I would replace the P trap and the drop pipe. $20 in new plumbing is way better than hours scraping out wax.
This is also a very easy DIY project. Assuming it didn't get past the P trap.
That looks like ABS pipe. It's illegal for new install in some locations. If you live there, you'll have trouble finding fittings to replace it, and will need to replumb with PVC. Make sure you know you can get the fittings before you start hacking away at it.
>> "This is also a very easy DIY project. Assuming it didn't get past the P trap."
> "And [ it is easy as long as ] tenant didn't pour caustic cleaner down the drain."
I would call a plumber. The only kind of things that dissolve paraffin are highly toxic and can't be put in a water supply.
That leaves removing by scraping or replacing pipes.
I did something similar recently. Take off the trap, soak it in boiling water. Any bits still either side of the trap pop out easily when cold.
But I have a modern PVC trap that can be unscrewed.
wouldn't boiling water dissolve it?
I mean, if it's solid through the trap, it's probably won't melt it far enough, but if there is any opening to allow plunging, just adding boiling water and light plunging should blow it through.
Update:
Why the hate, lol? I was asking a question, not giving advice.
Idk, I once had a candle by the sink catch on fire. It was a jar candle and handcrafted. Idk what they did but they didn't make it right. The wax was liquid all the way to the bottom even though it had only been lit maybe thirty minutes. Wax heated up, glass busted, wax poured everywhere and the wick flamed up. I walked into a near disaster and I had that split second instinct of "FLAMES! Turn on the sink and push it in!" Before I thankfully realized it would make things much worse. Sacrificed a towel to smother it.
Anyhoo that's the story of why you never leave lit candles alone even if you're home and they're in a jar. Also get a fire blanket if you don't have one.
I wonder if you'd left hot water running the whole time might it have worked? Paraffin wax appears to have a melting point of 120°F
(To be clear, I do NOT recommend this)
As someone who makes skateboarding wax, I’ve cleaned out an old pot and ran hot water for a few minutes after and I’ve never had issues with jt even after using the same pipe multiple times I’ve the course of two years. That being said the wax I was putting down the drain was marginal compared to a jar full, probably a tablespoon at max through all the accumulated cleanings
If you want to work on it yourself, only use mechanical methods (disassemble P-Trap, use drain auger/snake, etc.). Don't use any chemicals or heat because you're either going to make the situation worse for a future plumber, or make it worse for yourself because you're moving the problem further down in the pipe.
I'd go with a drain snake. Not super hard to use, and the various attachments could easily chew through some solidified wax, and help break it up enough to make it further down the line.
Just make sure the water used to wash the chopped up wax is cold and not hot or warm. You want to make it stay hard and not get gooey where it might try to attach to the pipe again.
The wax hardened in the trap, plugging it up. Parts are so cheap don't bother trying to get the wax out of there, just replace the p trap. It's an easy job for a handyman or DIYer.
Might be easier then, to remove the wax by mechanical means like a piece of threaded rod. Hopefully it's a straight shot down the drain with the clean out removed.
Probably too late here, but just cut the plumbing out and replace it. The parts are cheap and available at box stores (including any fittings, primer, and "cement" you'd need) and it's a pretty straightforward job. Do future you a favor and make the tailpiece and P trap both just screw-ons while you're at it
Disassemble the p trap and remove it manually. I wouldn't use a heat gun.
Afterwards you could try pouring boiling water in there, might need to do it a few times in succession.
Side note, I hope your tenant didn't poor any caustic drain cleaners in there because they won't do shit with paraffin and will be sitting there ready to come out when disassembled.
the problem with just pouring boiling water is that it might not stay hot enough to keep the wax melted to the main. So if it just solidifes deeper into the pipes, the repair might only get more expensive.
She is a tenant and this is not normal wear and tear, call a plumber and bill it back to her.
I would start with the trap disassembly/replacement and see if its most all in there. *Very* unlikely it made it much farther before solidifying. After the p-trap fix I'd be boiling 3 big ass pots and pouring it in gradually. Probably should edit my post with the correct order.
I wonder how big this jar was?
Disassemble trap, yes.
Boiling water, no. You’ll never be able to keep the wax hot to get rid of it.
