NYDRAINS — “Clogged Drain #242” — Bathroom fixture backups due to wipes in the main trap
NYDRAINS (NYDRAINS @ YouTube) is working in a narrow bathroom, with a clogged toilet at one end, a sink in the middle, and a shower at the other end. When the sink is turned on, water begins to back up into the shower.
A pit with the U-shaped trap connecting the building to the external sewer system is located down a hallway from the bathroom. Some water seepage is noted around one of the trap’s two lids, suggesting that the trap is probably clogged.
The lid that doesn’t exhibit any obvious seepage is removed by tapping at it with a hammer, and once it’s open, the pipe appears empty on that side of the trap. The other lid is then tapped open using the hammer, and it is under pressure. The backed-up sewage leaks out into the pit, where it eventually drains out through the other opening. What appears to be some wipes are visible in the pit after the sewage drains away.
A motorized plumber’s snake is used to clear the clog in the trap. When the snake is removed, wipes are found wrapped around the end of it, and they’re peeled off by hand. The pipe leading back toward the bathroom is briefly cleaned with the auger, too, to ensure there are no additional obstructions in that direction.
Back in the bathroom, the previously-full toilet bowl appears to have drained. The water in the sink is still running, and no water is observed backing up into the nearby shower. The toilet is flushed, and it drains away fine.
At the trap pit, water can be observed flowing through the system via both of the trap’s inspection openings. The lids covering those openings are then put back in place, and tapped in with the hammer. The pile of wipes that were removed from the trap is shown.