I've got a plumbing problem

[Chris142]

The sink in our front bathroom has not worked in many years. I was pretty certain I knew why but let it be as I'm no Plummer and it's a problem that's bigger than I can handle.

Wife decided to call a Plummer out of the blue yesterday. Never told me untill I got home.

He confirmed what I had assumed.

The pipes leading to the sink are rusted shut.

He gave her a $12000 quote to repipe the problem which includes jack hammering the foundation up.

I can't afford that but she wants the sink to work.

Now this is a silly question I'm sure.

What are the chances of me causing a leak by say putting vinegar in the pipes to eat the rust? How about blowing them out with compressed air?

I certainly do not want to cause a leak.

 

[spasm3]

Chance of sucess with this is pretty low.

 

[Astro14]

Paging @burbguy82 - what do you think? Can rust be dissolved out of those pipes?

 

[Cujet]

Had a friend recently replace a 4 inch drain under the slab. The plumber's contractor cut and removed large sections of the foundation from the bathroom, through the garage and into the driveway. They then used rebar and epoxy to fashion a structural tie-in for the newly poured concrete to attach to the original slab. As you might expect, the crafstmanship was horrible and there are large voids under the home now. They even tunneled under the slab in the bathroom, where they could not reasonably cut the slab. Ugh.

Is there any way you can simply run PEX in the attic? Even if you have to run all the way from the water heater, it will be amazingly cheaper than $12K.

Note: There are both mechanical methods to clean pipe, and rust dissolvers. Sometimes it requires both to get the job done. But it can be done successfully in many cases.

 

[Kira]

I wonder what percentage of that $12,000 quote is due to your remote setting.

Is a new run of drainpipe doable? It's just one sink, yes? (I'm assuming supply TO the sink is OK)

I do believe any acid (or such) which would dissolve the accumulated rust flakes would also dissolve the remaining pipe.

 

[Tdbo]

If you can't run a snake through it, I doubt that vinegar will do anything.
Obviously, the rust is from the interior of the pipe corroding.
Even if you get it open, obviously the pipe will continue corroding until it clogs again.
I had that issue with a bathroom sink. I was snaking it every 4-6 weeks.
Finally, I tired of doing such and had it replumbed.
However, fortunately I'm not on a slab so it was a minor cost.
My advice if you want it fixed is to see if you can find a plumber who does side gigs on the cheap, and see how much of the work you can do to minimize cost.

 

[cptbarkey]

Something seems fishy.

My water pipes are copper. Copper doesn't rust but hard water causes nasty deposits. Is the issue your shut off valve under the sink?

 

[Capt W]

Wife decided to call a Plummer out of the blue yesterday.

Next time call an actual plumber instead of a former NFL quarterback

This notwithstanding, how old is the house and what type of pipes are you dealing with? Are you referencing the hot & cold supply lines? Is the drain line clear?

There may be workarounds as some have stated; however, ignoring a rusty pipe issue may eventually result in a large leak (which will have to be addressed at some point).

Something seems fishy.

Agree.

Never told me untill I got home.

Some degree of spousal re-training may be in order here.

 

[Tdbo]

If you can't run a snake through it, I doubt that vinegar will do anything.
Obviously, the rust is from the interior of the pipe corroding.
Even if you get it open, obviously the pipe will continue corroding until it clogs again.
I had that issue with a bathroom sink. I was snaking it every 4-6 weeks.
Finally, I tired of doing such and had it replumbed.
However, fortunately I'm not on a slab so it was a minor cost.
My advice if you want it fixed is to see if you can find a plumber who does side gigs on the cheap, and see how much of the work you can do to minimize cost.

I reread the post and I guess I misunderstood your issue.
I take it you have no water to the sink?
If that is the case, simply do what Cujet suggested and repipe from the nearest functional water source.
That would be tons cheaper and would save any foundation jackhammering.

 

[JTK]

Is it just the hot/cold supply lines that are rusted shut, the drain line, or both?

There's no way to reliably clear our the rust flakes and keep the lines clear. Plus you'll likely cause leaks.

No chance of running any of the lines above ground?

 

[blain450]

The sink in our front bathroom has not worked in many years. I was pretty certain I knew why but let it be as I'm no Plummer and it's a problem that's bigger than I can handle.

Wife decided to call a Plummer out of the blue yesterday. Never told me untill I got home.

He confirmed what I had assumed.

The pipes leading to the sink are rusted shut.

He gave her a $12000 quote to repipe the problem which includes jack hammering the foundation up.

I can't afford that but she wants the sink to work.

Now this is a silly question I'm sure.

What are the chances of me causing a leak by say putting vinegar in the pipes to eat the rust? How about blowing them out with compressed air?

I certainly do not want to cause a leak.

Just so we're all on the same page...
Is your rusted up pipe problem involve the water supply lines or the sink drain line?
I know you wrote "leading to". But it's hard for me to envision you getting vinegar into those supply lines.

 

[demarpaint]

Pipes leading "to the sink"? I'm assuming those are supply pipes. If so: Not knowing the layout of the house you might be able to feed the sink from another source, like from an adjacent laundry room or bathroom. That could mean opening up walls, but I can't imagine it being $12K, not even here on ripoff L.I.

 

[GON]

Any of these contractors in your area?

 

[Kira]

foundation jackhammering.

At the very least, find a guy who can use a diamond saw to neatly cut the concrete, so your home isn't rattled to pieces.

 

[Chris142]

Is there any way you can simply run PEX in the attic

No attic to speak of. Not enough room to crawl in that's for sure

 

[Chris142]

Is it just the hot/cold supply lines that are rusted shut, the drain line, or both?



No chance of running any of the lines above ground?

Both supply lines to that sink are plugged. Dunno how you would run pipes above the slab without tripping over them.

 

[4WD]

I had resin clog my pipes a few years ago - dialed my compressor down to 60 psi and “rocked it” back and forth changing directions over and over.
It took over 4 hours - but got it cleared out …

 

[4WD]

Both supply lines to that sink are plugged. Dunno how you would run pipes above the slab without tripping over them.

Is that bathroom on an outside wall ?

 

[KrisZ]

Both supply lines to that sink are plugged. Dunno how you would run pipes above the slab without tripping over them.

I hardly doubt they’re rusted as I’m sure they’re copper.

How far is the kitchen? I would run a pex from the kitchen sink through the walls. It will be a lot cheaper and easier than dealing with the slab, plus you can probably diy the work.

 

[Chris142]

I wonder what percentage of that $12,000 quote is due to your remote setting.

I'm not THAT far out lol. The closest gas station is 2 miles away

View attachment 297272

This notwithstanding, how old is the house and what type of pipes are you dealing with? Are you referencing the hot & cold supply lines? Is the drain line clear

House started as a homestead cabin sometime after 1952. First registered in 58 but like a few years older than that.

I believe the pipes are just black iron

1952 vs 1958