Dual bathroom sink clog

[LarryinAz]

Dual bathroom sink clog (see pics at bottom).

Im a DIY'er but not much experience with plumbing.


I have a dual vanity and both sinks are slow to drain... but they do drain. I can run water in either for approx 30 seconds before it start's to back up into the sink bowl. When one backs up, shortly after, water runs up into the other.

Both P-traps are clean

I've tried to plunge them by blocking one sink's drain & overflow and then using the plunger on the opposite sink, but no luck. I admit, I didn't spend much time plunging because of the nasty/flakey looking buildup that was coming up.

For what it may be worth, the sink on left is rarely used.

I removed some drawers and found a cleanout between the two sinks... unfortunately, in an area where there's not a whole lot of room to manueaver around in.

My intentions are to go at this blockage with a snake.

My questions are as follows:

1. If I remove the cleanout cap, is there likely to be water in that section of plumbing that will leak out... unltimately ending up behind the drywall? Or has water likely drained below this point?

2. The vent pipe on the roof looks to line up with the pipe where the cleanout is. This house has a flat/low roof.... distance from cleanout to top of vent on roof might be 15' tops. Might the vent be the better access point to go about snaking?

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the great website and to those who contribute here!

I hope these pictures work. They're on flickr.
http://flic.kr/p/8ZFVq5
http://flic.kr/p/8ZCQJi
http://flic.kr/p/8ZCQHi

[cacher_chick]

The clog may very well be where the pipe transitions from horizontal to vertical in the wall.
I would pull a trap off a sink and run a snake in through the trap arm first.
If that works, it will be a little easier and cleaner than going after the cleanout.

[Jerome2877]

If its effecting both sinks then the blockage is probably below the conecctions from horizontal to vertical. That cleanout could be a little difficult to remove, I would go from the roof with a 1/2" cable then possibly clean it with a jetter if needed.

[hj]

If you go down from the roof you may need a snake that is 25' long, or more. The cleanout is the only place you can access the drain line from both sinks, UNLESS, you had an intelligent plumber who did NOT use a sanitary cross for the connection, in which case you should be able to snake from the trap connection of either sink.

[liplumber]

I don't know enough about plumbing to say for sure, but Jerome's reply sounds like a good possibility. My dad is the head plumber for a cesspool service suffolk county (http://plumbriteplumber.com/) here on long island and he says that it's probably where the pipes transition. Good luck with it man.

[hj]

It is POSSIBLE that the stoppage is where the two pipes meet, but it is NOT likely to be there. That is a vertical pipe and stoppages usually occur in horizontal pipes, such as under the floor.

[MarkFitz97]

I couldn't agree more that a good plumbing system makes a good home. If you have to call plumbers or a plumber every three or four weeks it becomes a hassle. I lived in a home where my biggest problem was a blocked drain (http://www.pipeperfection.com.au)and it became miserable after a while. I was lucky that I had a great, local, Sydney plumbing business around me, Pipe Perfection, but I am sure they were tired of coming to my house after while!