[geeks] Help... Pipe rescue

[geeks at sunhelp.org]

~ -----Original Message-----
~ From: Andrew Weiss [mailto:ajwdsp at cloud9.net]
~ Subject: [geeks] Help... Pipe rescue
~ 
~ 
~ I did one of those semi-bone-headed things last night, and I've got 
~ candle wax stuck in the drain.

Actually you may have done TWO semi-bone-headed things.

1) pouring wax (presumably hot) down a drain
2) not stopping there and pushing it out of the trap and down the pipes.

When it was in the trap it would have been an easy fix to remove the trap
and clean/replace it. Cheap too. This might be a problem for a long time. A
plumber will run a snake down and that will auger a hole in the plug of wax.
Over time the wax will melt and fill the hole back up. OR, the wax will
settle in a lump along the bottom of the pipe and serve as a place for all
sorts of other gunk to settle and clog.

The only think I can think of is to call a specific plumber, namely
Roto-Rooter. These guys have equipment that will literally bore a hole the
size of the inside diameter of your pipe through anything. They are well
known for their root-busting properties. It is also possible that a well
equiped local plumber may have similar equipment.

Now, I don't think your problem is outside the house. The sink drain is 1
1/4 or 1 1/2 inch pipe. The main waste is 4 inch. If you got the plug into
the main you would still be able to get lots of water around it (unless the
wax entered the main in a liquid state and re-coagulated). You may be able
to find the plug by tapping the pipe and listening for the deadening of the
sound. Start from the 4in main and work back toward the sink. Assuming you
can access the pipes its easy to cut out a peice of pipe and replace it.
They make nice rubber couplers for this.