Resistant bathroom sink clog

[blue]

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping that someone can help me solve my bathroom sink clog. I have lived in the house for 10+ years and have never had a clog of any kind in the sink, so this is unusual. It happened very suddenly. It did not begin by gradually draining slower, but instead, it went from draining perfectly to not draining at all. No other drains are affected. I have tried plunging, but it got even worse. I then removed and checked the trap, but it was completely clear.

I don't know if this is related, but I did do some minor washing of tiny items that had stuck on artist's acrylic paint on them. I can't imagine it was enough to clog the drain, but maybe it's related. I can't afford to hire a plumber. What can I try now? I am a plumbing dumby. I cannot even get the trap back on near the back section, where the pipe I'm trying to thread it onto curves. Is there a trick to this? It has been off for a while now, so the pipe is very dried out.

The pipes are white plastic (PVC?). Can I use some kind of drain cleaner? Will I need to buy a snake? I need to solve this with as little expense as possible. I would really appreciate any help and advice. I haven't been able to use the sink for weeks. Help!

[Cass]

Remove the trap and then take the pop up apart and be sure there is nothing caught there...

[blue]

Thanks for responding, Cass. As I said, the trap is already off, because I can't get it back on. There is no pop-up. A pop-up was never installed with the faucet. Just to make sure, I got a wire and extended it into the drain, and it came out the pipe below easily, with no problem at all. There is nothing in that section of the drain.

[kingsotall]

When you took the trap apart, how much water came out¿ Sounds like a mainline blockage and cheapest way to go wouldn't be to buy a snake that you won't be able to return when you can't clear the drain but rather it would be more cost effective to hire a local plumber who has drain cleaning experience.

[hj]

By definition, the trap is NOT supposed to catch anything. It is a sewer gas trap, not a debris trap, and therefore is supposed to be non-fouling. There is either a stoppage in the pipe down to the trap, or the pipe away from the trap. One can be cleared by a piece of wire down the drain, the other needs a proper snake.