Drain King is No King

OK, I should preface this rant against a product by pointing out that the Drain King pipe clearing system may be just great under the right conditions. Unfortunately, this nifty tool for unplugging or unclogging a pipe had well... serious problems when I put it to use.

Let me set the stage. My kitchen sink began to fill up with water after the faucet would run for 2-3 minutes. The stoppage wasn't 100% and the water would drain very, very slowly once backed up. Since it took so long to back up, I figured that the clog must be pretty far down the line. The big problem came if someone tried to run the dishwasher since the washer drained into the same line which would lead to water backing up to the sink pretty fast. While I know next to nothing about plumbing, I did know that I needed to get in there somehow and get the line open.

My first approach was to hit my local Albertson's supermarket and pick up a bottle of that super gooey thick acid gel to pour down the pipes. I tried that for two days figuring that the pipe might clear but... nope nothing. OK, now I had a pipe with gel which still drained like a snail.

Next, I tried to go to the traps outside the house. See, I told you I know nothing about plumbing and should have figured out that this would take me to the bigger sewer lines rather than unplug the pipes from a sink. Well, snaking the traps didn't work but it didn't hurt either (other than the smell!).

I then decided to hit the local hardware. There I had a choice between a traditional 25 foot 1/4 inch snake or something new... the Drain King. Well, I like things that are innovative so I was naturally attracted to the Drain King. This device connects to the end of a garden hose. You stuff it into a pipe and when the water is turned on, it inflates like a balloon to fill the pipe. Once the pipe is sealed, the Drain King pulses jets of high-pressure water down the pipe to blow out the clog. It claims to be able to blow out a clog up to 1000 feet away! That was perfect for me since I had no idea just how far down the clog was.

I got home and excited pulled out the pipes under the sink. I then inserted the Drain King and told my son to turn on the hose and wait by the spigot in case something went wrong. I was totally impressed. The Drain King inflated, filled the pipe and then the whole hose started to pulse. In my mind, I could see that clog being blasted away by the awesome power of the Drain King! The next thing I know, my son is yelling that there is water shooting off the roof like a geiser! I look out the window and tons of water spilling off the roof. It took a second but it hit me. The clog was way down the pipe past the point where the vent pipe was coming off of the drain pipe. The powerful water blast of the Drain King was shooting down line, hitting the clog, backing up and forcing the water to the path of least resistance... my vent pipe leading to the roof.

Now the real fun begins. With dirty water shooting from my roof like a jet from Moby Dick I had no choice but to scream "Turn it off!" Well, think this through and imagine things from my point of view. I'm looking into a pipe that is sealed by the inflated balloon of the Drain King. The hose is turned off, the balloon deflates. I have a pipe leading all the way to my roof filled with dirty, acid-gel-filled water and gravity does its stuff. The water comes rushing back down the vent pipe past the deflated Drain King and blasts me with a rush of nastiness. My floor is a river of muck. I'm saturated and my drain is as plugged as ever.

After a bit of much needed clean up, I went back to the hardware store and bought that old-fashioned snake. After about 25 minutes of snaking, I put the pipes back on and "Viola!" no more clog.

The moral of the story is that sometimes the old fashioned approach just works. Would I use a Drain King again? Yeah, but only if that drain clogs up almost immediately after putting water in the sink. Then at least there's a good chance that the clog is before the vent pipe. If that were the case, then there might have been enough pressure built up in the line to blast out that clog and the Drain King would have worked like advertised. If you get a clogged drain, give it a shot and let me know how it works. Be ready to change your clothes and mop the floor though!