blocked sink - a little advice

[worto03]

Hi - I managed to accidently poor fat down the sink and it's blocked (a cup full of fat was left in the sink and without looking I turned on the tap to wait for the water to get hot to wash up - next time I turned round it was blocked and full of fatty water.

I got the water out as far as I could and pored boiling water down but it was still blocked - the pipes felt hot until the u-bend so I guess the problem is there.

Unfortunately I think I then made another mistake - it was hard to get the U-bend off so we made a caustic soda solution as on the instructions (100g & 1 litre of water) but after waiting half an hour it's still there

My question now is how do I have another go at getting the u-bend off now that the pipes are full of the caustic soda solution? Or is it time to give up and call somebody out!

After a certain time period does the solution become safe to handle again so I can drain it out and have another go at removing the u-bend?

Thanks for any help!
worto.

 

[gregers]

have you got net curtains???
if so rob the wire take the hook off and try and guide it down the plug hole,this is a very basic rodding iron.worked for me in the past.

 

[easyflow]

If you suspect the problem is in the trap, pair of rubber gloves, bowl under trap ease the trap nut(s) with grips, "almost sounds rude"

 

[hazetimesfive]

if it drains slowly then leave it overnight and should empty out, then use boiling water, as many kettles as you can. if its grease then it will fix it.

 

[worto03]

Thanks all - sry I had to go into work last night - it didn't drain at all overnight so I'll have another go at removing the trap with some rubber gloves on.

 

[HERTS P&D]

You could use a hair dryer on the pipe work to heat up the grease.

Make sure you put a couple of kettles of hot water in the sink first which will also help with the movement.

Andy

 

[Scoby_Beasley]

Without sounding like a H & S nutter. If you've put caustic down the plug hole and are going to remove the trap, then ensure you are wearing eye protection of some sort.

That stuff can burn your skin. And as for your eyes....

From a man who once got caustic soda in his eye at work .

 

[worto03]

All done - thanks guys - mostly for helping me to not panic!

for completeness if anyone else has the same issue and comes here looking - once I'd left it overnight the pipes under the sink had all dried so the u-bend (which I now gather is also called a trap) came off easily.

Last night I think I was just slipping around in all the grease, fat and water

With it off there was a 2-3" plug of fat wedged in there which I couuld then pop out.

All sorted now - Thanks, and I'd like to second the warning about the caustic solution - I had rubber gloves on but some got inside them and has burnt my arm and hand - it's not too bad but still stings now (2hrs later) and is quite red and patchy. I'll not be treating that stuff lightly again.