Clear slow bathroom sink drain - brittag/maintenance GitHub Wiki

Aspect Info
Context Residence
Date started 2024-09
Date finished 2024-09
Status Complete
Summary of outcome Success

Background

Sometimes bathroom sink drains slow down due to debris and goo in the pipe. This was just a slow drain, not a completely clogged drain.

Problem

Tried removing the drain stopper and applying a plastic hair snake ($3), but it didn’t find anything, which meant the problem was deeper. Also tried putting some baking soda and vinegar down the drain, along with some hot water (not boiling! don't hurt your pipes!), which didn't help much. Did not want to put stronger chemicals down the drain, since they're often more harmful than helpful.

Approach

Used a "Drain King" drain cleaning bladder - see background info, tips, and warnings - with a garden hose. This process would have been easier with the Drain King kit that includes a faucet adapter and mini hose ($31).

Steps:

  1. Put a bucket under the P-trap
  2. Take off the P-trap and clean it, including the threads
  3. Use the plastic hair snake to clear any clumps from the wall side pipe
  4. Put the P-trap back on, at an angle, to enable connecting the Drain King to the P-trap
  5. Grab a long and relatively clean garden hose
  6. Connect the hose to the closest spigot
  7. Take the other side of the hose and take it to the bathtub by the sink. Run water through the hose at a moderate flow rate to clear any air from the hose, because air bubbles can behave unpredictably under pressure.
  8. Kink the hose to stop the flow of water temporarily
  9. Connect the Drain King to the hose
  10. Put the Drain King into the P-trap and hold it there
  11. Slowly release the kink in the hose
  12. Let the Drain King spray water at high pressure through the pipes for a little while
  13. Turn off the water at the spigot
  14. Gently remove deflated Drain King
  15. Reassemble sink and check whether drainage improved
  16. Clean the Drain King and let dry overnight before putting away

Outcome

Worked!

Next steps

Minimize letting hair and other non-water things go down the drain. Consider installing a SinkShroom ($13) to catch hair.