Clogged bathroom sink drain. Used a zip-it tool to pull hair from the trap. Enough to fill 2 shot glasses. Still clogged.

Removed the trap and sent a crank snake about 6' in - a little more hair came out. Still clogged - stopped up - sink slowly empties overnight.

P.S. Always take the partially used can. Don't leave it for the tenants as you would zip-it tools or plungers. None of us needs that lawsuit.

Clearing a clogged drain line sometimes gets complicated for the following reasons:

1) The snaking tool's cable "end cuter/gripper" may only be 1/4" to a 1/2" in diameter that only clears a partial opening thru the clog.

Since the drain pipe from a bathroom sink is 1-1/2" in diameter -- the hole you've snaked thru the clog closes up from the other hair and grime lift stuck to the drain pipe walls.

If you have different cables with different ends, you could clear a larger hole thru the clog or cut out any obstruction.

If you go thru the sink drain by removing the stopper, then the size opening thru the sinks drain is only 1-1/4" in diameter AND going thru the trap limits your snake cutter size.

If you remove the trap, then you'll have larger opening and less bends so you can get a larger cable with larger cutters.

There are 1/4" cables and 5/16" cables with an assortment of different ends for different stoppages.

For my 3/4" cables I have over 50 different ends.

For my 1/2" cables I have around 30 different cutters.

For my 5/16" to 13/16" cables I have around 12 cutters.

And for the small 1/4" cables I have around 10 ends.

Plus I have a Flex Shaft with carbide cutters. Jetters with different nozzles with hot and cold water applications.

1st step on any drain clog-- sink or washer machine or even ac condensation drain. Pour straight beech about 1 qt into the line and let it sit for 30 to 60 minutes. Then hot water.

when i have a sink drain backing up I always take out the J trap. Place a small bucket under the trap.

This will give you a straight shot into the wall and the 1 1/2 or 2" inch wall pipe. You want a cable 3/8 with a hook on it not a cutter. This isn't going to be roots in the sink drain. I use the hook for a reason and that is I don't want to PUSH what's in the drain line into the main sewer line. I want to hook it and pull it out to me not deeper into the system.

I'm with Sid.

You made a reasonable effort, now it's time for the pros -next week.

Until then, they can shave and brush teeth in the kitchen.

Thrift is a great product. It's also dangerous!

Correctly used, you remove the stopper, run as much hot water down the drain as you can (it is heat activated) then stop running water.

What type of drain plumbing do you have? If it's older galvanized steel or something, may want to consider replacing. Galvanized pipe becomes clogged with rust over time like our arteries do as we age. I had a similar event in one of mine with galvanized pipe, and upon removing a section of drywall and taking the pipe out I found that the 1 1/2" pipe had been "choked down" to about 1/2" from rust, and a toothpaste cap had then been dropped down the sink and caused the clog. I billed the tenant for this out of their security deposit and sent photos along with it. The house now has PVC all the way to the main drain line.

Thanks for all your responses. Forgot to mention this is an early 60's ranch on a slab - no basement.

Used the suck end of a shop vac, got some water out, but problem persisted. Used the blow end of the shop vac and it opened up instantly.

Have had a slow drain on slab for a bit now. Called in drain cleaning crew and no luck this time. Called in a plumber and they tried to mechanically clear it. No go.

Plumbers are scheduled to come back today to dig under the vanity where you can see the pipes. Pvc into a sharp 90 and then fernco into cast.