Our new old house was built in the 50s. Likely has galvanized drain pipes in the walls.

Had a bathroom sink go from extremely slow to completely clogged (zero drainage) and when I couldn’t get my mini snake more than a couple of feet in from the trap (with no indication of what was causing the problem), I called in the pros.

Guy snaked it twice. Once to 6 feet and the second time to 8. Suspects he was heading up (not down) at an old t-junction, but after the second snake, it started draining. Nothing on the snake head to indicate what it might have been, but obviously rusty, so we’re hoping that the second snaking scoured it pretty good and I won’t have trouble for a while.

I’m not quite satisfied with that, though. What, if any, product would you recommend I pour down the drain to treat the rust build up? Or should I at all?

The plumbing for that sink is, of course, in the finished half of the basement over Mrs.BurtonRW’s craft room and I don’t have to tell you the consequences of causing a major leak in that particular location, so I want to avoid that. What I read about such things opening up previously “plugged” pinholes, etc., has me nervous to just dump a bottle of CLR down there.

Any qualified advice is most appreciated.

-Rob

My guess is you’re going to end up biting the bullet on this one. Hope I’m wrong.

I used to do that for a living and I have no advice.

Anything you buy MIGHT work. Or it might not, based on experience. Old galvanized pipe will close right up to nothing. But even new PVC will clog up with grease/soap, and in a lot less time than you'd think if the wrong stuff goes down the drain. When it's either of those cases, the cable just drills a small hole through the gunk.

Theoretically a larger cutter would scrap the pipe clean, but reality is unless it's a straight run with a clean out plug, you can't get anything like that in the pipe.

Nothing that will get rid of rust will help your galvanized steel pipe.

Have you tried snaking it from the roof vent?

My bro in Tampa had galvanized pipe and dad replaced it with PEX about 10 years ago. W/o tearing up any interior walls. He ran the new piping outside and punched thru the block in the kit and once for the bathroom that was on the same wall. Chuck had someone paint the PEX to keep UV from ruining the pipe.

You’re in for some new piping though. The lifespan of :
Copper-50-70 years ph can shorten that significantly
Galvanized:20-50
PVC:20-50
PEX is estimated to be 40-50

From the unfinished side of the basement, it’s clear that the supply lines and drain lines are mostly PVC and/or copper. If this is galvanized drain, it’s some of the last in the house and since the bathroom was just remodeled (down to the floor, but not the wall the sink is on), I know that the toilet and tub drains were upgraded from 1.5” to 2” pipe. This is old 1.5” pipe.

There’s a bedroom closet on the backside of that wall and I’m likely going to open it up (I should put an access panel in anyway) and take a look. If it’s just that stretch from the sink to the drain line, and it’s easily accessible, I may tackle it myself and replace whatever old is left with 2” PVC.

-Rob