How NOT to unclog a sink!

I skim through Facebook and Twitter everyday in search for funny plumbing memes and helpful plumbing tips that I don't have to write up myself ("ain't nobody got time fo dat").  One of our Twitter followers posted something they thought would be helpful and I cringed when I saw what it was.

The post stated "How To Unclog A Sink Without Chemicals! http://ow.ly/D6EVA  #diy #cleaning".

After clicking the link I was shocked, dismayed, and appalled.

  

I have renamed this picture- how NOT to unclog a sink.

Problem #1:  

Vinegar and Baking Soda are indeed chemicals.  You may not think of them as chemicals, but they most certainly are.  Vinegar is acetic acid and baking soda is sodium bicarbonate.  When these two chemicals combine, they fizz like crazy.  Just add some red food coloring and you have yourself a volcano for your child's science fair.

Problem #2:

Still involves the chemicals mentioned above.  So we have an acid and a salt.  A lot of drains, especially here in Atlanta, are made of cast iron.  If you are familiar with cast iron skillets, you know that salt is helpful when cleaning them, but its not necessarily the best thing to be sitting in your drains.  Acids, as you may know, are never a good idea in your cast iron pan, but an especially bad idea in your drains.  Acids and salts will speed up the corrosion process of your cast iron drains and has virtually no effect on plastic drains at all.  Save that baking soda and vinegar for the science fair, folks.

Problem #3:

NEVER EVER EVER, EVER EVER EVER pour BOILING water down the drain.  The boiling point of water is 212°F.  According to the International Association of Plumbing and Mechanical Officials (IAPMO) who developed the Uniform Plumbing Code (UPC), the code that us plumbers have to abide by, the maximum temperature allowed through the drainage system shall not exceed 140°F.  (810.1)

Per the 2012 International Plumbing Code Commentary (701.7): 

"The temperature of waste water is limited to a maximum of 140°F (60°C) to protect the sanitary drainage piping.  Excessive high-temperature wastes are detrimental to the piping system because of expansion and contraction resulting therefrom.  For example, pipe joints may become disturbed or pulled apart, or solidly bedded piping can be strained or broken." (7-3)

So how do you unclog a drain without chemicals?

I've created a short and sweet video to show you how its done.

 
**Please note, if you have a double bowl kitchen sink, you will need to close off one side, otherwise the air just goes out the other bowl.**

Frozen Pipes

Today we have received several calls regarding frozen pipes.  Just because your pipes are frozen does not necessarily mean they are going to break, but there is a real possibility.

If you turn on the water but nothing comes out, your pipes may be frozen.  There is nothing that can be done until the pipes have thawed out.  Here are the steps you should follow when this happens:

1. Contact your local plumber (404-370-0999) and get on their "frozen list."  This will help speed you along if something does happen to break.
2. Try to isolate an area with a safe heat source such as a ceramic heater.  Open up any cabinets doors, indoor access panels, ceiling tiles, etc.  You may use a typical household hair dryer but please DO NOT use a heat gun as it could catch any surrounding wood or insulation on fire.
3. Now is a good time to find out where your shut off valves are.  There is a shut off at the meter which is located near the street.  To turn the water off here, you will need a water key or a pair of pliers/channel locks.  You can pick up a water key at your local hardware or home store.  There should also be a whole house isolation valve in the basement/crawl space of your home.  Not all homes have these.  If you do have one it will either be a lever looking handle or a round sprocket looking thing.  The round sprocket looking thing you will turn "righty tighty."  The lever handle will be turned perpendicular to the line.  You will need to know where these are just in case the pipes break.  
4. If the pipe thaws and no issue results, congratulations on your Matrix-style bullet dodging.  If a break or leak materializes, simply turn the water off to the house to minimize water damage then call your local plumber back and you will be moved to the Emergency list.

 Unfortunately, our offices are closed evenings and weekends.  We expect to have several calls of this nature over the weekend and we don't want our dear clients to panic.  We will not be able to respond until Monday, but you are welcome to call and leave your information so we can add you to the list.  If we have several issues, we will be in "triage" mode.  All scheduled appointments for Monday will be notified that their appointment may be bumped for a freeze emergency.