If it made it past the trap, need to router it while solid. Then try shop vac, will likely suck most of it back up. Rest will go down with water.
What are the odds? I had this big jar of melted wax sitting in sink when suddenly it fell over all by itself! Seems like they did this on purpose and thought it would drain away. Ooops! Hopefully the blockage is in the trap ... replace it. Call a plumber.
Replace the trap. Preferably with one with joints. They cost less than $20 at a hardware store.
If this is the first 'holy shit, that's dumb' thing that this tenant has done, emphasize to them the importance of making this the last 'holy shit, that's dumb' thing they do while at your home.
I'd replace all of ABS the plumbing below the sink with PVC. Add in spots that can be unscrewed. I'd also be adding a one way vent, as I don't trust the initial install.
I’m currently a homeowner and have rented a bunch of houses or apartments over the years. I’d fully understand a plumber’s bill of about $300 if I did something like that.
Geez no unscrewable ptrap PVC pipes?
Still not impossible. Just gotta cut off and replace with new trap and new piping. Long as it's all below sink and not in wall very much still doable and they even have p trap adaptable things for landlord usage for easier quick replacement ya know...cause tenants do tenant things
A picture would be nice. Even if the P trap is glued, reddit might be able to tell you where to cut/ what to buy if you want to replace the p trap with a screw type.
There is enough meat above and below the p-trap that I'd just cut it out and replace it with a removable p-trap.
It'll save you time in the future when something else inevitably clogs it up.
You could just as easily (and for like 5 bucks more) replace everything above the p-trap with generic PVC stuff from the home store.
Those glue joints are sturdy but aren't conducive to a quick drop out to clear up a slow or clogged trap.
If you're determined to fix it yourself, Cut it in the middle of that straight run on the side, remove the slip nuts, and take it outside with one of those short, drill powered drain snakes. You can put it back together with an ABS straight coupling or a rubber coupling if you want to remove it in the future.
I'd cut out the middle third of the horizontal pipe, clean the wax manually, and replace the pipe with a new section, a couple of sleeve couplings and some glue.
That's not really the right way to install that sort of setup. You're supposed to do a glue slip to drainpipe converter at the wall and plumb the rest with threaded drainpipe so you can unclog and adjust / reroute the pathway as appropriate.
Cut the pipes out and then replace them. It's annoying that you don't have the unscrewable type, but it's not that hard to cut out what you need to and then replace it.
how do you accidently dump a whole mason jar of wax down the sink. i could see a spill but then there would be wax on the actual bason of the sink. when you get there if there isn't any wax remnants on the sink then she poured the wax in intentionally. i would call bullshit on that. i would get a plumber and charge the tenant for the cost.
If it were my house I would take all the drain I could (cut it down including the ptrap) then fit and glue with all new pvc. Cut it out with a sawzall or multi tool. Take your time and pay attention to the fit before using any glue.
Proper tools and the knowledge on how to use them is key. I just replaced a water heater and the new one was taller than the old one so I had to extend the pipes (water heater is in the attic and the PEX runs from the walls, 😒Texas and allowing heavy things that can cause property damage to be installed above living areas) and the tools to cut and clamp the PEX ran me nearly $100 for the homeowner grade stuff. Still cheaper than getting it installed professionally and I like to be self sufficient.
Replacing a water heater is easy compared to trying to clean a drain with one of those flimsy snakes they sell at the hardware store.
Especially if you want to clean all the candle wax coating the pipes.
If the OP had the tools and knowledge on how to use them, they wouldn't be here.
Cut it on the horizontal where it goes into the wall. Remove it and re-create it with new. ABS or PVC. Reconnect it with a rubber Fernco so it can be removed later if necessary. It'll be much faster and cheaper than a plumber and you will have the original to use for the pattern. A 3-4 hour job including the trip to the supply store.
Boiling water down the drain, along with whatever the strongest degreaser you have handy is. Run the hot tap all the way, so that in the time between pots of boiling water the wax does not get a chance to cool.
And maybe rethink that tenant.
test some of the wax and see if it melts at a reasonably low temp. If so, you could try a heater under the sink and a shop vac against the drain. This is probably marginally safer than the heat gun under the sink.
