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Bill Gill

On 10/24/2015 3:40 PM, wrote:
A local bar was having trouble with the drain being clogged on their
sink, where they wash the glasses. The bartender said she could not wash
the glasses and had to send someone to buy some disposible plastic cups
in order to make mixed drinks. She was pounding away with a plunger, and
as she plunged it, plastic stir sticks were coming up. A couple of us
guys finally grabbed some tools and took the trap off under the sink.
That trap and all the pipes were full of those stir sticks. I'd bet we
took out at least 30 of them.

We put the trap back on, but it still drained very slow. Apparently
those sticks are clogged further down, and no one had a snake handy.

The main sewer is not clogged, since the toilets work fine.

The sink drain pipes are not accessible since there is no basement.

My question is this: Will a snake get thru those stir sticks?

Of course I told the bartender to stop dumping those sticks in the sink,
and to remove them BEFORE dumping a glass in the sink. She insisted that
she always removes them before they get in the sink, but said other
bartenders may not be removing them. I told her to make a sign and put
it above the sink to tell everyone to NOT let stir sticks go down the
drain. And also suggested that she tell the bar owner to buy some sort
of "screen" that wont allow them to go down the drain. I also told her
that the owner should buy a plumbing snake to have on hand.

She said that she would have a plumber come the next day. I'm assuming
by now the plumber came. I have not been there for several days.

Either way, I wonder if a snake will actually "chew up" those sticks, or
shove them further down into larger pipes, where they will go down the
sewer. I never thought about them going down drains, but I can now see
the problem. Actually, they should be made from something that will
break apart, such as a paper, but they are what they are....

Reminds me of the house where I had a slow drain in the bathroom
sink. Eventually I got around to remodeling and replaced the
sink. When I took out the drain it was full of pencils. Some
kids must have been playing in there. The drain did run faster
after that.

Bill