Clean P-Traps Easily – On the House
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Clean P-Traps Easily

By on April 16, 2014
p-trap

Question

I cleaned out a p-trap in a bathroom sink the other day because it seemed that that it was draining slowly. It was obstructed with some junk, which I removed. I also noticed an accumulation of some dark crud in the trap and drain, which I also removed. My guess is that all my sinks throughout my home have this substance accumulated in their drain systems. What do I use to remove this substance without tearing apart each trap. There must be some solution I can pour in to clean them out.

Roger

Question

A drain cleaner will work just fine. The active ingredient in most drain cleaners is lye (sodium hydroxide). It’s pretty mean stuff, so be careful when using it (eye protection, gloves, etc.). Mix one cup of lye into one gallon of water. Very slowly, pour one cup of the mixture into each drain you wish to clean. Do this before bed. Next morning run fresh water for about a minute. Don’t use lye if you are on a septic tank. If it were our house we would remove the traps and clean each of them with soapy water and a bottlebrush. This also would give us a chance to make a visual inspection of the trap’s condition and if the house needs a new septic tank installation.

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