Went 20+ years without problem. Maybe coincident with new scant water dishwasher we got a drain plugged. Drain is a flawed installation. 1 1/2" pipe, little slope and a long run to 4" line to septic tank.
Drain was plugged primarily with white greasy stuff and of course black nasty stuff. Bored it out with a drill operated rotating "snake" and I thought all was well. Two years later, another drain plugged. Repeated snake. Didn't seem like near the amount of stuff in the line this time and I have not tested to see I am open....pending
The question is whether there is a permanent fix for this problem?
We have pretty much the same situation. Changed out iron pipe to PVC from sink to main drain, I think that helped some, but I really think being diligent scraping plates with a rubber spatula and replacing the sink strainer with a screen style strainer helped the most. No garbage disposal, so I think keeping as much out to begin with helped the most.
Tha only real fix is better slope.. Ideally 1" / Ft. Still grease and soap semi solid sludge can eventually start slowing down flow and build up wall accelerate.
It isn't the slope of the drain, but the fact that there is less hot water being flushed. This allows the greases to solidify and begin to line the pipe. In the past you had a longer stream of hot water being flushed, and this transferred enough heat to warm the pipe and the surrounding soil.
I had the same thing become a regular occurrence a couple years ago when I stopped machine washing my dishes. So now, what I do is fill the sink with water at about 150 degrees. I also bring 2 pots of water to near boil. The two pots go into the disposal side of the sink so that they reach the clog first, then I open the sink drain to keep more hot water flowing.
The short answer is no. My dad was in the plumbing and heating business and as a youngster I helped him on such nasty jobs more times than I cared to. If your drain line has consistent slope over the length that you can inspect then that is going to have to be accepted. You are correct in your assumption that the problem originates with the dishwasher. The unit washes any grease from the dishes away with hot water, detergent, and a mild abrasive found in the detergent. As the hot mixture travels downstream it cools, the grease coagulates, and any heavier particles settle out.
I have added clean-outs to my drain-line to make it easier to unplug. Also saves mess in the kitchen. The clog is seldom at the kitchen sink. As you have considerable chemistry knowledge you may want to review what information is available on the makeup of the various dishwasher detergents to assess which ones might provide a better non-clogging service. I have read somewhere that common dishwashing detergents are made with relatively low levels of surfactants to control foaming. This of course is is contrary to controlling the grease. Use of liquid drain cleaners is not recommended with septic systems.
Bottom line if it was my drain is that I would add a clean-out if necessary on the outside wall and hire a plumber to snake it out with a commercial grade power snake. Last time I did this it cost less than $100. Probably less in your area. Beats cleaning sewers. Your time is more valuable building furniture and trail bridges.
No experience with them, but occasionally I see advertisements on TV for bacterial (I think) products to flush down the line occasionally that will digest organic waste. Discuss with a good plumber if perhaps the kitchen sink drain could be re-routed in the basement to the main waste line (probably 4") for the bathrooms?
I’ve been told by several plumbers, who specialize in cleaning out clogged drains, that a typical snake often won’t do much for grease. It will only poke a small hole in the grease plug, which makes the drain seem like it’s working, but will plug back up again a short time later. The solution is a different head on the snake (one style looks like two blades off a vertical wind turbine), or to use a water jet. You can get bladder-style jets that will fill with water to seal off the pipe, then blast at whatever is beyond the seal.
If the dishwasher seems to be the culprit and it's low volume of water is the problem, how about dumping a sink full of hot water down the drain just as you start it or timed to preheat the pipe? Or run a bunch through with soap as a surfactant?
I see "Sani sticks" advertised to help keep drains clear. You drop them down the kitchen sink drain and some sort of enzyme goes to work. Never tried it, skeptical, but it wouldn't cost much to try it.
I've been told you should flush grease down the drain, if you must, with cold water so it will coagulate into globules and not coat the pipes. Don't know how this can be useful to you.
I have a rental unit with the kitchen sink drain that clogs about once a year. Local Rooter Service over charges me to clear it. Last time they had to go twice. The tenants swear they don't use the disposer and don't flush grease down he drain. I have replaced part of the piping.
If the dishwasher seems to be the culprit and it's low volume of water is the problem, how about dumping a sink full of hot water down the drain just as you start it or timed to preheat the pipe?
I am going for a better solution....voting for people that are not inclined to force me to buy a dishwasher that is designed for desert dwellers.
