"Lawrence" wrote in message
ups.com...


Gosh, I've cleared a few drains but i have never seen any crystals.
Usually it is hair balls, baby wipes, food clogs, etc. do you have a
clue what these crystals are, a guess even??
CY: The tenant said "calcium" but tht's likely just a wild ass guess.
He also said he thought the stack was ceramic, not metal. I've got to
look in the cellar some time, and see what's the stack made from.

You might try calling the
landlord but I know that doesn't always get results. At least try to
get permission before fooling with his plumbing.
CY: It's an odd deal, the tenant is responsible for all maint.

My 50' snake cane with a bent piece of tubing which allows me to get
it
through a toilet trap. It's a Milwukee and has pulled me out of a
few
jams. I don't use it a lot, thankfully.


Link:
http://www.absolutehome.com/web/cata...1519E07B814BAD
CY: That's a good link. Came thorugh OK. So, you got the 50 footer?
Seems that 35 should go across a couple floors, and into the cellar.
Was it really worth $300? Musta been, since you bought one. I spent
$25 on a closet auger, and have got my value out of it already.

A longer snake almost always does the trick for me. The rentals are
always crappy is how I ended up buying one. I've never had much luck
with the drain cleaners but for sure are worth a try.
CY: My concern is that a drain cleaner will make the crystals fluff
up, and clog the rest of the pipe. and then we can be down to zero
water flow, and caling a plumber.

The next step after using a longer snake is to snake it from
downstream. Since yours is on the second floor you might be able to
ask the downstairs people if their plumbing is ok, after doing all you
can upstairs. If it's not, they may not mind if you try snaking it
from their place.
CY: These folks have the entire house, so that's not an issue. I
wonder if there is a clean out in the cellar. PRobably yes, and
probably pointed in the down direction.

In one place I lived I pulled out seven or eight big clogs before I
got
it flowing.
CY: They do have three teen girls, and a couple babysit kids, one is 3
and a half. I would imagine just about anythig that will fit through
the toilet bowl has been flushed.

In another place I ended up snaking all the way out to
the street before we called in a real plumber who had a little camera
he used to actually look inside the sewer pipe. Turned out tree
roots
were blocking the pipe and the whole front yard had to be dug up.
CY: I hadn't thought of that. Ought try a pail of water in the kitchen
sink, and see if that flows. Might very well be a clog between the
cellar and street. Thanks for a valuable idea.

Good luck.

Lawrence