Best way to clean bathroom basin.

needmorehelp

Hi folks,

I got a new bathroom last year with bathroom unit, washbasin on top.

I use it all the time and due to water being a bit slow to drain have screwed off the waste container type thing at bottom of sink waste pipe to clear all of the blank slimy gunk out of it a few times, which does seem to have helped.

I really don't think using a plunger would be enough as it needs to be cleaned twice yearly.

However after doing it a few days ago I have noticed a slight leak which does seem to be coming from the other connections above the waste that I cleaned in basin (I do think there might have been always a leak there, but has now got a little worse)

Anyways I don't feel competent enough to mess around with the other connections to try and get rid of this slow leak, so will get a plumber in to do it.

Just wondering though since I definitely will have to screw the waste itself off to clean a few times a year, and since its all connected to the fittings above, even though if leak is fixed now, screwing the waste off will disturb the fittings above and the leak would come back even if fixed.

Should I continue cleaning the waste as I can't see any other option, sink is used to shave, clean teeth etc the usual stuff?

I'm also curious about this, does the build up of dirt in connections sometimes actually help to seal them to prevent leaks?
Thanks for any advice.

Jonesya

Well you're disturbing it more so some of the fittings could work loose, and there may be some push-fit joints you could disturb affecting the seal.

You can buy drain cleaner pretty cheaply, if you buy the granules. I find a periodic treatment with that once every several months stops my sink blocking. I haven't needed to open up the trap in 6 years.

EmmyLou30

By all means get someone in to fix the leak but you need to establish why you're needing to take the trap off so frequently. In our old house we had one bathroom so the sink was used for everything as yours is and it hasn't needed the trap to come off in 8 years so far (unless in the last couple of years our tenants have done so but I don't think they have!).

Slinky

Sounds like you've got one of the new horrible P shaped traps rather than the old conventional U bends which if blocked were easily sorted with a plunger or hot water and soda crystals. Ours has blocked a couple of times and is a sod to get off. If somebody you know can recommend a plumber to you, you could ask him to show you how to remove it and replace it and where the leaks are likely to come from, which in our experience, is several of the different joints.

Try and ensure it doesn't block by regularly flushing it with hot water and soda crystals is my suggestion. When ours blocks there's always the smell of toothpaste and soap in the trap gunge - my OH wet shaves and I'm fairly convinced the slow running water as this drains away encourages blockages.