Hardware/DIY Thread

[gravedigger]

Son of a bitch. So my bathroom sink has been draining slow so I figure I need to figure it out. We're on a septic tank so I don't want to just throw some liquid plumr to fix the problem. All that goes down there is toothpaste spit and soap so I figure it couldn't be too bad. Oh god, was I wrong. It looked and smelled like Sauron's butthole. The whole house reeks right now. Make it stop...make it stop...

[B_Metal]

Umm, sir, I think your septic tank has gone rancid. Nothing left to do now but eat a bullet. So long brave sir, we only knew ye for a while.

[Lisa]

The best stuff to use to unclog a drain without hurting your pipes is a full bottle of Clorox bleach. I learned that trick from my old landlord in Brooklyn, who didn't want us damaging the pipes, and it works! Just start with half a gallon first and see if that works. If it's not quite enough, dump the rest down there. Use it the same way you'd use Draino - wait an hour, and then flush it with hot water. I've not ever used Draino or chemical drain cleaners in 20 years.

[gravedigger]

Umm, sir, I think your septic tank has gone rancid. Nothing left to do now but eat a bullet. So long brave sir, we only knew ye for a while.

Don't even joke about that, dude. I think plumbing projects are the worst. Plus, the guy who owned the place before us told us the wrong location of the septic tank so our fence straddles the tank. If we ever have major issues it's going to be a total pain.

[Matt]

Regarding cleaning pipes: You'll laugh, but we use plungers. We have a small plunger (maybe 4 inches in diameter) that we use for our bathroom sink. Anytime that it starts to drain slowly (usually twice a year), we fill up the sink with water and plunger the drain. It always does the trick.

[Ingrid]

Went to Lowe's and Home Depot looking to replace the drawer pulls in the bathroom. Found three possibilities, brought them home and picked the favorite. Runner up will be the pulls for the kitchen. Yay for inexpensive updates!