A friend of mine lives in a rental property. The toilet is in the
second floor bathroom. The toilet drains very, very slowly. And in
many cases needs pluging to get the waste down the drain.

As he tells me, plumber came out, and had the toilet off the base. He
(the tenant) could see that the drain line was clogged with
"crystals". I tried my closet auger, which did loosen up some dark
grey particles that came back into the bowl when I pulled out the
closet auger. Still drains slowly.

An internet search isn't being very useful. Not many web sites on
clearing crystal clogged soil pipe drains. The toilet is next to a
bath tub which does drain, probably rather slowly. And in the same
bathroom is a sink which does not drain at all.

Any ideas how to open up the toilet drain a bit? I'm thinking either a
longer snake (25 footer) through the toilet trap. Easier to do might
be pour some acid drain cleaner into the bath tub, or into the toilet
tank. Anyone had experience with that kind of clog, and what worked
for you?

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"Stormin Mormon" wrote in message

Any ideas how to open up the toilet drain a bit? I'm thinking either a
longer snake (25 footer) through the toilet trap. Easier to do might
be pour some acid drain cleaner into the bath tub, or into the toilet
tank. Anyone had experience with that kind of clog, and what worked
for you?

The plumber removed the toilet and yet did not clean the drain?

I'd rent a power auger. Most are 50' so you can get to where the clog
really is. I have no idea what the crystals may be. Pouring acid probably
will do nothing but cause irritation when you finally clean the drain the
right way. Acid has to sit on the clogging material to work properly and it
may never reach it.

Remove the toilet and use the auger. I'd also clear the tub and sink drains
too. They may not be the culprit today, but could be soon.

Stormin Mormon wrote:
A friend of mine lives in a rental property. The toilet is in the
second floor bathroom. The toilet drains very, very slowly. And in
many cases needs pluging to get the waste down the drain.

As he tells me, plumber came out, and had the toilet off the base. He
(the tenant) could see that the drain line was clogged with
"crystals". I tried my closet auger, which did loosen up some dark
grey particles that came back into the bowl when I pulled out the
closet auger. Still drains slowly.

An internet search isn't being very useful. Not many web sites on
clearing crystal clogged soil pipe drains. The toilet is next to a
bath tub which does drain, probably rather slowly. And in the same
bathroom is a sink which does not drain at all.

Any ideas how to open up the toilet drain a bit? I'm thinking either a
longer snake (25 footer) through the toilet trap. Easier to do might
be pour some acid drain cleaner into the bath tub, or into the toilet
tank. Anyone had experience with that kind of clog, and what worked
for you?


I would not run a big snake thru the bowl trap.
Pull the toilet up.
If it's an old lead bend in the floor, you also
are at risk of perforating it with a snake. Beware.

Have you done the "bucket test" yet? Pour a whole
bucket of water rapidly into the bowl. Will it overflow?

You could try acid flush, but there are big risks in that too.

If you could snake down the stack vent, that may help.

You probably have much better things to do... g

Jim

Stormin Mormon wrote:
A friend of mine lives in a rental property. The toilet is in the
second floor bathroom. The toilet drains very, very slowly. And in
many cases needs pluging to get the waste down the drain.

As he tells me, plumber came out, and had the toilet off the base. He
(the tenant) could see that the drain line was clogged with
"crystals". I tried my closet auger, which did loosen up some dark
grey particles that came back into the bowl when I pulled out the
closet auger. Still drains slowly.

An internet search isn't being very useful. Not many web sites on
clearing crystal clogged soil pipe drains. The toilet is next to a
bath tub which does drain, probably rather slowly. And in the same
bathroom is a sink which does not drain at all.

Any ideas how to open up the toilet drain a bit? I'm thinking either a
longer snake (25 footer) through the toilet trap. Easier to do might
be pour some acid drain cleaner into the bath tub, or into the toilet
tank. Anyone had experience with that kind of clog, and what worked
for you?

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?? 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.

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

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.

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.

In one place I lived I pulled out seven or eight big clogs before I got
it flowing. 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.
Good luck.

Lawrence

"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

"Edwin Pawlowski" wrote in message
.. .


The plumber removed the toilet and yet did not clean the drain?
CY: That's the story I'm getting.

