Slow Draining Kitchen Sink

[sfthreaded]

Hello All,

I changed the undersink pipes in my kitchen and ever since the pans don't drain very well. I don't know of anything I did differently than any other time. My guess, with all the glugging (self siphoning) the problem is air. What do prof plumbers do that I failed to do? Do I need an air admittance valve? Can I just poke a hole in the top of the wall pipe after the trap and put in a length of pex or similar?

Thanks.

 

[TomFOhio]

Hate to say it but you probably loosened up junk in the pipe and clogged it up. The two pipes coming off the basket strainers are crooked and need extended down. You are going to experience some leaks pretty soon. Get the drained snaked out and fix your piping. Is that a true center waste tee? Never liked them and always changed over to end waste.

 

[Geofd]

Tom is right looks like the drain is easily accessible
the big box store sell a hand cranck drum snake
that would probably do the trick

 

[justin_dewan90]

Only thing I want to ask is where's the vent? The other guys make valid points. But your sink is not directly vented. Meaning most drain lines have a vent inside of a wall or nearby. Does your sink have a vent somewhere close by after that down drop?

 

[havasu]

That looks like a standard Tee fitting. Seems a double sanitary tee would be a better choice.

 

[sfthreaded]

Only thing I want to ask is where's the vent? The other guys make valid points. But your sink is not directly vented. Meaning most drain lines have a vent inside of a wall or nearby. Does your sink have a vent somewhere close by after that down drop?

I can't say what's behind the wall. House is ancient, first water meter was installed in 1906 I was told by the water dept. By vent, are you referring to a vent stack through the roof, or one of those top of sink vents as in the pic? Probably the former.

I was thinking of drilling a hole in the top of the 7" wall pipe just behind the trap, screwing in an adapter/hose barb, and a length of tubing on top of that. Pic below. Think that'll work?

 

[sfthreaded]

Hate to say it but you probably loosened up junk in the pipe and clogged it up. The two pipes coming off the basket strainers are crooked and need extended down. You are going to experience some leaks pretty soon. Get the drained snaked out and fix your piping. Is that a true center waste tee? Never liked them and always changed over to end waste.

I'm seeing about getting a snake. I angled the two pipes as a stab at better drainage. The reason for the work in the first place was a new, deeper sink.

By end waste tee, I'm not sure how I would do that as the end/thu-wall pipe is in the middle of the two bowls.

 

[justin_dewan90]

I can't say what's behind the wall. House is ancient, first water meter was installed in 1906 I was told by the water dept. By vent, are you referring to a vent stack through the roof, or one of those top of sink vents as in the pic? Probably the former.

I was thinking of drilling a hole in the top of the 7" wall pipe just behind the trap, screwing in an adapter/hose barb, and a length of tubing on top of that. Pic below. Think that'll work?

Never seen it done before. Could work. Generally have at least an inch and a half vent line. But if it works it works. Kind of curious of the outcome.

 

[voletl]

You have an S trap with the setup that you have the part that 90's down into the floor replace the 90 with the T on the top of the T come up with some pipe and install an air admittance valve this should fix your problem. Drilling a hole into the pipe and running some tubing is getting into HACK territory and that is unacceptableView attachment Screenshot_20180224-163958.jpg

 

[sfthreaded]

Tom is right looks like the drain is easily accessible
the big box store sell a hand cranck drum snake
that would probably do the trick

Hate to say it but you probably loosened up junk in the pipe and clogged it up. The two pipes coming off the basket strainers are crooked and need extended down. You are going to experience some leaks pretty soon. Get the drained snaked out and fix your piping. Is that a true center waste tee? Never liked them and always changed over to end waste.

Well I borrowed an old manual snake, went in through the end pipe, but could only go 30" in no matter how I turned it. tried pushing it but I'm hesitant to force it too much. No change in flow.

 

[sfthreaded]

Only thing I want to ask is where's the vent? The other guys make valid points. But your sink is not directly vented. Meaning most drain lines have a vent inside of a wall or nearby. Does your sink have a vent somewhere close by after that down drop?

There's no vent in the roof vertically above the end pipe on the roof (one story building). Roughly the middle of the house. Only vents on the roof are on the side of the building by the bathroom.

 

[TomFOhio]

You can rent a hand held electric snake. One of these should get you through your drain. Once the drain is open see how it drains for you. If it is not good then do like Voleti suggested. Cut the copper 90 off and buy a 11/4 x 11/2 no hub adaptor. The 11/4" will fit on the copper and the other will be plastic. Buy an 11/2" end outlet waste and angle to one sink or the other and a new p-trap. Or keep the center waste and follow Voleti's instructions. Either way you will need an AAV on top of the tee. Hope this didn't confuse you.

 

[sfthreaded]

You can rent a hand held electric snake. One of these should get you through your drain. Once the drain is open see how it drains for you. If it is not good then do like Voleti suggested. Cut the copper 90 off and buy a 11/4 x 11/2 no hub adaptor. The 11/4" will fit on the copper and the other will be plastic. Buy an 11/2" end outlet waste and angle to one sink or the other and a new p-trap. Or keep the center waste and follow Voleti's instructions. Either way you will need an AAV on top of the tee. Hope this didn't confuse you.

Thanks for the reply, Tom. I live in a rental with a girlfriend. With the owner, it's a hands-off relationship for the last decade (you don't bother me I don't bother you); with the girlfriend, she wants a sink, slow drain or not, and not another project that goes on for days. All of which is to say, cutting the copper pipe seems like volunteering for a visit to tenant & boyfriend jail.

Before I rent a power snake, maybe I should try again with the manual. Maybe use a little more force. I don't want to break anything under the floor, in the chase.

Yes, it was a little confusing. But after four readings, I think I get it. Might be easier to cut both ends from the 7"wall pipe and put a tee between them, and the AAV on top of it.

 

[breplum]

voletel's comment starts to address the issue.
You should also know that the drain size on a kitchen sink is, by code, 2".
We see such poor, incorrect installations in this forum, that I hesitated initiating a comment on this one.

 

[TomFOhio]

What incorrect installation are you referring??

 

[sfthreaded]

voletel's comment starts to address the issue.
You should also know that the drain size on a kitchen sink is, by code, 2".
We see such poor, incorrect installations in this forum, that I hesitated initiating a comment on this one.

Didn't realize that. The first column is for the min trap & trap arm size, second, private home, third public place. I don't understand why the trap can be smaller... why would you reduce half an inch for it?

Anyway, Voletel's comment is of course correct, but I'm loathe to get in deeper. I see that the pipe has a nut that is accessible at the base.

I tried the snake again, and was able to push past the blockage (or angle) at 30" in, but I only got another 50" further before the snake got stuck again, and I let it go. Then I cut an inch of the 7" wall pipe just in case it was sticking in to the 90 floor pipe to far. Then, then the drain flow was WORSE. I lost it and got the toilet plunger and tried that for a while. I think it's a little better now. Asked my girlfriend, but I only got a tepid response.