our washing mashine overflowed into the garage today. My mom just had like $1,500 in bills from the dentist, and my folks are runnin' short on money. so I was thinkin' to myself "self: I know a guy at church who's got a snake, I could fix this for my folks, instead of them having to pay a plumber" (it's happened before, and they called a plumber, so I know snaking will fix it) I know where the drain comes out in the garage right by where it overflowed. I can get a snake, and I think I know what I'm doing, but was wondering if anybody here could tell me the details. I know to run the water. but that's about it.
any advice would be apreciated.
-matt

 

If it's a ground level drain the problem may be tree roots growing into the lateral drain line further outside the house. The roots can partially clog the drain and then solids can get hung up to complete the stoppage. I have a duplex that I routinely "auger" the drain at least once a year. If it is roots causing the clog, I think there is a special "cutter" head used at the end of the cable to clear them away, I don't think it's the typical auger end. The snake may clear things temporarilly, but if the roots aren't removed, it will probably back up again. The washing machine is typically the culprit because it discharges a large amount of water in a short time filling the drain line quickly. Unfortunately, you may want to call a pro to do it right!

 

Ive always snaked thru the vents on the roof.

 

Unless the guy at church has a head for cutting tree roots or a gas powered one, you may get the snake stuck if its tree roots. The best thing is to go to Home Depot and rent a gas powered snake (big and bad) and clean out the whole line. One thing is sure, by the end of the day, you will be smelling pretty I suggest good air flow in the area you are working.

 

Once again, I must have dyslexia. I was about to respond "in the back yard by the oak tree..."

 

I thing I learned about washing machines is that when they drain the water lint goes with it. This lint will collect over time and clog pipes. Don't believe me? Run the drain hose into a nearby sink (if available) and put some nylon stocking on the hose outlet or a screen on the drain. If you use the nylon stockings leave about a foot and a half off the end of the hose. Its a good idea to screen the drain at least and cut down on the amount of lint going thru the pipes.

 

lemme rephrase myself, my folks don't have the money period. And yesterday my mom asked me if I could figure out how to do it. I was thinking, Yes, one step ahead of ya there. at any rate the plumber we do use on occasion just runs a snake right through this one drain, it doesn't take him very long, and that does the trick. so I'll give that a shot.
thanks for the suggestions
-matt

 

> don't have the money period

Okay, being flat out broke then try this. Use a throttle or choke cable in the clean out hole and attach something on the end that will not come loose. Thread it through a bolt with a hole in it or a piece of flat metal. Then pull it back and forth inside the hole while flushing with water. Once you have a sort of flow going, fill the bathtub, every sink, and washing machine with hot soapy water. Then empty them all at once while flushing the toilets. I do this after a drain cleaning.

FWIW: I keep a choke cable in my bathroom for when the kids clog the toilet since it reaches through the elbows easily and can push objects through. Also, I use it for the shower/bathtub. I never tried to clean a whole pipe with it, though I imagine it is possible though slow as long as the clog is close to the clean out.

 

I'm assuming your friend from church has a power snake. If so, the general rule is to go slow so it doesn't get stuck as rebocrdo mentioned. Getting it stuck, or worse, breaking the snake in the drain is a headache you want to avoid. I've used the electric ones before and they have done the job. The important thing is to take your time. The ones I'm familiar with have an assortment of heads that bolt on to the snake.

Start with the smallest head available or none at all. After putting a heavy pair of gloves to protect you hands (leather work or welding gloves are great) start feeding the snake about a foot at a time into the drain while it' running in the forward (clockwise) direction. When you do this keep the machine as close to the drain as possible. The further away it is increases the chance that the snake will tangle and twist up. If there's a way to have a little water flowing into the drain it will help as well. After feeding a few feet of snake into the drain, pull it back 6 inches or so to clear anything that may be stuck on the head and go forward agian. Continue doing this until you reach the obstruction.

HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART. If you feel any resistance at all, don't force the snake. You will find this is mostly by feel. The snake will be slightly harder to feed in, or it will start to rattle around in the pipe as it cuts into the clog. If it does bind and twist, stop immediately and reverse the machine's direction to back it out. If your familiar with a power post hole digger, the last thing you want is to feed the auger all the way into the ground, Instead of turning the auger, it tuns the operator in the opposite direction. It's the same principle. When you feel it doing this pull it back a little to clear the obstruction then feed a little more. You need to do this until you reach the other side of the clog and the snake feeds easily again. Repeat the procedure with progressively larger attachments

Good Luck

 

> HERE'S THE IMPORTANT PART

Great advice!

 

i have also used a certain drain cleaner on a galvanized washing machine drain, the name escapes me, but it is essentially battery acid. It will cook that stuff out, litterally it really smells from the outside vent. Now my word of caution! this stuff is STRONG!! it could possibly eat through the pipe, so this is like a last resort, but it will more than likely work if all else fails..

Later chris

 

daggum, I can't get the cap off the drain. it's the regular 1'' square, but it's set back in the dry wall just enough that I can't get a wrench on it straight. I tried a pipe wrench, cresant wrench, channel lock pliers, vice grips, and finally a faucet wrench(y'know for like up under the sink) with a pipe wrench on it (thought I had it with that one). my dad even helped we couldn't get it off. I was thinking how about a 1'' box end wrench? anybody got an better ideas?

 

Is the cap plastic, brass or cart Iron? If it's a standard 3 or 4 inch drain cap, they are often made of brass. You can chck by scratching the surface. I have revoved them the hard way. Take a chisel, or very heavy screwdriver and place it on an angle near the edge of the cap -- about 3/8" in from the thread. Actually a screwdriver works best. Hit the side of the screwdriver near the tip until it breaks through the brass. Once through, turn the screwdriver 90 degrees to the cap and continue tapping it until the center of the plug is cut all the way around. Be carefull not to damage the threads. The remainder of the cap can then be pried away from the female thread without too much effort. When replacing the cap with a new one coat the trhreads with teflon tape ar greese to avoid the problem in the future.

BTW this tecnique works well for cutting heavy sheet metal as well.

 

I wound up having to cut an access hole in my basement drywall to gain access to the clean out plug. I carefully cut a square from stud to stud, which gave me a good size hole to work with. After wards, I made a nice frame out of window molding to hide the seams of the panel and screwed that in with trim screws so I could always get back in later. The frame could be stained or painted to match the decor of the room. It's a good idea to leave easy access to that clean out for future use.