black slime in drain pipes

[Anonymous No.649246]

kitchen sink drain became real slow... took apart the drain pipes and found a LOT of black slime build up pretty much all the way from the trap in the sink to where the drain pipe goes into the main iron stack in the basement. pipe from sink to the iron pipe is all PVC - relatively new (all replaced a couple/few years ago). never had THAT much build up and never a black gelatinous slime before. I use a strainer in my kitchen sink so much of food bots from plates etc get caught, and don't have a disposer/grinder or dish washer in the system.
from what I can find the black slime is some sort of "bio" mass/bacteria? I'm cleaning out by hand and or replacing all the pipes. what to do so it doesn't come back again?
pic related but not my actual pipes - but mine look like this.

[teka No.649260]

Sometimes buildup/growth like that comes from the water moving too slowly. Can you check the slope/is there obstruction where it meets the stack?

Expanding-foam 'slow drain' cleaners and some enzymatic treatments on the market should help knock down accumulation in the future. A big pot full of boiling water run down the drain weekly or biweekly (not just faucet hot, boiling. be careful) and a splash of bleach or other dysinfectant after use may help.

[Anonymous No.649266]

the pipes from the sink are all vertical (about 10 feet) until they meet the iron pipe at the basement floor where it turns 90 degrees and connects with main waste pipe under the basement floor heading out to the street sewer ...I don't think any water is slow moving or standing in the pipe (until it hits the 90 under the floor maybe...)
yes, read about using something with enzymes. will try that. also read about one guy who put a foot long length of old copper wire in the drain; copper naturally kills bacteria. thought I might try a coil of copper wire in the strainer basket at the bottom of the sink - or figure a way to stick some in the drain pipe in such a way it could be (somewhat) easily periodically removed for cleaning.
I've been in the house for 15+ years and never had this slime before... just "normal" drain pipe crap that never really caused much trouble. this slime was nearly filling the entire diameter of the drain pipe; like a massive clogged artery!
also I do not ever pour cooking oil down the drain. I purposely try to keep food bits and oil and grease etc from going down the drain as much as I can to avoid issues... then I find this?!
I'll also do the boiling water.

[Anonymous No.649267]

guessing that maybe if some or all of the drain pipes were made of copper this stuff wouldn't grow? though it might be a bit expensive. I have seen some old homes with big copper waste drain lines... bet they never had this problem.

[Anonymous No.649286]

Stop pouring grease in your drain.

Rent a power snake with a grease cutting head, or call a plumber. Snake the drain, the gutting head will breaks up grease.

Once it is clear, keep the drain clean with baking soda and vinegar, followed by bleach, then boiling water. Weekly.

Monthly use an enzymatic cleaner.

[Anonymous No.649287]

>>649267
I have seen copper clog too, just not that bad.

The copper is just impossibly expensive now for dwv.

[Anonymous No.649300]

Can't you just pour some caustic soda down the drain?

[Anonymous No.649329]

>>649246
Stop using antibacterial soap.

[Anonymous No.649334]

>>649286
>Stop pouring grease in your drain.
even if you don't do that, if you just fry a lot of food and wipe & rinse out the pans you still get grease build-up

OP: if the slime is greasy (if clean water will not wet it) then here is what worked for me: run hot faucet water for ~60 seconds, and then with the hot water still running, dump maybe 1/2 a bottle of dishwashing soap down the drain.

I had already tried running a snake and normal drain cleaner, and neither of them helped much. The hot water & soap did the trick, the nearly-clogged sink practically flushed like a toilet.

[Anonymous No.649399]

>>649286
>Stop pouring grease in your drain.
as said, I don't pour grease or [cooking] oil down the drain. this slime was even in the drain pipe for the left side of the sink which is only used for drip drying dishes; i.e. nothing but tiny bit of clean clear water goes down that drain and it still was nearly 100% clogged wit this slime. so leads me to believe its *growing* in the pipe (a bacteria) not just build up of some food scrapings left over from dish washing.

[Anonymous No.649400]

>>649329
yeah, I'm a firm believer anti-bacterial soap probably does more harm then good.... but try to tell the germ-a-phobe wife that.... ;o(

[Anonymous No.649402]

>>649287
thought maybe if a few of the pipes near the top of the drain were copper it might help keep the rest of the drain clear (from this bacterial slime anyway)... normal clogs/build-up will still happen of course but dealing with those isn't a big deal. its this slime I'm worried about.

