. The landlord did
not really clean up too well after the previous tenants, so we had one
upstairs sink that was so clogged with some type of gunk [could be
seen looking down through the overflow] it seemed to drain faster with
the plug in than with the plug out.

We tried every process we could think of, hot water, pumping, etc,
every chemical we could find, including gasoline and paint thinner -
after all we were desparate to get this sink cleaned up for use.
Absolutely nothing touched the sludgy, ?? gunk.

In an act of frustration and desparation I poured my bottle of Pepis
into the overflow. The reaction was incredible. Foaming, billing out,
then suddenly 'flump' like sound as everything just went down the
drain. I continued to pour the remaining soda down the overflow to
watch foaming completely clean the view. Until voila! the sink was
totally brought back to original draining operation - fixed!

Plus, much of the metal was shiney again.



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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

On Jul 9, 7:38*am, "Ray" wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


just remembered...

kitchen of the private club in downtown San Jose, CA on the top floor
of the tallest building went for about one year before the grease
buildup in the drain systems caught up to them. Then the drains
clogged big time, backing up several 'lower' tenants' drains, visibly
running water down stairwell! - causing $1000's ++ damages the club
was liable for!

After that experience they started adding enzymes to the drains and
then have gone for over 15 years without another problem.

Don't know which product, but suspect it's well known among restarants
and pubs.
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On Jul 9, 7:38 am, "Ray" wrote:
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


First thing I always do is pour a few pots of boiling water down the drain. If that doesn't work, I disconnect the drain pipe at the wall connection, and clean it out with metal coat hander or short snake ($10 or so at Home Depot). My experience is that drains tend to plug up in the horizontal runs.

If that doesn't work, call a rooter service - typically $50-100 max to do a whole small house. Well worth the money. They are pros and carry insurance.

One comment about Drano.... If you use it, be sure to follow the directions and don't experiment with it. Too much could make it spew hot gases back up into the room and if you breathe it or get it on your skin or eyes, it's big trouble.

And especially don't pour soda into a drain that already has Drano or other chemicals in it. That's an acid-base reaction and is likely to do serious damage. I'm a chemist by education and would never do this.

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The wall won't withhold sex?

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Doug" wrote in message
...

Oh yeah...one more step: I bitch at the ladies telling them that if
they'd remove the hair instead of washing it down the drain, I
wouldn't have to take the drains apart twice a year.



From my experience, you are better off talking to the wall !!!!


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Sounds like you had a lime / calcium scale problem, if Pepis cleared it.
Some drain cleaners have hydrochloric acid, which will have similar effect
to Pepis, but some what stronger. Well, the old formula Pepis might have
been stronger than now days.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...

Don't know about the solution, but about using carbonated beverages...

Back in the student days when one was forced to live in accomodations
less than one would put up with today; four of us lived in a rented
house [to save money it still took all four of us]. The landlord did
not really clean up too well after the previous tenants, so we had one
upstairs sink that was so clogged with some type of gunk [could be
seen looking down through the overflow] it seemed to drain faster with
the plug in than with the plug out.

We tried every process we could think of, hot water, pumping, etc,
every chemical we could find, including gasoline and paint thinner -
after all we were desparate to get this sink cleaned up for use.
Absolutely nothing touched the sludgy, ?? gunk.

In an act of frustration and desparation I poured my bottle of Pepis
into the overflow. The reaction was incredible. Foaming, billing out,
then suddenly 'flump' like sound as everything just went down the
drain. I continued to pour the remaining soda down the overflow to
watch foaming completely clean the view. Until voila! the sink was
totally brought back to original draining operation - fixed!

Plus, much of the metal was shiney again.



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"Ray" wrote in message
...
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


Ray... A quick and easy way. Buy a Zip It at Home Depot or Ace Hardware
about $2. This is a plastic thing about 2 feet long with saw looking teeth.
Very flexible and will bend to go around the pea trap. Fast and drags out
hair and crud. Check it out on Google. This saves my taking the trap apart
and works in a couple minutes of my time. WW





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On Mon, 9 Jul 2012 21:50:13 -0400, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:

The wall won't withhold sex?


Not if you make a hole in the wall for the right size and include a
few dirty mags just in case the hole isn't enough. I don't recommend
this but perhaps only as a last resort.
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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which
stands overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.


