Bicarb + vinegar etc not worked on bathroom sink

[happytodayhappytomorrow]

what else should I try? It's not blocked completely but the water is running away very slowly.

I've just put down bicard followed by a mixture of vinegar and very hot water. It all fizzed away nicely but the hot water that I then poured down to flush away the vinegar etc is still gradually disappearing.

So, I need more ideas please. I've previously tried a powder that i got from Sainsbury but that didn't work either.

TIA

You need a drain pokey thing
Drain Unblocking Rod by Keep It Handy | Drain Rod Set | Sink & Drain Cleaner | 2... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B082VF5GXR/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_Ayo1EbBEW1KHF?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

If you can access the underneath of the sink, you can easily unscrew the ubend and unblock it. It shouldn’t be fastened so tightly that you can’t unscrew it by hand. Just make sure you put a bucket under there first.

Have a look on YouTube for some tutorials.

If that fails, get some caustic soda and follow the directions. Always add the soda to the water. Don’t use anything metal. Wash out and cut down an old milk carton and use that to mix it up.

Good luck

Or you can fashion a drain pokey thing out of a metal coat hanger.

Thank you for the replies. I’ve looked on You Tube but I can’t find a video that isn’t for a plastic waste. This is what I have.
I’m not sure which bits I need to unscrew,

Have you been using block soap not liquid soap?
Mines been slower as a result.
Soda crystals worked, but I had to use a lot.

Ours was running slow recently, when we took the u bend off it was actually the waste pipe (ie between the u bend and outside) that was clogged with soap residue. We put bicarb and vinegar down the pipe and it cleared it fine. Just pouring it down the plughole hadn't worked because that wasn't where the blockage was.

It’s not used that often (it’s a downstairs cloakroom) and we use Iiquid soap in there.

I’ve got lots of soda crystals so I’ll try those next.

It’s blocked now!

Did you put the hot water down straight after the bicarb and vinegar? I usually leave it a bit to give it time to work, then use boiling water from the kettle.

Is it blocked with undissolved crystals?
Can you scoop any out?
Is the water in the sink or can you add boiling water very slowly to start dissolving them?

Have you got some kind of wire you could use? Make a little hook on the end and put it down the plug hole, twist it round a bit and see if you can bring anything up. Might take a few tries.

Thanks for the replies.
I can get a very narrow bottle brush right down until it can’t go any further so I’m guessing the blockage must be past the turn.

You need @PigletJohn.

Has anyone poured fat down it? Fat+caustic makes a huge blob of soap.

soda crystals and hot water.

First spoon the crystals into the waste enough to fill it

Then add enough hot water to mosten them (but not wash them away)

then leave overnight

Also spoon them into the overflow hole to fill it.

Don't use caustic soda, it will burn holes through your skin, clothes and eyeballs

and also those of any plumber who works on it later.

Do you own a sink plunger?

If not, but one or, better, a sink pump

With either, you will need an assistant to block the overflow hole with a damp sponge in a plastic bad pressed against it, to prevent the pressure escaping.

Once clear, use the washing soda crystals once a week or so. It will remove soap sludge and light fat deposits.

With your type of waste trap, a plumbers snake is worth a try, but won't go far.

I will look for a youtube on that metal trap.

When you can take a trap off, you can scrape them out with a teaspoon and then put them through the dishwasher.

Always leave an empty bucket under the sink while workinh, put the plug in, and tie a warning note across the taps.

You can use your hands to act as a plunger (if you don't have an actual plunger).

This worked on my nearly-blocked bathroom sink after the bicarb + vinegar trick made only a small difference.

avoid American plumbing guides, which are different.

see if yours is like this (link to fitting instructions)
www.purabathrooms.co.uk/assets/user/installation_guides/MB200.pdf

the metal ones can't easily be cut to size like the plastic ones, so they have a telescopic action.

See if you can unscrew the bottle first, if not, the nut at the top, and on the horizontal pipe, then try to pull the trap downwards away from the plughole, and outwards away from the wall.

You can use your eyebrow tweezers to pull the hair out. A long cafe latte spoon is useful for scraping out the pipe.

here we are

buy it before you need it.

you guys are all ace - thank you so much. I've got some work to do now but will come back and read it all thoroughly later.
Thank you

Thanks PigletJohn, I hadn't thought of the caustic soda remaining in the pipe. Someone told me years ago that it rotted the pipes.

My plunger has been very useful.