sink drains

[snowball]

I am hoping others have the same problem and have conquered it so they can
tell me what to do..
the bathroom sink collects hair I guess (even though I don't brush my hair over the sink or wash it in the sink) it gets to the point where it is very slow draining...this morning I used a crochet hook to pull some out but was worried that I would lose the hook and create real problems...it works better but what would work better?
it also creates a awful odor. I don't put stuff down the sink drains because of being told that the tanks contain a bacteria that helps the tanks not phrased right but ..... hopefully someone will come up with a great idea ...I got something to put down the drain to collect the hair ect but it says to clean first...
sheila

[avalen]

Those little mesh things work good to keep the hair out but to keep the odors down you need to keep water in the p-trap. I very seldom use the bathroom sink in the fifthwheel, its easier just to wash at the sink. I do put some water in the trap and then I put the plug in. I just do that on occasion.

[Acadianmom]

There's a plastic thing about 18 inches long with teeth that you can put down a drain to pull up hair and lint. I don't know what it's called. I couldn't find it on Lowe's web site but I'm pretty sure that is where I got it.

Martha

[JudyJB]

Your grey and black water tanks do not work like septic systems in a home. In other words, stuff does not stay in them long enough for bacteria to digest waste, so you don't have to worry about killing good bacteria.

However, some chemicals are not good on the plastic pipes or the tanks. You probably have bacteria growing in the hair and other yuck like body oils that are in the pipes. What I have used a couple of times is boiling water. I have also tossed in some bleach, but I do not let it sit in the pipes for more than 10 minutes and then I flush it down with more water. I also make sure I pour it directly down the drain so it does not hit the sink itself. You don't have to put in enough stuff to fill the tanks--all you want to do is clean out those pipes that have collected hair and yuck. A teakettle full of boiling or almost boiling water is plenty. (I did the boiling water and bleach another time when I had a bug problem and thought they might be breeding in the drains. )

They do sell deodorant and supposed "digestors" for grey water tanks, but if you are like me, you dump every three or four days, so it really does not have a chance to work.

Cleaning out the hair with one of those plastic things and putting some boiling water or bleach in your p-trap should get rid of the smell.

Here is a link to that plastic thing Martha was talking about: https://www.homedepot.com/p/Zip-It-Bath ... /100665735. You can get them at any hardware.

[snowball]

thanks for the ideas...like that tool will have to get one the next time I am
in a Home Depot area...it's not in the tank I can see the slimy looking stuff on the sides
of the drain pipe...and I have large tanks Judi so don't dump till I need to like I can go a couple to three months depending... need to have them pumped out soon though just cause...
sheila

[JudyJB]

It is probably the drains, but if you can, you probably should empty the tanks more often, or at least put a little bleach down them once in a while to kill the critters inside!

I will say that the boiling water down the drain and then bleach later did get rid of all the little gnats I had flying around a couple of years ago. Someone had suggested to me that they breed on the yuck that sticks to the sides of the drain pipes.

[Pooker]

Old fashioned solution: Both at my stick home, and my RV home, once a month I toss a palmful of baking soda down every drain - about 1/4-1/2 cup - then follow with white vinegar - about the same amount. It will bubble up and that's the chemical reaction you want. I let it sit just a few minutes and pour boiling water down each drain. I have been doing this for years and years and have never ruined anything in either house or RV. I have set the first of each month as my mental reminder to do this. Once or twice I forgot to do this for awhile in one of our mobilehomes and paid the Rooter Router type guy a bundle because the clog was too far in for me to reach. I'm trying not to forget.

Good old baking soda and vinegar are two wonder cleaners and have hundreds of uses!

Pooker

[snowball]

Old fashioned solution: Both at my stick home, and my RV home, once a month I toss a palmful of baking soda down every drain - about 1/4-1/2 cup - then follow with white vinegar - about the same amount. It will bubble up and that's the chemical reaction you want. I let it sit just a few minutes and pour boiling water down each drain. I have been doing this for years and years and have never ruined anything in either house or RV. I have set the first of each month as my mental reminder to do this. Once or twice I forgot to do this for awhile in one of our mobilehomes and paid the Rooter Router type guy a bundle because the clog was too far in for me to reach. I'm trying not to forget.

Good old baking soda and vinegar are two wonder cleaners and have hundreds of uses!

Pooker

thanks Evie
I have been trying to remember how to do that thanks for reminding me about it
sheila