[Shop-talk] bacteria based drain cleaner was Re: Soil stack venting issue

[Tim .]

Any favorites out there or brands to avoid?
thanks

________________________________
From: Shop-talk <shop-talk-bounces at autox.team.net> on behalf of Benjamin Zwissler <bjzwissler at gmail.com>
Sent: Monday, December 7, 2020 8:01 AM
To: Jim Franklin <jamesf at groupwbench.org>
Cc: Shop Talk <shop-talk at autox.team.net>
Subject: Re: [Shop-talk] Soil stack venting issue

I've had two similar issues.  Both solved and one may be helpful to you.  BTW, my house is all PVC drains, but I'm not sure that matters.

My clothes washer drain shared a pipe with a floor drain and utility tub (sink).  The floor drain began gurgling when water drained from the other two.  I tried flushing it but that didn't help.  What did help was using some bacteria based drain cleaner.  It claims to have helpful bacteria that, among other things, eat soap scum.  That has worked for many years, except when I flush a lot of harsh cleaners down the utility sink.  I used to do some auto part washing in that sink, but don't any longer and I haven't had to add more bacterial cleaner for a long time.  My thought was the harsh chemicals were killing the bacteria.

The other example was on my HVAC unit's condensate drain.  It was nothing but a gravity drain and after many years it began backing up occasionally and then flooding the whole unit with water.  I could disconnect it and blow through it and that was enough to clear the clog.  Also using that pipe was a bathroom and the kitchen sink/dishwasher.  I tried lots of things (bleach, detergent, bacterial drain cleaners, etc) thinking mold, moss, grease, etc was blocking it, but in the end I installed an HVAC sump with a pump that collects a quart or so of water and then pumps it out.  That's worked flawlessly for a few years --- until the pump breaks.

Ben


Ben Zwissler
bjzwissler at gmail.com<mailto:bjzwissler at gmail.com>
812-343-5533
Columbus, IN


On Mon, Dec 7, 2020 at 8:25 AM Jim Franklin <jamesf at groupwbench.org<mailto:jamesf at groupwbench.org>> wrote:
Maybe some of you have an innovative solution...

My house has a single cast iron soil stack that does both drain and vent. When I flush the toilet, it sucks air from the tub drain. The toilet and tub enter the stack separately, but at the same height, using an oddly specific T with a 4" toilet and a 2" tub inlet about 45 degrees apart. The tub does not have its own vent. 2 years ago I had a plumber snake the vent from the roof, he found "stuff", and it was fixed. Last week it started again.

My kitchen sink T's into the stack at knee height, so it's the highest item on the stack. My thought is, because it's a straight T, not a sanitary T, stuff from the sink is solidifying inside the T when the flow hits the back of the T, and eventually forming a cap of "stuff" just above the T entry, sealing off any venting. I can't tell if the sink is also being used as the toilet's vent because there are too many walls in the way to hear what's happening.

My other thought is that the "stuff" is growing like a mold, and sealing it off. Does stuff grow in drains?

Any thoughts on what it might be, and how to prevent it? I rarely put oils down the drain, and when I do they are cold and mixed with Dawn to emulsify it. There isn't enough canopy for leaves or squirrels to get in the roof vent.

thanks,
jim
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