Guide
Drain day
Slow, stopped, or the whole line. Three different problems.
4 min read · First Ave Supply, 1587 First Avenue
Short answer. Work out which of three problems you have before you pour anything.
One fixture is slow. That is a local clog in the trap or the branch. Opener or a small auger fixes it.
One fixture is stopped dead. Still local, but the opener probably will not reach it. Pull the trap or auger it.
More than one fixture is backing up, or the lowest one in the building is. That is the main line. Stop. Do not pour anything down it. You are about to fill a stack with chemical and somebody else's sink is where it comes back.
The test that tells you which one
Run the fixture next to it. Then run one a floor below. If they are all fine, it is local. If the tub gurgles when the toilet flushes, air is being pulled through the trap and you have a venting or main line problem, not a hair clog.
Openers, and what each is actually for
Sulfuric acid openers. The heavy stuff. Works on grease and hair fast. Do not use it in a fixture with standing water you cannot see through, do not mix it with anything else already poured, and do not use it on a fully stopped line where it will just sit against the blockage.
Sodium hydroxide, lye based. Slower, gentler on older pipe, better for maintenance.
Enzyme and bacterial. Not for an emergency. These are what you pour monthly in a building that has a grease problem so you stop having the emergency.
Old pipe deserves caution
Prewar buildings are full of cast iron and galvanized. Cast iron takes chemical fine. Galvanized that is already half closed with scale does not, and neither does a line somebody has already poured two bottles into. When in doubt, auger it instead.
What belongs in the basement
A super who handles this without calling anybody keeps a hand auger, a plunger that actually seals, a bucket and a pipe wrench for pulling traps, and one bottle of opener. Everything past that is a plumber's job and knowing where that line is saves money.
The monthly habit
The buildings that never have a drain emergency are the ones pouring enzyme down the kitchen stacks once a month. It is the cheapest line item in the building and it is the one that gets cut first.
Case pricing on openers is a building account price. Sign in and the number on this page changes to yours.
When to stop
Multiple fixtures, sewage smell, or anything backing up into a tub on the lowest floor. That is a main line call. Nothing you pour will help and some of it will make the plumber's job worse.
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