Calling in the Professionals

Picture of drain cleanout plug

I pride myself in learning and fixing, but sometimes you need to call in the professionals. We had a slow drain line that connects our kitchen sink, washing machine, and mud sink. It was not a complete blockage, but it did cause us to wait for the water to recede in the mud sink before starting another load of laundry.

I snaked the drain twice with no improvement. It was time to call in a professional. The plumber cleared the line with a power auger, which led to the questions. Did the heavier gauge cable do a better job of clearing the drain? Did the longer cable length hit the trouble spots I couldn’t reach with my hand auger? Was the mechanical agitation from the machine superior to my hand-powered spinning? Did the running water help flush the debris down the line? I opted not to run water when I snaked the line because I did not want to deal with the cleanup.

I am not sure of the answer; share your thoughts below. The next time this happens, I will run water when I snake the line to see if that would have done the job.


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