Short version, long term tenant, sweet person that has had a hard life, has stopped up kitchen drain for 2nd time. Swore before that she hadn't put any grease in it but the pipe had to be cut out it was so bad. My DH told handyman to leave grease filled joint on porch for her to see.

Fast forward to anxious message this morning, explaining sister visiting from the city must not have heeded her warning and sink is stopped up again. Before you say make her pay for handyman, etc., I just went up on her rent, and I'm not too concerned about this but it is an unnecessary aggravation.

Plumber suggested trying Liquid Fire, I said boiling water, but DH is adamant about cutting it out again.

She's not too sweet if she keeps pouring grease down the drain.

Sorry, I went about it the wrong way. I was asking for help on unstopping the drain.

Do you guys ever try to do it yourself?

A product called Drano, not too effective. Liquid Fire?

How long has it been since the line was replaced? The way I read it I was thinking quite recently (like earlier this week and now the sister comes up and clogs it).

I just had a tenant "invite a friend" and next thing you know we have toilet issues in that apartment. I went over to look to see what was going on because the laundry room (directly below his apartment) had water pouring from the ceiling. I went up to his apartment and asked and he claimed he had no idea. I said "well, someone is either taking a shower without the curtain closed or blocked the toilet and keeps flushing it". I looked at the toilet and there were Raman Noodles in there. We called a plumber and he couldn't even get it unclogged. I asked the friend "what did you flush" ... answer was "nothing". I said "well, there are Raman noodles in there - that's not a normal thing to put in a toilet... what else is in there". 'Oh, I have no idea".

We ended up just pulling the toilet and replacing it. No idea what was in the toilet unless we were to break it. Whatever that goofball did it's really stuck in there.

So I think depending on when this was replaced hot water (really hot but not boiling) MAY work. The other option would be to use the drain-o or whatever and then flush it with that stove heated water... not from the faucet tap itself.

It was a year or so since it clogged. My husband is convinced it is stopped up too solid of kitchen grease again. But in my opinion, unless they poured a whole deep fat fryer full into it, it could probably be unstopped.

Used to be a plumber-- I do not recommend Draino etc. Yes, it can work--but it will harm iron/steel pipes. Worse, if it doesn't work, then you have nasty stuff that can burn your skin while clearing it out.

I also send this to tenants

facebook.com/reel/683077510101920

Is it possible this is the same grease that has just now melted or reformed itself?

As a master plumber and a person who is sometimes hired to resolve Tenant Landlord drain problems, here is one case.

Each (Tenant and Landlord) point to one another. Their last plumber had to "Jet the main sewer line under the garage for $1,900. The landlord wants the tenant to pay for it. I had some choice revelations for this landlord.

1) After your old tenant moved out, did you have the sewer/drain lines cleaned out and scoped with a video record. NO they did not.

2) What was the prior history of the sewer lines backing up. Landlord said they never had any issues.

I spoke to the old tenant and they always had back up issues and are trying to make the tenant pay for snaking services.

I then charged $1,000 to inspect and try to resolve things. With my Spartan Model 1065 3/4" x 250 foot cable machine (Can clean out drain lines sized 3" to 8", I cleaned and reamed the pipe to 85% full diameter.

Then using my 24 HP Jetter, 5000PSI at 8GPM using a special nozzle, I cleaned the line removing scaling from the walls.

Then using a self levering camera and a Flex Shaft Rooter I cleaned out the rest of the build up.

Then using Root-X Foam, I killed all roots, that will last around 1-1/2 to 2 years.

So for half the price of a lousy plumber who just cleared a hole thru the blockage, I actually did a full cleaning -- Like new.

The Landlord, caught in lies, had to pay my bill and not hold the tenants deposit as hostage.

If an ex-landlord gave my contact info to someone else like that I would be quite angry.

But then again I can not for the life of me see someone going thru all that turmoil to clean out a line.