DIY Network

I would like to know is anyone can help me and give me suggestions on how to fix my problem. I would be so greatful.

Question:
How can I get my bathroom sink to drain faster. I run the water and my sink fills up. The water drains very slow. I've taken it loose and there are no clogs. What should my next step be?

Choices:
Is it the wrong p-trap?
The drain is in the floor

 

Ok, just because there isnt anything in the P-trap, doesnt mean that there isnt something that is further down the line...

Lots of time lines get clogged up with 'gunk' coating along the pipes, (detergents were famous for this when they had potassium-->I believe it was, in the mix, it would clog pipes like concrete. Also grease is a huge factor in clogging up pipes, another thing that hardens in pipes like concrete).

Is it only your one drain that runs slow? How about all the others?? If you find that your bathtub or commode runs slow, it could be that your vent is blocked. (Lots of times, they have a seperate vent for the sink as in my house, so I make sure that all vents are open if I have a slow drain).

I would run a drain opener down the pipes...(It wont hurt plastic pipes-->acid) and see if that helps.

i like your little choice box's. reminds me of 6th grade. do you love me . check the box yes or no. i am just picken
you say that you have taken the trap off?
then the problem is farther in there!
get a bucket cabble, it is a cable that is about 1/2 inch around. some you can hook to a drill. HD will have one,take the trap off, and stick it in there,push in a couple of feet, and pull it out, it is gonna be nasty and stink,
get some throw away towels, it will be a mess
do it again , put trap back on,fill with water
go farther in there, most clogs are within 2 ft

had the same problem recently, however, after i replaced the ptrap it still happened. put in an auger drain cleaner with no positive results. took the ptrap off again and placed a bucket directly underneath the open drain and still bowl drained slowly...AHAH! that let me to think that the problem was at the stopper. I took the stopper out and sure enough it was covered in, well, i'm not sure what. since i shave my head, i'll assume it was a combination of shaving scum, toothpaste, wife's hair, etc...GROSS! anyway, cleaned it off and drains like a charm now. hope this helps...

You will want to definitely look at the stopper. It is amazing what gets caught there. You need to unscrew the nut at the back of the drain and then pull this back. This is what has the rod that controls the stopper and connects to the plunger in the back of the sink. Pull out the stopper and chances are a whole bunch of crap comes with it. Clean this out and place it back. You will need to fiddle around a bit to get the rod to go though the bottom of the stopper. Then tighten the nut, and test to make sure the stopper goes up and down.

Ps when you have the stopper out, check out the top of the drain. There could be additional stuff there to clean out as well. Good luck.

First thing to try: Unscrew the bottom stopper and then fill sink with water and plunge with a large plunger vigorously while you stop up the overflow hole with your finger or thumb. Often, this will bring up hair balls that are just below the stopper and will sometimes clear out a clog farther down. Generally, this nearly always works for me.

If this does not work and you are sure that all is clear from bottom of sink to p trap, then get a small snake from your local hardware store, remove your p trap, and then snake from there on down. This type of snake typically costs less than $20 and is worth having. I had to go this route once on my bathroom sink.

Thanks for all your suggestions. But sorry to say non of these things worked. There are absolutely no clogs. I'm at a lost but I will figure it out. I will call a plumber as a last result.

Well - I beleive that we have exhausted most of the causes for a single sink running slow (not all drains in the house). Please let us know what your plumber finds. Forgot if it was covered, but the only other thing that comes to mind is a clogged vent, but maybe someone covered that. Please let us know the result. Thanks.