Slow Drains and Flexible Accordion Drain Pipe:
Two Findings Russ Writes Up Often
One slow sink is usually hair or soap. Every fixture in the house draining slow is a different question, and the wavy plastic pipe under the sink is its own problem.
Slow drains came up at about 60 of Russ’s recent inspections, at sinks, tubs and showers. Flexible accordion drain pipe under a sink came up at 22. The two often show up together, because that wavy pipe is one of the things that slows a drain down.
One slow fixture
Most slow drains are local. A Salem report found a tub slow to drain and listed the usual causes: clogs from hair, grease, soap residue or debris in the drain or trap, or a partial blockage further down. The first try is a plunger or a drain snake. If it doesn’t clear, a plumber.
Bathroom sinks and tubs collect hair at the stopper. Kitchen sinks collect grease. A slow kitchen sink in a house with a garbage disposal is often packed with food waste in the trap.
Several slow fixtures
When more than one fixture drains slow, or the lowest drain in the house gurgles when a toilet flushes, the cause is usually further along. It can be a vent that’s blocked or missing; the S-trap and venting post covers that. Or it can be the main drain line or the sewer lateral to the street.
Older Portland houses often have cast iron drains or galvanized steel drain pipe that narrow inside with rust and scale. A sewer scope, done separately through a plumber, is how you see inside the line. The sewer scope post explains what it shows.
Flexible accordion drain pipe
These are the ribbed plastic drain kits sold to make sink hookups easy. They bend to fit when the drain in the wall doesn’t line up with the sink. A Salem report explained the problem: flexible drain pipe is prone to clogging and sagging, which traps debris, and the corrugated design is less durable and more likely to leak than rigid piping.
Every ridge catches a little hair or grease. Over time the low spot fills, and the drain slows. The fix is a rigid trap and tailpiece, which a plumber can fit even when the wall drain is offset.
Real Inspection Photos
Drain Findings From Russ's Inspections
Slow drains and flexible drain pipe from Russ's recent reports.
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Flexible drain pipe under a laundry sink. -
A bathroom sink that drained slowly. -
A tub with slow drainage. -
Water standing in a vanity sink during the drain test.
What Russ checks
He runs water at the sinks, tubs and showers he can reach, watches how they drain, and looks at the visible drain piping under sinks and in the crawlspace or basement. He flushes toilets and listens for gurgling at nearby drains. He doesn’t snake drains, fill fixtures to the overflow, or scope the sewer. Slow drains and flexible drain pipe get a recommendation for a licensed plumber.
- Run each sink and tub for a minute and watch the water level
- Look under each sink for ribbed plastic drain pipe
- Flush toilets and listen at the nearest tub or shower drain
- Note whether slow drains are in one bathroom or all over
- Ask whether the sewer line has ever been scoped or cleaned
Slow drains came up at about 60 of Russ’s recent inspections, and flexible accordion drain pipe at 22. One slow fixture is usually a clog in the trap. Several slow fixtures point further down the line, and a sewer scope by a plumber is how to see it.
The guide to what to look at in the plumbing before you make an offer covers supply pipes, the water heater and drains together. To set up an inspection, you can book online.
Slow Drain FAQ
