Household Drain Clogs - Fixes and Prevention

how can we get rid of rust in our water pipes?will Bleach work?

Sandy,
You may need to replace the pipes if the rust is caused by them. It is not a prudent thing to drink chlorine bleach.

Chrolrine Bleach and metal don't mix to well, caustic soda and a little bit of water normally works pretty well.

I just had my bathroom completely renovated and the contractors poured grout down my kitchen sink, which is next to the bathroom. Now when running the kitchen sink or using the washer, it all backs up into the tub. Is there anything to disolve the grout in the drains? I have had to plumbers try to unclog and they tell me I have to dig up the floors to get to the pipes. please help!! Thanks.

That is just plain negligence and stupidity on the contractors part.. I would talk to a lawyer about recovering the cost of repairs etc.. Grout is a form of concrete, it won't dissolve..Good Luck

Can one find a drain snake small enough to work on unclogging a tub drain? Also, if one uses a plunger to unclog a tub drain, by removing the stopper attached to the overflow lever, would there be enough downward water pressure from the plunger to force the blockage to move? Why not leave the drain open (i.e the tub stopper remains in the open position)? Thanks!

Why do the metal plug holes in my sink and bathtub rust so easily and how can I clean them. Could it be because there is rust in the water and if so, is this a health problem? Thanks.

Long running problem with toilet. Back to back bathrooms & toilets. Both have damp patches in tile grout. One very bad & now floor coming unstuck. toilet bowl has been replaced - no effect. Told it could be damp/leek in underfloor heating. But sometimes smell of urine when I put on the heating makes me think otherwise. Opposite toilet not always good at flushing away debris. Builders bankrupt, developers doing things on the cheap & slowly. Any help please !! I have money problems so need advice before taking them on.

I am new to home ownership and my new home is built on clay soil and has a septic system. Can you help with suggestions on care of the septic system to minimize future clogs, biofilms, hardpan soil, etc. How often should I have the tank cleaned out? will toilet tablet cleaners with chlorine harm the septic or leach bed?

my two year old put toilet paper in the tub filled with water and the whole thing just got plugged what do i do?

Sir,

I've got to thank you for your help. I've been fighting a clogged drain in my bathtub for weeks and your method of removing the control rod and then plugging the overflow before I used the plunger made the difference. It drains very well now. THANK YOU!!!

Is it always possible to remove and replace a kitchen sink's draining orifice, by separating that above from that underneath? I need to replace a grotty-looking sink outlet and there does not appear to be any logical means of separation. In other words, there does not appear to exist the facility for unscrewing one from the other.

These are great tips for preventing clogged drains. I have been having issues with drains at my new apartment and have been looking for a solution other than continually using Drain-O :) I found a product called <a href="http://www.spinflush.com">spinflush</a> that is supposed to prevent clogged drains. It was cheap so I tried it out and have been really pleased with the results.
If anyone else has the same problem I had I would recommend trying out SpinFlush I haven't had to buy another bottle of Drain-o since I put it into my sink

Evening folks. Have a wee problem here that I hope can be resolved through this site. It seems that the cast iron main drain for my parents' kitchen sink has clogged, and they are completely stumped as to what to do. They strongly believe the clog is over the cistern in their basement, as water is leaking out at a steady rate in that area. The problem is, the suspected clog area is over 20' to 30' of pipe away from the kitchen sink trap access. SO, long story short, its a bit of a sticky situation. They tell me they have tried chemical cleaners, a pipe snake, compressed air, etc to no avail. Any suggestions? I'm not a plumber by any means, so anything of interest would be greatly appreciated.

Ok, have tried the bleach and a bio product from a plumber to keep yuk from building up. Still have this problem - when my washer dumps water - or when I empty the full tub - I hear 'blub, blub' from the kitchen sink and smell nasty things. The lines are new (3 yrs),PVC and I seem to have a vent line attached appropriately. I do bake and wash out bowls with some yeasty residue in them. Pretty frequently. Which is why I use the bleach. Problem was not evident when I moved in 3 yrs ago. Any ideas?

Toilet no longer flushes completely. No new fixtures or additions. Used to here a sucking sound in the shower drain when the toilet was flushed but no more. Toilet fill valve replaced. Tank empties fully. Water swirls in bowl but does not fully pull stuff down. Second floor toilet. Could this be a vent problem? or a clog?

We accidentally ran a scratch pad/brillo pad thru the garbage disposal stopping up plumbing under basement floor. I snaked and found pieces of evidence. Is there any chemical agent to help remove/dissolve any remainder. Flushed w/hot running water as roto was running and fed. Three passes to open. Not sure all is cleared.