I seem to recall a thread where there was a lively discussion of using acid chemical drain cleaners that you had used to clear the line. Is this the same line or is my memory wrong?
Periodic hot water is a great maintenance trick, I've done that before. A couple pans of boiling water on a yearly basis will help a lot with grease problems, also effective for flushing nasty traps in bath sinks.
Along similar lines, a healthy squirt of dishwashing liquid is a great way to help unclog a toilet that has a huge wad of paper plugging it. Let it sit 20 minutes or so and pour in water from a big bucket as rapidly as you can. I've had that work on the first try and I've had it take repeated applications over the course of a day, but it has always done the trick. This is one I discovered when we started installing Kohler toilets that have an unplungible bowl shape.
..but shorter run. My wife likes to put things in the drain that shouldn't go there - including lots of food. I've resigned myself to snaking the drain every 2 years or so. It takes about 15 minutes as there's an access at the L of the drain in the basement before it runs horizontally. The slowness comes on over time so you can tell it's coming, and when the dishwasher finally causes a little bit of dirty water to show up in the basement bathroom vanity (even then, the trouble isn't imminent, just annoying and still slowly developing), then I run the snake through the drain and all is well another couple of years.
It's less trouble than doing what it would take to keep the drain clean (which would be periodically running a glut of very hot water through the drain. )
My drain run only totals about 25 feet. I've periodically run hot water in the past, but can't manage to stick to doing it on a regular basis, and I don't think it amounts to anything unless you run a lot of it and *really* hot so that it gets down the line without giving up all of its heat.
I seem to recall a thread where there was a lively discussion of using acid chemical drain cleaners that you had used to clear the line. ....
I discovered that one could buy at Lowes a quart of concentrated sulfuric acid to clean the drain. It would be a dandy grease solvent. Or sodium hydroxide mixed with aluminum that will make hydrogen. I was appalled at the stuff one could buy. I had no interest in using any of it. Then over on the turning board someone is concerned abut using a bit of acetone. Our high school chemistry classes are failing us.
In my old house with the sewer & drains in the slab, we had periodic kitchen drain problems. Then someone recommended using ZEP drain cleaner every month and it worked. Moved to the new house in ’01 with larger diameter drains and still use monthly in all the drains. So far, no problems.
I didn't see the buried in soil part when I first read this, but if you have access, you could insulate the pipe, that would retain heat. But whether that would prove helpful enough is another mater.
We keep an old metal coffee can in the kitchen, in the sink cabinet. All cooking fat goes into that can, never down the drain. Also, before using the dishwasher, I run the hot water until I see it steaming. I'm sure that the hot water helps to keep the drains clean.
It may be unclogged using white vinegar. Overnight, pour a bottle of white vinegar down the drain. Boil the water in the morning and pour it down the drain. If you are trying to snake must have the tools required for that otherwise it will not be possible. Also, do the job carefully because if you are not handling the job properly it can cost you more as the damages increase. If you don't have the tools with you it will be better to leave the job for any emergency plumbing services because when you go to buy new tools it can cost more money than hiring a plumber.
Our kitchen drain started having problems. Water draining down one side of the dual sink started coming up the other side then drain slowly. Multiple applications of draino and hot water did not fix it.
Last week I paid a respected drain specialist company $225 to inspect, clean, snake. Still didn’t make it drain properly. Then they checked the air vent.
The problem turned out to be a malfunctioning air vent under the sink. An air vent normally is a pipe that goes all the way through the roof. Our house is timber frame construction and has other such vents to serve bathrooms and laundry.
However, due to the placement of the kitchen with the sink against a continuous wall of windows the installation was served instead by an under-counter vent, a small valve device mounted on top of a short vertical length of pipe. This vent quit functioning after 35 years and stopped providing the air needed to let the sink drain properly. The sink drained perfectly when the suspect vent valve was inscrewed, proving it was the problem.
A new vent from Lowes ($35) and 60 seconds to install and the drain now works as expected.
The problem is the small kitchen drain goes outside before joining the 4" primary drain. Grease solidifies in this area and eventually plugs. I sawed the drain and installed a removable coupling from where I can snake to the outside.
Why the joining of the kitchen line to the 4" line was not made to occur indoors remains a mystery of plumbing. I could change the situation but I hate plumbing more than snaking it every few years.
We are trying the monthly treatment with enzyme. If it does not work I will be snaking again is a couple of years.