206.478.2019
Serving the Greater Seattle Area: www.amyworks.com
Licensed, bonded and insured: AMYWOI*899RT
Transcription of Video:
Unclogging a Bathroom Drain Part 2: At the P-Trap
with Amy of AmyWorks, Inc.
Intro
Amy: This is Amy again with AmyWorks and today we’re gonna talk about cleaning out your clogged
bathroom drain - we’re actually gonna take the p-trap apart.
This should take you less than 30 minutes.
The hardest part about this is gonna be getting the slipnuts loose and when we’re putting it back together
again, to put it back together so you don’t have any leaks. Those are the most difficult things. Other than
that, it’s pretty easy.
And the tools that you’re gonna need for are: a bucket, you may wanna wear a pair of gloves (rubber
gloves), some rags...there is gonna be water in here, so don’t be surprised....so, clean everything out from
underneath your sink...You’re also gonna need a wrench.....and that should be about it...
Infoscreen: Here we go! ...Meet the slipnuts...
Amy: (pointing to slipnuts on 2 parts of bathroom pipe) Right here, and right here. (takes wrench and
loosens slipnuts).
Voice off screen: Is this the good ol’ righty-tighty, lefty-loosey?
Amy: (now showing lefty-loosey) Yes, it is. Lift these things (loosened top half of slipnut) up. (Removes
lower u-shaped part of pipe over bucket) ...And then it comes apart...and you’ll empty it out...take a look
inside...see what’s in there...
(pointing to pipe coming down from the sink - not the u-shape in hand)...Sometimes you’ll have hair that will
be hanging down here, and with your gloved hand you can reach up there and get rid of it... you can take
your Zip-It and go up from this end and clean it out...and that should be about it....
The all you need to do is put it back together.
These slipnuts will have a washer underneath them. These are the brass kind, or the chrome, there’s also
plastic ones...Plastic fittings will also have a slipnut washer there.
Serving Greater Seattle: www.amyworks.com 206.478.2019 Licensed, bonded and insured: AMYWOI*899RT
Infoscreen: If your washers need to be replaced:
1. measure diameter or,
2. take the pipe in to your home center to get the right sized washer.
Amy: Once you’ve got it cleaned out, you just reinstall it. You’ll hand-tighten these down...(via righty-tighty)
and you don’t need to get these so tight that you’re actually gonna break these slipnuts. Tighten it so it’s
hand-tight... so you can’t tighten it down anymore...and then you’ll take your wrench and you’ll just give it a
half or a quarter of a turn farther... just enough to seat that washer that’s in there. And that should be enough
to keep it from being leaky.
Then you’ll want to run the water. Run copious amounts of water through there and check this...dry it all off
and make sure you check these joints so that you know for sure that they’re not leaking.
And just keep checkin it, checkin it, checkin it. Give yourself 10 minutes of checking for leaks to make
sure...because once you put everything back underneath there, you’re not gonna look and so...you don’t
want to have a leak.
Infoscreen: If you DO notice a leak around the slipnuts...
1. Don’t Panic.
2. . . .
Amy: That could mean that you need to tighten it down just a little bit more... you can try that....
It may mean that the slipnut washer int here needs to be replaced, if you didn’t put new ones in...sometimes with
plastic pipes, there’s a burr in the pipe itself that may keep it from seating properly...so you’ll just want to take a look at
it closely...
If you can’t get it to seal, and you haven’t replaced the washers, then definitely replace the washers...and check out
the seating surfaces of the pipes....and you should be good to go.
If you’ve done the Zip-It and you’ve cleaned out the p-trap and you still have a slow running drain, then you may need
to use a snake further down the drain...or you may need to call a plumber...or call me (206.478.2019).
I think we’re good. We are leak free.
Offscreen voice: YAY!
Amy: Job well done. (currently serving the Greater Seattle Area)
Infoscreen: -If DIY is NYT- (If do-it-yourself is not-your-thing, call AmyWorks: 206.478.2019
Serving Greater Seattle: www.amyworks.com 206.478.2019 Licensed, bonded and insured: AMYWOI*899RT