[Anonymous No.649403]

>>649287
yes of course the copper will/can clog with "normal" type clogs; food build-up, hair, grease etc. but I'd think the copper would keep away any bacterial growth. like it does with the water pipes.

[Anonymous No.649405]

>>649286
I'm currently taking ALL the pipes apart all the way to the iron pipe leading to the main in the basement floor. I have access and its not that big a deal. I have tools and not afraid to get hands dirty. I'm thoroughly cleaning out the pipes I can and will just replace any that I can't (PVC is pretty cheap). just trying to figure what I can do to help prevent the same "growth" again...

[Anonymous No.649407]

>>649246
You think that is bad? You should see your normal water pipes and the build up that happen in those. It is enough to make me want to dig an stone well and use a bucket and rope for all my drinking water needs. lol

https://www.google.com/search?q=clogged+water+pipes&tbm=isch

[Anonymous No.649414]

>>649407
yeah but those pics look like mostly just calcium build-up or old galv pipe rusting from the inside out... not a big "gross out" factor there. I've done work on my copper supply lines and don't see anything in the pipes I've taken out/replaced other then a tiny bit of calcium film here and there. I do have "hard water"...

[Anonymous No.649424]

>>649414
Dentist drain pipe is most disgusting thing ever

[Anonymous No.649447]

>>649424
how about the hospital's main drain? or just the drains from the surgery area? yipes!

[Anonymous No.649522]

update:
got pipes apart and this is what was in one of the lengths... at least it came out easily; just "tapped" the pipe against the ground and the slime just fell/slid out in chunks.

[Anonymous No.649543]

>>649407
there probably is/was one somewhere on my property. house is over 100 yrs old. my neighbor has one (not in use) on his property.

[Anonymous No.649624]

If you drink coffee, dump the coffee grounds in the drain each time you clean the filter basket.
Use both sides of the sink.
Use hottest water you can stand when washing and rinsing dishes.
Don't skimp on dish-washing detergent/soap.
Use plenty of water. It's cheaper than cleaning drains.

[Anonymous No.649630]

>>649400
lol your wife is more prone to super bacteria and skin problems why would she use antibacterial soap if she's a germophobe

[Anonymous No.649631]

>>649522
fucking disgusting

[Anonymous No.649636]

>>649624
>Use plenty of water. It's cheaper than cleaning drains.
last time I checked sodium hydroxide was fucking cheap considering I use it once every two months
>Use hottest water you can stand when washing and rinsing dishes.
I agree though I'd rather use dishwasher, it saves detergent and water
>If you drink coffee, dump the coffee grounds in the drain each time you clean the filter basket.
>Use both sides of the sink.
good ideas

[Anonymous No.649655]

Haha awesome just did the exact same on the boat just there. Same shut in the pipes, which is odd considering they were clean as a whistle when I got her. Just pushed a piece of kitchen paper through to clear it, then let a bleach soln sit in it a while to kill everything.

Don't worry about it, only happens every 5 years or so.

And yes, I use shitty eco washing liquid

[Anonymous No.649682]

>>649246
black slime in your pipes is common fatty acids, and bacteria eating them. make sure you wash your hands with soap.
drain cleaner will open it up.

you can MYO drain cleaner
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yudgT9Yqk94

[Anonymous No.649864]

>>649246

Plumberfag here.

Grease buildup in a kitchen drain is typical and expected. Regular drain cleaning with a cable once every 5-10 years is common but more frequent if the drain is not installed properly.

The section of the kitchen drain line that will clog the most often is the trap arm, also known as the "dirty arm". The trap arm is the portion of pipe from the outlet of the p-trap to the vent. If the trap arm is not installed at 1/4" per foot slope, sized to at least 2" ID and adequately vented with a min. of a 1-1/2" vent then reoccurring clogs are expected on an annual basis.

If clogs are occurring between the p-trap and sink before the trap arm - you must be using the drain improperly or the trap and tailpiece are undersized. If the drain directly under the sink is smaller than 1-1/2" ID it must be replaced.

I'm referencing the Uniform Plumbing Code for sizing, your local codes may vary.

Don't use drain cleaning solutions, especially on older systems pre 1980. An alternative I used to sell was a can of bacteria that lives in the drain and reduces grease buildup. My boss said it worked, I have my doubts.