Our one and only bathroom sink is draining slowly and it's driving me a little crazy. I have watched a number of videos on how to correct the issue and tried them all. I have cleaned the "P" trap and snaked the sink pipes and vent (to a about 3 or 4 feet. I didn't want to force the snake. I will be trying to go in further today). I also cleaned out the overflow. I have found no obstructions. The water in the sink just seems to start backing up as soon as the water from the tap hits the water in the "P" trap. Am I missing something obvious. As I said I am going to try and snake into the pipes again today and try and get around corners that are obstructing the snake. If anyone has any thoughts please let me know. I really don't want to spend a lot of money for a plumber on something that should be simple to remedy.
Plumbing – Slow draining bathroom sink
plumbing
Related Solutions
Home Depot and Lowe's both sell pretty well illustrated, basic books on Plumbing. I have one, "Plumbing 1-2-3" which is from one of those two (can't remember off hand which but I think it's HD) which covers all the basics, has clear pictures, easy to follow directions, and makes you think, 'Oh heck yeah that's obvious...'
As for videos - there's always the DIY network Plumbing section.
Get a drain cleaning water bladder of appropriate size for your pipe. They should have them in the UK. They are readily available in the US and Canada. Hook it up to a garden hose. Take off your kitchen sink's trap (the U pipe) and feed it as far as you can into the drain pipe. Turn on the water to the garden hose, and it will likely clear out whatever you have in there.
Best Answer
To bring the issue to a conclusion I ended up bringing in a plumber. It took him about ten minutes with a powered auger to locate the partial blockage in the pipe. The blockage was located about 12 feet into the pipe. It was an expensive resolution for 10 minutes work but at least the issue has been resolved. I will perhaps purchase a better auger so as to deal with future issues. Thanks to all that gave suggestions on how to deal with the issue.