I've settle on a non-chemical fix:
I dismantle the drains, pull out the dead-rat looking mass of hair and
soap scum and then put the drains back together.
It takes about a half hour and I know that the drain is perfectly
clear until next time.
No chemicals and no cost other than my time.


We're on a private septic system, so we try not to pour chemicals down our
drains.

Like you, we simply pull the trap assemblies apart a couple times a year
and clean them out. The vast majority of the hair and gunk is within the
first foot or so of the drains, so this gets us free flowing pipes again.

My wife actually takes ours apart and cleans them out. She thinks it's
"fun". Saves me the messy job.

Anthony
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On Jul 9, 6:52*pm, "Stormin Mormon"
wrote:
Sounds like you had a lime / calcium scale problem, if Pepis cleared it.
Some drain cleaners have hydrochloric acid, which will have similar effect
to Pepis, but some what stronger. Well, the old formula Pepis might have
been stronger than now days.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
*www.lds.org
.

"Robert Macy" wrote in message

....

Don't know about the solution, but about using carbonated beverages...

Back in the student days when one was forced to live in accomodations
less than one would put up with today; four of us lived in a rented
house [to save money it still took all four of us]. The landlord did
not really clean up too well after the previous tenants, so we had one
upstairs sink that was so clogged with some type of gunk [could be
seen looking down through the overflow] it seemed to drain faster with
the plug in than with the plug out.

We tried every process we could think of, hot water, pumping, etc,
every chemical we could find, including gasoline and paint thinner -
after all we were desparate to get this sink cleaned up for use.
Absolutely nothing touched the sludgy, ?? gunk.

In an act of frustration and desparation I poured my bottle of Pepis
into the overflow. The reaction was incredible. Foaming, billing out,
then suddenly 'flump' like sound as everything just went down the
drain. I continued to pour the remaining soda down the overflow to
watch foaming completely clean the view. Until voila! the sink was
totally brought back to original draining operation - fixed!

Plus, much of the metal was shiney again.


"Pepis"?! ...three times?....yeah, just rub it in.
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On Jul 9, 4:34*pm, Robert Macy wrote:
On Jul 9, 7:38*am, "Ray" wrote:

A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.


He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.


Is this correct?


Don't know about the solution, but about using carbonated beverages...

Back in the student days when one was forced to live in accomodations
less than one would put up with today; four of us lived in a rented
house [to save money it still took all four of us]. The landlord did
not really clean up too well after the previous tenants, so we had one
upstairs sink that was so clogged with some type of gunk [could be
seen looking down through the overflow] it seemed to drain faster with
the plug in than with the plug out.

We tried every process we could think of, hot water, pumping, etc,
every chemical we could find, including gasoline and paint thinner -
after all we were desparate to get this sink cleaned up for use.
Absolutely nothing touched the sludgy, ?? gunk.

In an act of frustration and desparation I poured my bottle of Pepis
into the overflow. The reaction was incredible. Foaming, billing out,
then suddenly 'flump' like sound as everything just went down the
drain. I continued to pour the remaining soda down the overflow to
watch foaming completely clean the view. Until voila! the sink was
totally brought back to original draining operation - fixed!

Plus, much of the metal was shiney again.


It was probably the foaming action of the soda, not the acidic
reaction that cleared the drain.
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Yes, I can be a bit of a jerk, at times.
Inherited, from the male line of my family.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Robert Macy" wrote in message
...

"Pepis"?! ...three times?....yeah, just rub it in.




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On 7/9/2012 9:26 PM, WW wrote:
"Ray" wrote in message
...
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.

He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.

Is this correct?


Ray... A quick and easy way. Buy a Zip It at Home Depot or Ace Hardware
about $2. This is a plastic thing about 2 feet long with saw looking teeth.
Very flexible and will bend to go around the pea trap. Fast and drags out
hair and crud. Check it out on Google. This saves my taking the trap apart
and works in a couple minutes of my time. WW


I want to second, third, and fourth this recommendation. The Zip-its
are dirt cheap so they're disposable if you don't feel like cleaning
them after use. The backwards-facing teeth hold onto the crud and gunk
while you yank the Zip-it back up through the drain. Pull all the junk
off it, then run it through the drain one more time to make sure.
Problem solved in less than five minutes and for about two dollars. No
chemicals, no snake, no disassembling the plumbing. Whoever invented
these deserves a medal.

