Clogged kitchen sinks- how do i ise a snake to unclog the steel pipe? what causes the clogging of the pipe?

-it's an older cast iron pipe


-i removed all the pvc back to the iron pipe


-it's an older house ('50's?)


-how far in do i need to get the snake?


-could it possibly be "broken" or unable to be unclogged?


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Clogged kitchen sinks- how do i ise a snake to unclog the steel pipe? what causes the clogging of the pipe?
Kitchen sinks usually clog pretty close to the sink. Most of the time it's due to cheaper low horse power garbage disposals. They don't chop the food up enough and then the food get's in the drain and expands with the water and cause a blockage. Potato peelings and pasta are the biggest culprits.


Sometime you can use a shop-vac to suck the stuff out.
Reply:First of, what do you mean by removing all the pvc back to the iron pipe? Do you mean you took off the trap? What kind of a snake do you have?





The best way to do it typically is getting a chemical drain opener either hotshot, or pequa. Run that first and then flush with cold water. Assuming you took everything off, what kind of snake are you using? Go to a local plumbing supply, screw homedepot and lowes, pick up a snake for fifty bucks. Every snake comes with a 25' cable. thats plenty of slack. The secret is that you feed the snake into the drain with your hands.That way you feel the clog because you cant break through it. Once youve reached the clog thats when you turn the snake.You might have to take out the tailpiece, or even the trap, either way it only helps. chances are its not as far back as you think. Another reminder is that since the house is from the fifties remember that land moves and so does the house on it. So a stubborn clog could also be a pipe's lack of pitch, so to speak, gravity is not pulling the water down. Well, hope that was helpful.
Reply:The cause could be many things. For example, food could have went down the drain and caused a blockage over time.





To use the snake simply stick it in and spin it.





You will either retreive the blockage or push it into a main sewer line, which is larger and will still flow with whatever was blocking the kitchen drain up.



pale skin