I'd rent a power auger. Most are 50' so you can get to where the clog
really is. I have no idea what the crystals may be. Pouring acid
probably
will do nothing but cause irritation when you finally clean the drain
the
right way. Acid has to sit on the clogging material to work properly
and it
may never reach it.
CY: If the drain runs slowly, the acid would run through the pipe
slowly. But, still, that might clog things the rest of the way. Wonder
what they cost to rent. Or maybe Harbor Freight has a cheap one to
purchase outright.

Remove the toilet and use the auger. I'd also clear the tub and sink
drains
too. They may not be the culprit today, but could be soon.
CY: The sink drain is total clog, the trap is clear. And the tub
drain, well, who the heck knows? The tub is probably next problem.
Pulling the toilet isn't a lot of fun, but definitely can be done.
Thanks for the advice.

"Speedy Jim" wrote in message
.. .

I would not run a big snake thru the bowl trap.
CY: Too easy to scratch porelean?

Pull the toilet up.
If it's an old lead bend in the floor, you also
are at risk of perforating it with a snake. Beware.
CY: that's a thought. I don't know if there is a bend at the floor
level.

Have you done the "bucket test" yet? Pour a whole
bucket of water rapidly into the bowl. Will it overflow?
CY: The water level comes up when you flush the toilet. And drains
slowly.

You could try acid flush, but there are big risks in that too.

If you could snake down the stack vent, that may help.
CY: I'm starting to wonder. Might be time to check the other drains in
the house.

You probably have much better things to do... g
CY: That's for sure. Unless someone wants to pay me large ammounts of
money, this is getting a bit out of hand. Your last suggestion is the
best I've yet heard.

Jim

Call a "Drain Cleaner" from the yellow pages. 2 hours from now for
about $80 you'll be done with it.


Stormin Mormon wrote:
A friend of mine lives in a rental property. The toilet is in the
second floor bathroom. The toilet drains very, very slowly. And in
many cases needs pluging to get the waste down the drain.

As he tells me, plumber came out, and had the toilet off the base. He
(the tenant) could see that the drain line was clogged with
"crystals". I tried my closet auger, which did loosen up some dark
grey particles that came back into the bowl when I pulled out the
closet auger. Still drains slowly.

An internet search isn't being very useful. Not many web sites on
clearing crystal clogged soil pipe drains. The toilet is next to a
bath tub which does drain, probably rather slowly. And in the same
bathroom is a sink which does not drain at all.

Any ideas how to open up the toilet drain a bit? I'm thinking either a
longer snake (25 footer) through the toilet trap. Easier to do might
be pour some acid drain cleaner into the bath tub, or into the toilet
tank. Anyone had experience with that kind of clog, and what worked
for you?

Stormin Mormon wrote:
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.

Well, I have had that tool for years. As I recall, it came with the
35foot snake. then when that got rusty, I replaced it with the 50
footer which is just a smaller diameter. You never want to use a rusty
or damaged snake for danger of breaking it off inside the pipe. The
thing to do is to clean the snake after each use and wipe it down with
oil to prevent rust, a nasty but necessary job. That snake has save
me a few times now but as to whether it was worth it? Just barely.
It probably cost about as much as one or two visits from a plumber if
you want to look at it that way.

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 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.

Welcome.

steel or cast iron pipe gets a crystal look when it rusts badly...

messing with landlords plumbing if theings go bad could be costly like
a snake perforating a line...

You've got the right idea. Not my house, not my problem. Not insured.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

wrote in message
ups.com...
steel or cast iron pipe gets a crystal look when it rusts badly...

messing with landlords plumbing if theings go bad could be costly like
a snake perforating a line...

Well, I have had that tool for years. As I recall, it came with the
35foot snake. then when that got rusty, I replaced it with the 50
footer which is just a smaller diameter.
CY: Got your use out of it, eh?

You never want to use a rusty
or damaged snake for danger of breaking it off inside the pipe.
CY: That would be totally impossible to do anythign about. Cept run
another snake and hope to catch on the broken one.

The
thing to do is to clean the snake after each use and wipe it down with
oil to prevent rust, a nasty but necessary job.
CY: I do that with the closet auger. Wonder if I could just spray a
bunch of oil into the drum?

That snake has save
me a few times now but as to whether it was worth it? Just barely.
It probably cost about as much as one or two visits from a plumber if
you want to look at it that way.
CY: I like tht way to look at it.

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.

Welcome.
CY: Thanks, again.