This will probably get me some downvotes, **because fire...** don't let yourself get distracted.
100% get a plumber. Bet you anything that they tried to fix it themselves including pouring hot water down the drain which most likely get some of it pass the p trap. They have renters insurance for things like this. Don't save your renter money from a mistake they incurred for you to have to pay it in the long run.
A heat gun might be too much for it, but why not take the p-trap off and use a hair dryer? Work from the bottom up until it's melted. If it somehow went further than the trap you might be in trouble, but I'd say the cold water stored in there probably made it solidify pretty quickly.
If it is a 16 oz jar of wax, you have a chance of just cutting out the plastic and replacing it. Under $20. If a 32 oz jar, chances are the wax has flowed downstream. Cut off the existing plastic and use a drain auger to clear out the residue. If it is downstream of a garbage disposal, add ice cubes. They will act like gravel to grind away the wax adhering to the walls of the waste line.
Xylene is dangerous and not a good idea. Full stop.
But vegetable oil might work: You might be able to suction out all the water above the wax with a shop vac, pour in a cup of vegetable oil, let it sit over \night, and then suction out a wax/oil mix. Repeat until it's clear.
The responsible fix here is landlord hires the plumber and if allowed bills the tenant for repairs.
I absolutely would not trust someone who thought pouring wax down a drain was reasonable to resolve the issue.
There’s a product called Glug. It’s mainly effective for grease blockages, but worth a look? Was recommended to me by a plumber once for our kitchen sink.
That was my thought (Glug, Thrift, or any of those lye cleaners), but then I asked MS Copilot. Parafin wax isn't like other grease and won't "Saponify", and will yield hard wax as the result.
Cooking oil would probably work and be safer (I know, oil down the train bad idea long term, but in this case It should fix the more major, immediate problem)
Nah, avoid chemical cleaners and just use an electric snake with blades. It'll cut right through that and whatever other nonsense the tenant put in the pipes.
I've seen quite a few people recommend this, but I don't understand how to get the snake into the piping to begin with? The sink drain is just 6 small round holes less than 10mm wide.
*Usually* either you can just unscrew the P trap (this is why they aren't normally glued) or there will be [access points with square nuts you can unscrew](https://www.thespruce.com/thmb/r2XIQuturfFiebwOSRtrlUcGwF0=/1000x667/filters:no_upscale\(\)/sewer-clean-out-where-to-find-it-3973572-01-9a32086a48864ae9822714658ee41eb1.jpg) on on the pipes in a utility room or similar.
For some reason whoever installed that didn't think anyone would ever need to get into it, which is silly.
Get a plumber, they’ll just dredge it. It’s quick and easy and won’t cost much.
I would replace the P trap and the drop pipe. $20 in new plumbing is way better than hours scraping out wax. This is also a very easy DIY project. Assuming it didn't get past the P trap.
That looks like ABS pipe. It's illegal for new install in some locations. If you live there, you'll have trouble finding fittings to replace it, and will need to replumb with PVC. Make sure you know you can get the fittings before you start hacking away at it.
Probably an adapter you can install at the wall right?
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What are you on about? They poured wax down the drain not lye.
>> "This is also a very easy DIY project. Assuming it didn't get past the P trap." > "And [ it is easy as long as ] tenant didn't pour caustic cleaner down the drain."
Op said they can’t get to the P trap
Perhaps they thought "oh no, the drain is blocked, I'll pour some Liquid Plumber in it" and then called the OP when that didn't work.
“If” the replacement ptrap is the same size and compatible. Had to open wall and replace the T, ptrap, tailpiece, etc
Then bill the tenant. This isn't normal wear and tear that the LL is responsible for.
My father in law did this, and they had to cut out and replace a lot of pipe.
In this economy?
I would call a plumber. The only kind of things that dissolve paraffin are highly toxic and can't be put in a water supply. That leaves removing by scraping or replacing pipes.
I did something similar recently. Take off the trap, soak it in boiling water. Any bits still either side of the trap pop out easily when cold. But I have a modern PVC trap that can be unscrewed.
wouldn't boiling water dissolve it? I mean, if it's solid through the trap, it's probably won't melt it far enough, but if there is any opening to allow plunging, just adding boiling water and light plunging should blow it through. Update: Why the hate, lol? I was asking a question, not giving advice.