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On Jul 11, 11:09*am, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/9/2012 9:26 PM, WW wrote:





"Ray" wrote in message
...
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.


He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.


Is this correct?


Ray... A quick and easy way. *Buy a Zip It at Home Depot or Ace Hardware
about $2. This is a plastic thing about 2 feet long with saw looking teeth.
Very flexible and will bend to go around the pea trap. Fast and drags out
hair and crud. Check it out on Google. This saves my taking the trap apart
and works in a couple minutes of my time. WW


I want to second, third, and fourth this recommendation. The Zip-its
are dirt cheap so they're disposable if you don't feel like cleaning
them after use. The backwards-facing teeth hold onto the crud and gunk
while you yank the Zip-it back up through the drain. Pull all the junk
off it, then run it through the drain one more time to make sure.
Problem solved in less than five minutes and for about two dollars. No
chemicals, no snake, no disassembling the plumbing. Whoever invented
these deserves a medal.


Before I'll agree with your "no disassembling the plumbing" claim,
I'll have to try it on my pedestal sink.

How long is the tool?

This issue might be the length of the tool vs. the location of the
recurring clog.

The pedestal sink has an extension before the trap, then after the
trap the drain continues into the wall and then makes a 90 degree turn
down the stud bay toward the floor.

The clog typically occurs at the connection for that 90 degree turn.
If the zip-it isn't long enough to reach that point, I'll still have
to disassemble the drain in order to access the clog that is just
inside the wall.

I love the look of the pedestal sink, but working on the drain/trap
assembly is a major pain since you can't easily get a wrench on
anything inside the pedestal.

Unfortunately, there's wainscoting with it's associated cap and base
moulding behind the sink, so opening the wall to see if I can
reconfigure the 90 in some manner as to prevent the clog isn't
feasible unless I plan to redo the wall.
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On 7/11/2012 10:51 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Jul 11, 11:09 am, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/9/2012 9:26 PM, WW wrote:





"Ray" wrote in message
...
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.


He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.


Is this correct?


Ray... A quick and easy way. Buy a Zip It at Home Depot or Ace Hardware
about $2. This is a plastic thing about 2 feet long with saw looking teeth.
Very flexible and will bend to go around the pea trap. Fast and drags out
hair and crud. Check it out on Google. This saves my taking the trap apart
and works in a couple minutes of my time. WW


I want to second, third, and fourth this recommendation. The Zip-its
are dirt cheap so they're disposable if you don't feel like cleaning
them after use. The backwards-facing teeth hold onto the crud and gunk
while you yank the Zip-it back up through the drain. Pull all the junk
off it, then run it through the drain one more time to make sure.
Problem solved in less than five minutes and for about two dollars. No
chemicals, no snake, no disassembling the plumbing. Whoever invented
these deserves a medal.


Before I'll agree with your "no disassembling the plumbing" claim,
I'll have to try it on my pedestal sink.

How long is the tool?


20 inches, 18 of that is usable. See http://zipitclean.com/faq/

The company says they recommend using a snake for blockages that are
further down the drain than that. But using the Zip it on an
occasional basis in the future will greatly reduce the odds of such a
blockage recurring.

I see one of the customer comments is about using these to clean out
vacuum cleaner hoses. I hadn't thought of that. I'd cobble two
together to make an extra-long one for fishing through a vacuum
cleaner hose.

At any rate, it's cheap, it's simple to use, so you're out very little
money or effort to try it first.
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On Jul 11, 12:38*pm, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/11/2012 10:51 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On Jul 11, 11:09 am, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/9/2012 9:26 PM, WW wrote:


"Ray" wrote in message
...
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.


He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.


Is this correct?


Ray... A quick and easy way. *Buy a Zip It at Home Depot or Ace Hardware
about $2. This is a plastic thing about 2 feet long with saw looking teeth.
Very flexible and will bend to go around the pea trap. Fast and drags out
hair and crud. Check it out on Google. This saves my taking the trap apart
and works in a couple minutes of my time. WW


I want to second, third, and fourth this recommendation. The Zip-its
are dirt cheap so they're disposable if you don't feel like cleaning
them after use. The backwards-facing teeth hold onto the crud and gunk
while you yank the Zip-it back up through the drain. Pull all the junk
off it, then run it through the drain one more time to make sure.
Problem solved in less than five minutes and for about two dollars. No
chemicals, no snake, no disassembling the plumbing. Whoever invented
these deserves a medal.


