Dual sinks wont drain

alex1000 · Jan 28, 2007

Hello,
While I'm pretty handy around the house, plumbing is pretty new to me.

I replaced a 60" single sink vanity, with two 25" vanities. Now after everything is hooked up, neither sink will drain the water at all it seems. My configuration is as follows:

-One 1 1/2" P trap right in between the two vanities, leading into the wall.
-Above the P trap I put a center split waste pipe (looks like a "T"). The top of the T sits about 4-5" higher than the pipe coming out of the wall.
-From the T split, there are about 18" to each sink drain pipe. There's not a big pitch from the sinks to the center waste, just a very slight one.

Any ideas on what I can do to fix this? I was reading that some people put a p trap under each sink. Is this the better solution?

Thanks.

Alex

Plumber1 · Jan 28, 2007

Clean the drain to the vent pipe.

Sponsor · 2022-01-29T12:20:58-0800

hj · Jan 29, 2007

sinks

If one sink drains into the other, then you have a drain stoppage and you have to clean the drain all the way to the stoppage, not just to the vent.

Plumber1 · Jan 29, 2007

OK.............follow your nose.............

Casman · Jan 29, 2007

I read another similar post last week and it seems to obvious that everytime someone changes to a double sink configuration and neither sink drains that its a clog. Wouldn't this mean it was blocked before the change, or is any partial blockage magnified by adding another sink? Of course I get it that it's most likely a blockage cause otherwise the water would drain but are there any other possibilities besides the obvious?

ddmoit · Jan 29, 2007

With only one P trap, is it possible that each sink acts like a misplaced vent for the other? It might explain why one sink can manage to get past an obstruction, but two sinks cannot.

alex1000 · Jan 29, 2007

with one sink it drained fine. So Im assuming its not a clogged drain issue. But I'll check that...hopefully ill find the drain is to the vent pipe

What about trying two p traps, one under each one?

Plumber1 · Jan 29, 2007

You almost always should clean the drain when you do work like that before you connect every thing back up. And it's a good idea to put a clean out in there while redoing the piping so you can do a good job of cleaning the drain line. It saves a mess too..........

alex1000 · Jan 29, 2007

ok, well...it is definitely clogged. I removed the PVC piping, stuck a 20 dollar snake into the metal pipe in the wall, and the snake goes about 20 inches and is blocked by some muddy/sandy substance. The metal pipe also makes a 90 degree left turn right where I believe it is clogged. But Im having a very tough time breaking thru it. Is there a better tool i should get (assuming the problem is only a couple of feet from the wall)?

I then connected the standard wall pvc pipe, attached to a 10" PVC pipe directed upward. Filled it with about half a gallon of water before i could see the water stuck in the pvc pipe...which confirms the clog.

Will pouring boiling water (very carefully!

) down the pipe do anything to help?

Thanks for the suggestions/comments.

hj · Jan 29, 2007

snake

A $20.00 snake is probably about useless.

alex1000 · Jan 29, 2007

hj said:
A $20.00 snake is probably about useless.

that it is, other than identifying where my clog is

i'll probably take it back. Are the more expensive snakes any better? The metal "cord" didnt seem much weaker than more expensive alternatives.

Plumber1 · Jan 30, 2007

Your snake is almost useless, but I bet some of these guys could make it work in a real pinch. It's got to be cable and not a steel tape.

You need a snake that is a little bigger diameter, a little stiffer, and just keep practicing till you get around all those corners.

Leejosepho · Jan 30, 2007

alex1000 said:
Is there a better tool i should get (assuming the problem is only a couple of feet from the wall)?

Will pouring boiling water (very carefully! ) down the pipe do anything to help?

I have occasionally used water pressure to clear drains, and once they are clear, I sometimes alternate back and forth between cold and hot water to try to help loosen sticky stuff on the walls. There are many ways to get water pressure into a drain line, and those ways might be limited only by imagination! Here are a couple of devices I have used ...

Dual sinks wont drain

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