Idea to keep bathroom drain clean better

[Old_Badger]

I have been exploring a better way to keep my bathroom drain clean. In the past I have used enzyme sticks and they do clean the trap. But I’m not sure they clean the drain further along.

I am going to try a liquid enzyme cleaner for maintenance. About 30-60ml is poured into the trap and I’m sure this will work for the trap itself. But I don’t think it will work for the drain further along. When the wash-bowl gets used next day it will wash all the cleaner out of the trap and right out of the drain.

My proposed solution is to have a container with a tiny hole in its base (less than a pin hole). I can fill this with water and have it drip down the plug hole, after the enzyme cleaner has been poured in. This will push the cleaner into the drain beyond the trap, but only slowly.

My experiments indicate that this arrangement pushes about half the cleaner out of the trap over two hours.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

What exactly is the problem? Have you had the trap apart to check that's all clear?

 

[Old_Badger]

What exactly is the problem? Have you had the trap apart to check that's all clear?

The problem is that my wash-bowl drain sometimes smells a bit. I've dis-assembled and cleaned the trap and pipes further along and there wasn't any major blockage. So not a major problem.

However it would be good to avoid all smells in future by having a really good maintenance method using an enzyme cleaner. My post is proposing a way to achieve this.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

My experiments indicate that this arrangement pushes about half the cleaner out of the trap over two hours.

My own method for cleaning our kitchen sink and it's drain, is to simply remove the pipe outside, and deliberately block it up. That then allows me to fill the 1 and a half bowls up, along with the drain pipes, up to the top, without it escaping. Add in some bleach, leave over-night, and next morning, drain and reconnect. Sinks, trap, pipework all spotlessly clean, but you have to be careful when draining.

 

[Old_Badger]

My own method for cleaning our kitchen sink and it's drain, is to simply remove the pipe outside, and deliberately block it up. That then allows me to fill the 1 and a half bowls up, along with the drain pipes, up to the top, without it escaping. Add in some bleach, leave over-night, and next morning, drain and reconnect. Sinks, trap, pipework all spotlessly clean, but you have to be careful when draining.

I can see that your method would work. However I don't want to go up a ladder do do that. So I'm hoping my gentle method might work instead.

 

[woodenmecom]

I've got a home remedy you might want to try for keeping those drains clear! It's the classic combo of:

Half a cup of baking soda
A full cup of white vinegar
And then some really hot tap water (just a heads-up, avoid boiling water, especially if your pipes are PVC – don't want to accidentally damage them!).

Here's how I usually tackle it, and why your slow-drip trick is absolutely brilliant for this:

First off, dump that half-cup of baking soda right down the drain.
Next, slowly pour in the cup of white vinegar. You'll see it immediately start to fizz and bubble up – that's the good stuff, creating a little pressure and helping to loosen up any gunk.
Quickly cover the drain with a stopper or even just a rag. This keeps all that fizzing action working inside the pipe where it's needed most.
Now, the waiting game: Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. If you can manage it, letting it sit for a few hours (like overnight if you won't need the sink) really gives it time to break down all that greasy buildup and soap scum.
And this is where your genius slow-drip idea really shines! Once that sitting time is up, pop your little container with the tiny hole, filled with very hot tap water, right over the drain. That slow, steady drip will gently nudge all that loosened gunk and the cleaning mixture further down the pipe, making sure it gets way past just the trap.
Just like you figured, let it drip for an hour or two.
To finish, give the drain a good, long flush with more very hot tap water for a few minutes to rinse everything completely away.

 

[blup]

My own method for cleaning our kitchen sink and its drain, is to simply remove the pipe outside, and deliberately block it up. That then allows me to fill the 1 and a half bowls up, along with the drain pipes, up to the top, without it escaping. Add in some bleach, leave over-night, and next morning, drain and reconnect. Sinks, trap, pipework all spotlessly clean, but you have to be careful when draining.

Good idea. What cleaning product do you use Harry?

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Good idea. What cleaning product do you use Harry?

As I posted, bleach diluted in a lot of water.

 

[Old_Badger]

Now, the waiting game: Let it sit for at least 30 minutes. If you can manage it, letting it sit for a few hours (like overnight if you won't need the sink) really gives it time to break down all that greasy buildup and soap scum.
And this is where your genius slow-drip idea really shines! Once that sitting time is up, pop your little container with the tiny hole, filled with very hot tap water, right over the drain. That slow, steady drip will gently nudge all that loosened gunk and the cleaning mixture further down the pipe, making sure it gets way past just the trap.
Just like you figured, let it drip for an hour or two.
To finish, give the drain a good, long flush with more very hot tap water for a few minutes to rinse everything completely away.

Thanks for your idea Woodenmecom.
I wouldn't expect the dripping water to stay hot though!

The idea behind my suggestion is to allow the enzyme cleaner to diffuse into the grease and scum after the trap.
I have started to use the idea and hope to report how it works in practice, after a few months. It's supposed to be for regular maintenance, rather than as an unblocking procedure.

 

[foxhole]

If it’s not blocked it doesn’t need anything more than regular bleach.

 

[disidicky]

Hi, I had this issue with my shower drain.
It was fitted by me a few years back and I had limited depth to fit a proper trap below the drain. All shop bought shower drains at the time had deep traps or looked ugly, so I modified one.
Over time the smell gradually got worse. I checked the dergo vent was ok etc, but clearly the amount of water in my modified trap was either drying out or syphoning. This was on occasion letting sewer gasses to waft up.
It was hard to pin it down until I installed some mods internally to hold more water to the shower drain and its been fine since.
So before wasting loads on sanitisers etc., check you have a proper decent size trap.
I know these Chinese made shiny bottle traps are tiny. Or if you can replace it, get one with a built in vent.
You can also get inline nrv's which are just thick self closing rubber to stop smells coming up.