Before I'll agree with your "no disassembling the plumbing" claim,
I'll have to try it on my pedestal sink.


How long is the tool?


20 inches, 18 of that is usable. Seehttp://zipitclean.com/faq/

The company says they recommend using a snake for blockages that are
further down the drain than that. But using the Zip it on an
occasional basis in the future will greatly reduce the odds of such a
blockage recurring.

I see one of the customer comments is about using these to clean out
vacuum cleaner hoses. I hadn't thought of that. I'd cobble two
together to make an extra-long one for fishing through a vacuum
cleaner hose.

At any rate, it's cheap, it's simple to use, so you're out very little
money or effort to try it first.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -


I've used all of these methods to clean out a vacuum hose at one time
or another:

1 - Connect the hose to the "output" end of the vacuum cleaner and
blow the blockage out.
2 - Drop a weight down the hose and shake it so the weight pounds the
blockage and dislodges it.
3 - Put a garden hose in the vacuum hose and use water pressure to
dislodge the blockage.

Yes, the last one is a bit extreme, and you should let the hose dry
out before you use it, but trust me, it works.
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On Jul 11, 12:38*pm, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/11/2012 10:51 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On Jul 11, 11:09 am, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/9/2012 9:26 PM, WW wrote:


"Ray" wrote in message
...
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.


He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.


Is this correct?


Ray... A quick and easy way. *Buy a Zip It at Home Depot or Ace Hardware
about $2. This is a plastic thing about 2 feet long with saw looking teeth.
Very flexible and will bend to go around the pea trap. Fast and drags out
hair and crud. Check it out on Google. This saves my taking the trap apart
and works in a couple minutes of my time. WW


I want to second, third, and fourth this recommendation. The Zip-its
are dirt cheap so they're disposable if you don't feel like cleaning
them after use. The backwards-facing teeth hold onto the crud and gunk
while you yank the Zip-it back up through the drain. Pull all the junk
off it, then run it through the drain one more time to make sure.
Problem solved in less than five minutes and for about two dollars. No
chemicals, no snake, no disassembling the plumbing. Whoever invented
these deserves a medal.


Before I'll agree with your "no disassembling the plumbing" claim,
I'll have to try it on my pedestal sink.


How long is the tool?


20 inches, 18 of that is usable. Seehttp://zipitclean.com/faq/

The company says they recommend using a snake for blockages that are
further down the drain than that. But using the Zip it on an
occasional basis in the future will greatly reduce the odds of such a
blockage recurring.


Why do you say that?

If the hair never gets hung up within the reach of the Zip It, what
purpose would using it "on an occasional basis" serve?

You must be assuming that some hair remains within reach of the tool
for a period of time and then suddenly, or perhaps over time, moves
its way farther down and out of reach.

I'm not sure why you would make that assumption. It has certainly
never been my experience to find some small amount of hair in the trap
or above when I disassemble the drain to get to the section inside the
wall.



I see one of the customer comments is about using these to clean out
vacuum cleaner hoses. I hadn't thought of that. I'd cobble two
together to make an extra-long one for fishing through a vacuum
cleaner hose.

At any rate, it's cheap, it's simple to use, so you're out very little
money or effort to try it first.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -




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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

On 7/11/2012 3:28 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
On Jul 11, 12:38 pm, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/11/2012 10:51 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:





On Jul 11, 11:09 am, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/9/2012 9:26 PM, WW wrote:


"Ray" wrote in message
...
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.


He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.


Is this correct?


Ray... A quick and easy way. Buy a Zip It at Home Depot or Ace Hardware
about $2. This is a plastic thing about 2 feet long with saw looking teeth.
Very flexible and will bend to go around the pea trap. Fast and drags out
hair and crud. Check it out on Google. This saves my taking the trap apart
and works in a couple minutes of my time. WW


I want to second, third, and fourth this recommendation. The Zip-its
are dirt cheap so they're disposable if you don't feel like cleaning
them after use. The backwards-facing teeth hold onto the crud and gunk
while you yank the Zip-it back up through the drain. Pull all the junk
off it, then run it through the drain one more time to make sure.
Problem solved in less than five minutes and for about two dollars. No
chemicals, no snake, no disassembling the plumbing. Whoever invented
these deserves a medal.


