sink plugs four times a year

[Zeppelin]

My main bathroom sink partially plugs about four times every year. I pull out the popup plug setup and clean it out but before long the drainage rate begins to slow again and I know it is time to clean it out again. It is an old sink with a popup drain and standard old style [70s] faucet. When I first clean out the assembled guck it is usually good for a month or two and while it doesn't drain terribly quickly, it does the job. Any suggestions?

I am off to disassemble and clean it right now.

Bob

 

[phishfood]

All of that gunk that you clean out of the drain every couple of months? Well, some of that has been building up inside of the drain pipe all of this time, so that drain pipe is pretty plugged up by now. Have a drain cleaner come out, remove and clean the Ptrap, and snake the drain line with a cutter that is almost the same size as the interior of the pipe to clean all of that gunk out. The faster flowing drain will carry away much more of the gunk so that less of it builds up in the drain and pipe.

 

[Zeppelin]

That makes a lot of sense. When you say 'drain cleaner' I take it you are not talking about a general plumber but rather something like Roto-rooter.

 

[phishfood]

Not Roto Rooter, rather, an independent plumber who specializes in drain cleaning, or an independent drain cleaning company. Roto Rooter has a rather large pool of employees, some good some not so good, and a lot of overhead. So you will pay towards the high end of the scale, and may or may not get the most qualified guy on your call.

Just my opinion.

 

[Zeppelin]

Unfortunately I acted before I received your reply and called Roto Rooter and $110 later I think I might have my problem dealt with. He ran an auger down the drain and the sink is draining much faster now.

He did supply me with a number of ways of dealing with the problem if it emerges in the future so I think I did get competent service. He suggested blocking the over flow and carefully plunging after treating the drain with a vinegar and baking soda cocktail, removing the popup drain and putting it upside down so that the basin could be filled and then releasing all of the drain water quickly [again with overflow blocked], and to continually move water down the drain on a regular basis.

He also said I should keep my thirteen liter toilets because the drains are set to handle toilets of this capacity. He said we are all concerned with wasting water but we still need to move water quickly down our drains from time to time to keep them functioning. It all sounded quite professional so I think I overpaid but did get a good plumber at the door.

Bob