clogged drain? Shop vac for the win!

[Oldtom]

Got a call from a tenant. "I dropped something down the drain and now it is clogged. I need this fixed NOW!" In tenant speak "something" can be a wedding ring or a baby hippo. Got my shop vac with Clean Stream waterproof filter ( blatant plug ) and vacced out the drain. Got a bunch of small plastic toys Took 5 minutes from the time I walked in the door. If you have a clogged drain, try a shop vac. There are tons of yoo tube videos on how to do it.

 

[AutoMechanic]

Never tried to unstop a drain with one lol. Good to know it works.

 

[Snagglefoot]

I guess there would be atmospheric pressure underneath the clog so reducing the pressure a bit above the clog would cause a net force on the junk, especially if was air tight. Good tip.

 

[Pat in Speedway]

I’ve been doing this for a few years since Draino and the like don’t seem to work as well as they used to. Half bath sink starts backing up with my wife’s hair every 3 months or so. One time I thought I’d try my Shop-Vac and worked great on the 2nd time...when I realized the overflow holes in the sink needed to be plugged when you flip the switch!

 

[Oro_O]

I’ve been doing this for a few years since Draino and the like don’t seem to work as well as they used to....

You can get good ole' fashioned crystal lye again now. It was off the shelf for years because of drug laws (used to make meth I think). I was shocked last year to be in Ace Hardware looking for something and they had 1lb jars of Red Devil for $5. Those liquid things were just a joke in comparison.

 

[ctechbob]

Wish that would work on my main bathtub drain that gets clogged with the Wife/Daughters hair about every 4 months, requiring me to pull the extremely slimy and gross hair out from the drain. Although, sometimes for kicks, I'll do it late at night when they're asleep and leave it in the tub for them to deal with in the morning, which gets me yelled at, but is amusing to me.

 

[odie]

Thanks , may have to give it try . Would take longer to get to the shop vac than remove the clog .