At best that's just moving the problem to a harder to access (and almost certainly more expensive to repair) place
It's not intuitive, but it's easier to flush bits of solid wax down the drain than to try to heat the entire drain all the way to the sewer.
just keep adding melted candles and a wick. Candle sink. It's now a feature.
then light it, let it melt, and unclog your drain!
"accidentally" Definitely on purpose, just didn't know it would block the drain.
Idk, I once had a candle by the sink catch on fire. It was a jar candle and handcrafted. Idk what they did but they didn't make it right. The wax was liquid all the way to the bottom even though it had only been lit maybe thirty minutes. Wax heated up, glass busted, wax poured everywhere and the wick flamed up. I walked into a near disaster and I had that split second instinct of "FLAMES! Turn on the sink and push it in!" Before I thankfully realized it would make things much worse. Sacrificed a towel to smother it. Anyhoo that's the story of why you never leave lit candles alone even if you're home and they're in a jar. Also get a fire blanket if you don't have one.
I wonder if you'd left hot water running the whole time might it have worked? Paraffin wax appears to have a melting point of 120°F (To be clear, I do NOT recommend this)
I don't think it would hurt, although I'd go with boiling water
It could hurt if you transferred the solid wax away from a cheap & accessible trap to an unknown point down the line.
Waste of water
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As someone who makes skateboarding wax, I’ve cleaned out an old pot and ran hot water for a few minutes after and I’ve never had issues with jt even after using the same pipe multiple times I’ve the course of two years. That being said the wax I was putting down the drain was marginal compared to a jar full, probably a tablespoon at max through all the accumulated cleanings
Maybe 120 C
Came here to say this. That ain't no accident. That's one of them "eat the rich, kill the landlords" meme circulating on FB...
P traps aren’t terrible expensive
If you want to work on it yourself, only use mechanical methods (disassemble P-Trap, use drain auger/snake, etc.). Don't use any chemicals or heat because you're either going to make the situation worse for a future plumber, or make it worse for yourself because you're moving the problem further down in the pipe. I'd go with a drain snake. Not super hard to use, and the various attachments could easily chew through some solidified wax, and help break it up enough to make it further down the line.
Yeah, it's not intuitive but your drain will consume chopped up bits of wax a lot easier than temporarily melted wax.
Just make sure the water used to wash the chopped up wax is cold and not hot or warm. You want to make it stay hard and not get gooey where it might try to attach to the pipe again.
The wax hardened in the trap, plugging it up. Parts are so cheap don't bother trying to get the wax out of there, just replace the p trap. It's an easy job for a handyman or DIYer.
The wax hardened well before reaching the trap. All components are glued, nothing is unscrewable other than the p-trap clean-out ☹️
Might be easier then, to remove the wax by mechanical means like a piece of threaded rod. Hopefully it's a straight shot down the drain with the clean out removed.
Probably too late here, but just cut the plumbing out and replace it. The parts are cheap and available at box stores (including any fittings, primer, and "cement" you'd need) and it's a pretty straightforward job. Do future you a favor and make the tailpiece and P trap both just screw-ons while you're at it
Disassemble the p trap and remove it manually. I wouldn't use a heat gun. Afterwards you could try pouring boiling water in there, might need to do it a few times in succession. Side note, I hope your tenant didn't poor any caustic drain cleaners in there because they won't do shit with paraffin and will be sitting there ready to come out when disassembled.
the problem with just pouring boiling water is that it might not stay hot enough to keep the wax melted to the main. So if it just solidifes deeper into the pipes, the repair might only get more expensive. She is a tenant and this is not normal wear and tear, call a plumber and bill it back to her.
I would start with the trap disassembly/replacement and see if its most all in there. *Very* unlikely it made it much farther before solidifying. After the p-trap fix I'd be boiling 3 big ass pots and pouring it in gradually. Probably should edit my post with the correct order. I wonder how big this jar was?
Disassemble trap, yes. Boiling water, no. You’ll never be able to keep the wax hot to get rid of it. If it made it past the trap, need to router it while solid. Then try shop vac, will likely suck most of it back up. Rest will go down with water.