Before I'll agree with your "no disassembling the plumbing" claim,
I'll have to try it on my pedestal sink.


How long is the tool?


20 inches, 18 of that is usable. Seehttp://zipitclean.com/faq/

The company says they recommend using a snake for blockages that are
further down the drain than that. But using the Zip it on an
occasional basis in the future will greatly reduce the odds of such a
blockage recurring.


Why do you say that?

If the hair never gets hung up within the reach of the Zip It, what
purpose would using it "on an occasional basis" serve?


Because stuff could be getting hung up initially within the reach of
the Zip it, so removing it before it has a chance to move farther on
down, lodge and accumulate more would be prudent.


You must be assuming that some hair remains within reach of the tool
for a period of time and then suddenly, or perhaps over time, moves
its way farther down and out of reach.


Hey, you know what? That's actually been known to happen!


I'm not sure why you would make that assumption. It has certainly
never been my experience to find some small amount of hair in the trap
or above when I disassemble the drain to get to the section inside the
wall.


So that's been your experience with your plumbing. Many other people
have had different experiences. A lot of clogged traps have been
disassembled over the years. It's a shame that your setup is somehow
making it harder for you to clear blockages.
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Default Cleaning sink drain? ? ?

On Jul 11, 4:52*pm, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/11/2012 3:28 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:









On Jul 11, 12:38 pm, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/11/2012 10:51 AM, DerbyDad03 wrote:


On Jul 11, 11:09 am, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 7/9/2012 9:26 PM, WW wrote:


"Ray" wrote in message
...
A friend tells me that there is a cleaning solution available which stands
overnight in sink drains to clear away grease build-up.


He also said that he had learned through some "tip sheet" that carbonated
soft drinks accomplish the same thing and are cheaper when you get them on
sale.


Is this correct?


Ray... A quick and easy way. *Buy a Zip It at Home Depot or Ace Hardware
about $2. This is a plastic thing about 2 feet long with saw looking teeth.
Very flexible and will bend to go around the pea trap. Fast and drags out
hair and crud. Check it out on Google. This saves my taking the trap apart
and works in a couple minutes of my time. WW


I want to second, third, and fourth this recommendation. The Zip-its
are dirt cheap so they're disposable if you don't feel like cleaning
them after use. The backwards-facing teeth hold onto the crud and gunk
while you yank the Zip-it back up through the drain. Pull all the junk
off it, then run it through the drain one more time to make sure.
Problem solved in less than five minutes and for about two dollars. No
chemicals, no snake, no disassembling the plumbing. Whoever invented
these deserves a medal.


Before I'll agree with your "no disassembling the plumbing" claim,
I'll have to try it on my pedestal sink.


How long is the tool?


20 inches, 18 of that is usable. Seehttp://zipitclean.com/faq/


The company says they recommend using a snake for blockages that are
further down the drain than that. But using the Zip it on an
occasional basis in the future will greatly reduce the odds of such a
blockage recurring.


Why do you say that?


If the hair never gets hung up within the reach of the Zip It, what
purpose would using it "on an occasional basis" serve?


Because stuff could be getting hung up initially within the reach of
the Zip it, so removing it before it has a chance to move farther on
down, lodge and accumulate more would be prudent.



You must be assuming that some hair remains within reach of the tool
for a period of time and then suddenly, or perhaps over time, moves
its way farther down and out of reach.


Hey, you know what? That's actually been known to happen!



I'm not sure why you would make that assumption. It has certainly
never been my experience to find some small amount of hair in the trap
or above when I disassemble the drain to get to the section inside the
wall.


So that's been your experience with your plumbing. Many other people
have had different experiences. A lot of clogged traps have been
disassembled over the years. It's a shame that your setup is somehow
making it harder for you to clear blockages.


So how about we change the words "*will* greatly reduce the odds of
such a blockage recurring" to "*might* greatly reduce the odds of such
a blockage recurring"?

That was the only point of my response. In my case, I do not believe
it will.
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