Unclogging a Sink

One of the easiest and cheapest ways to clog a sink is to use bleach.  If you have a sink that is getting slower and slower, this will probably work. You just take a gallon bottle of bleach, the cheapest you can find, and pour the entire contents down the drain. Then wait 30 minutes or so and run the cold water down the drain and it should be open.

I believe this works because the sink has a hair or other fiber build up, which then grows mold, which holds the fiber together. The bleach kills the mold and the hair or fiber can then wash on down.

Many of those to whom I've recommended this have reported that it works.

If that doesn't work, a sewer snake may be necessary.

Using a plunger

The secret to successfully unclogging a toilet or other drain with a plunger is suction.

Set the plunger over the drain, push down and make sure it's set all around the edge of the plunger. Then pull up vigorously to dislodge the clog. Repeat until the water drains. You may have to raise the water level of the sink or toilet to cover the plunger to see that it's sealed to the surface around the drain, and also to see when the clog is dislodged.

A bathroom or vanity sink frequently has one or more overflow ports up on the front of the sink to prevent the sink from flowing over the top. These must be sealed off or you won't be able to develop any suction. Soak a rag and stuff into the overflow hole(s) to seal them.

Sometimes the clog is just fibrous material mixed with some black gunk that is probably mold that grows to hold the hair or other fiber together. An easy solution to this problem is to pour a gallon of bleach down the drain and wait for it to kill the mold so the fiber can wash down. Just get a gallon bottle of the cheapest bleach you can buy (usually not more that about $1) and pour the whole thing in. It should take only a few minutes, 10 or 20 at the most.

Successful copper pipe sweating

Ya gotta do everything completely. No shortcuts.

Make sure all joint surfaces are completely clean, inside & out. Sandpaper and wire brush until they are all bright and shiny.

Apply soldering flux to cover each clean joint surface. Here is a spot where things may fail. Flux works by chemical reaction. If your flux is old and no longer active, it may not work. I've had several joints in an assembly fail to draw solder. After recleaning and then changing to fresh flux, they drew solder just fine.

If there has been water in the lines, you need to keep it away from the joint. Water from higher points in the system will continue to seep downward and keep the joint from heating properly. Stuffing some soft white bread into the pipe toward where the water is coming from will solve the problem long enough to get the joint to seal. The bread will dissolve when water runs back through the line. It may clog the aerator in a faucet, so you may have to clean that out after.

Assemble the joints and then apply heat. (MAPP gas works much faster than propane.) The solder will flow towards the heat source, so after heating the entire joint, move the heat back from the joint so that the solder will be sucked into it. Make sure this has happened all around the joint.

Keeping the flames off combustable materials, like studs and insulation, is important. I've used ceramic tiles propped behind the joint to accomplish this. There are flame shields made for this purpose that are better. Ceramic tiles often crack and fall apart while you are soldering.

Let the joint cool off some before letting water back into the system. I've heard that cooling the joint too quickly can crack the solder.

If you are patient and follow all these steps you should have joints that don't leak.