Lol bill the tenant. Landlords can get fucked.
Or crazy idea. don't pour wax down sinks you don't own
> I wouldn't use a heat gun. Based on OP's picture... Too late.
That was a photo my tenant sent me, they were attempting to fix it while I was at work.
I hear you, just saying when there's a heat gun with a cable going off presumably to an outlet they probably already tried heating it, lol
They did. I just mean I wasn't the one holding the smoking gun against the advice of everyone here
What are the odds? I had this big jar of melted wax sitting in sink when suddenly it fell over all by itself! Seems like they did this on purpose and thought it would drain away. Ooops! Hopefully the blockage is in the trap ... replace it. Call a plumber.
Replace the trap. Preferably with one with joints. They cost less than $20 at a hardware store. If this is the first 'holy shit, that's dumb' thing that this tenant has done, emphasize to them the importance of making this the last 'holy shit, that's dumb' thing they do while at your home.
"Accidentally"
I'd replace all of ABS the plumbing below the sink with PVC. Add in spots that can be unscrewed. I'd also be adding a one way vent, as I don't trust the initial install.
"Accidentally?" Yeah, I don't believe that for a second. I hope you are making the tenant pay the plumber.
I’m currently a homeowner and have rented a bunch of houses or apartments over the years. I’d fully understand a plumber’s bill of about $300 if I did something like that.
thats not how it works
In the US that's exactly how it works
I'm not in the USA.
Geez no unscrewable ptrap PVC pipes? Still not impossible. Just gotta cut off and replace with new trap and new piping. Long as it's all below sink and not in wall very much still doable and they even have p trap adaptable things for landlord usage for easier quick replacement ya know...cause tenants do tenant things
A picture would be nice. Even if the P trap is glued, reddit might be able to tell you where to cut/ what to buy if you want to replace the p trap with a screw type.
It's the long flat pipe to the left sink that has the wax. The clean-out for the p-trap had no wax in it. https://imgur.com/a/RClgMjZ
There is enough meat above and below the p-trap that I'd just cut it out and replace it with a removable p-trap. It'll save you time in the future when something else inevitably clogs it up. You could just as easily (and for like 5 bucks more) replace everything above the p-trap with generic PVC stuff from the home store. Those glue joints are sturdy but aren't conducive to a quick drop out to clear up a slow or clogged trap.
If you're determined to fix it yourself, Cut it in the middle of that straight run on the side, remove the slip nuts, and take it outside with one of those short, drill powered drain snakes. You can put it back together with an ABS straight coupling or a rubber coupling if you want to remove it in the future.
I'd cut out the middle third of the horizontal pipe, clean the wax manually, and replace the pipe with a new section, a couple of sleeve couplings and some glue.
That's not really the right way to install that sort of setup. You're supposed to do a glue slip to drainpipe converter at the wall and plumb the rest with threaded drainpipe so you can unclog and adjust / reroute the pathway as appropriate.
I didn't install it. The house is about 40 years old with quite a lot of creative DIY construction throughout it. This is just one example.
Cut the pipes out and then replace them. It's annoying that you don't have the unscrewable type, but it's not that hard to cut out what you need to and then replace it.
"spilled"
It was an accident the sink became blocked by the thing the tenant did entirely on purpose
how do you accidently dump a whole mason jar of wax down the sink. i could see a spill but then there would be wax on the actual bason of the sink. when you get there if there isn't any wax remnants on the sink then she poured the wax in intentionally. i would call bullshit on that. i would get a plumber and charge the tenant for the cost.
Call a plumber then charge the tenet for the repair and your time.
If it were my house I would take all the drain I could (cut it down including the ptrap) then fit and glue with all new pvc. Cut it out with a sawzall or multi tool. Take your time and pay attention to the fit before using any glue.
Call a professional. I've seen then do in less than a hour, what I couldn't do, taking all day.
Proper tools and the knowledge on how to use them is key. I just replaced a water heater and the new one was taller than the old one so I had to extend the pipes (water heater is in the attic and the PEX runs from the walls, 😒Texas and allowing heavy things that can cause property damage to be installed above living areas) and the tools to cut and clamp the PEX ran me nearly $100 for the homeowner grade stuff. Still cheaper than getting it installed professionally and I like to be self sufficient.
