John T. Blair wrote:
> I agree with Randall.
>
> However, the above test saturated the system, so it should
> have actually drained a little slower than if just one of
> the faucets were turned on.
Yep. When he filled up the sink and turned the water off then pulled
the plug, it took the same amount of time to drain - hot or cold. It
was just that when he filled the sink with a "mix" it filled faster than
cold alone, so the perception was that it drained slower with hot water.
> This year we've had a pretty bad drought. <...> My guess is
> that the trees were looking for water and managed to break into
> the drain pipes and clogged them.
First house I owned had this problem. We had to remove the tree, dig up
the yard, and run a new line to the street. I also had to rent the
roto-router about every year and a half to clean out the line. If you
ever have to dig up the line, make sure they run a "Y" in the line and
run a pipe to the surface with a cap - then you can easily run the
roto-router without much difficulty. I also had to clean out from the
vent pipe a couple of times (including the time that my young child
thought it would be "normal" to flush a stuffed animal...).
> The plumber sold me some "crystals" that you dump into the
> toilets once a month to kill tree roots.
That would be copper sulfate - it turns blue in the water. The copper
sulfate kills off tree roots. Commonly sold in hard ware stores and
identified as "root killer". Good stuff. Used it on our first house,
and on our current house.
Our current house is troubled by a "slow drain" for the washing machine.
We do the cupper sulfate thing about every six months, and the "gunk
eating bacteria" things every now and then. I have had to install a
"regulator" (a piece of copper tubing squished to restrict water flow)
on the end of the washing machine drain hose. Still, every now and
then, the washing machine will pump water out faster than the drain can
drain, and we get a wet floor (on a slap so no damage). Then I have to
go into drain cleaning mode again. We've lived in the house for 15
years now, and I've had to "roto-route" the drain twice now. Usually
the chemicals will clear things up though...
Tim Mullen
Chantilly, VA
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