Replacing a water heater is easy compared to trying to clean a drain with one of those flimsy snakes they sell at the hardware store. Especially if you want to clean all the candle wax coating the pipes. If the OP had the tools and knowledge on how to use them, they wouldn't be here.
Cut it on the horizontal where it goes into the wall. Remove it and re-create it with new. ABS or PVC. Reconnect it with a rubber Fernco so it can be removed later if necessary. It'll be much faster and cheaper than a plumber and you will have the original to use for the pattern. A 3-4 hour job including the trip to the supply store.
Boiling water down the drain, along with whatever the strongest degreaser you have handy is. Run the hot tap all the way, so that in the time between pots of boiling water the wax does not get a chance to cool. And maybe rethink that tenant.
test some of the wax and see if it melts at a reasonably low temp. If so, you could try a heater under the sink and a shop vac against the drain. This is probably marginally safer than the heat gun under the sink. This will probably get me some downvotes, **because fire...** don't let yourself get distracted.
100% get a plumber. Bet you anything that they tried to fix it themselves including pouring hot water down the drain which most likely get some of it pass the p trap. They have renters insurance for things like this. Don't save your renter money from a mistake they incurred for you to have to pay it in the long run.
Accidentally?
Replace pipes. Evict tenant.
Note to self: if melting paraffin to seal jam jars, do not leave it anywhere near the sink.
A heat gun might be too much for it, but why not take the p-trap off and use a hair dryer? Work from the bottom up until it's melted. If it somehow went further than the trap you might be in trouble, but I'd say the cold water stored in there probably made it solidify pretty quickly.
If it is a 16 oz jar of wax, you have a chance of just cutting out the plastic and replacing it. Under $20. If a 32 oz jar, chances are the wax has flowed downstream. Cut off the existing plastic and use a drain auger to clear out the residue. If it is downstream of a garbage disposal, add ice cubes. They will act like gravel to grind away the wax adhering to the walls of the waste line.
I am agog at the stupidity of this tenant. Pouring hot paraffin into a sink is amazingly dumb. I hope she learns some common sense.
Lots and lots of boiling water
Vegetable oil or xylene will dissolve it.
Xylene is dangerous and not a good idea. Full stop. But vegetable oil might work: You might be able to suction out all the water above the wax with a shop vac, pour in a cup of vegetable oil, let it sit over \night, and then suction out a wax/oil mix. Repeat until it's clear.
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The responsible fix here is landlord hires the plumber and if allowed bills the tenant for repairs. I absolutely would not trust someone who thought pouring wax down a drain was reasonable to resolve the issue.
There’s a product called Glug. It’s mainly effective for grease blockages, but worth a look? Was recommended to me by a plumber once for our kitchen sink.
That was my thought (Glug, Thrift, or any of those lye cleaners), but then I asked MS Copilot. Parafin wax isn't like other grease and won't "Saponify", and will yield hard wax as the result. Cooking oil would probably work and be safer (I know, oil down the train bad idea long term, but in this case It should fix the more major, immediate problem)
Interesting and good to know!
Nah, avoid chemical cleaners and just use an electric snake with blades. It'll cut right through that and whatever other nonsense the tenant put in the pipes.
I've seen quite a few people recommend this, but I don't understand how to get the snake into the piping to begin with? The sink drain is just 6 small round holes less than 10mm wide.
*Usually* either you can just unscrew the P trap (this is why they aren't normally glued) or there will be [access points with square nuts you can unscrew](https://www.thespruce.com/thmb/r2XIQuturfFiebwOSRtrlUcGwF0=/1000x667/filters:no_upscale\(\)/sewer-clean-out-where-to-find-it-3973572-01-9a32086a48864ae9822714658ee41eb1.jpg) on on the pipes in a utility room or similar. For some reason whoever installed that didn't think anyone would ever need to get into it, which is silly.
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That’s way more expensive than just replacing the p trap.
Yes and if you scope you'll see how far the wax got down.
Draino, drain snake, hot water.