# Black stuff coming out of my drain



## LanaHere

Under my kitchen sink, I noticed there is a leak in the drainage pipe. Then there is black stuff which smells like sewage stuff all over the bottom of my kitchen sink base. At the same time, I saw black stuff in my toilet. The black stuff doesn't come up any more, but I want to prevent that from happening again. I have young children in the house, so I have to be cautious.

What is that and what do I need to do? I live in a city, so I pay a sewage bill. 

Thank you in advance for your reply. You may also email me at [email protected] directly with your answer.


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## AllanJ

Over the years the drain pipes may gradually be lined with black crud which is decaying garbage and soap from kitchen and dishwasher drains and decaying toothpaste and hair and soap from bathroom drains. If you have a leak, of course some may ooze out.

Black crud can also develop inside a toilet tank and thus come into the toilet bowl but I don't know what is organic in there that can decay.

I know, once I plungered a bathroom sink drain and a whole lot of soft yucky but thin slab like black stuff came up and once that was removed the drain flowed a lot better.


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## LanaHere

Forgot to say that my toilet is 8 yrs old. My kitchen sink and the plastic drain pipe that goes under the sink, along with the sink and the sink base was put in 10 yrs ago. I don't know if this information helps. If someone could tell me what to do, please post your answer. Is it the sewage and I need to call Rotor Rooter, or do I need to buy some products and pour it down the drain or down the toilet?
Thank you for your answer.


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## fabrk8r

The leak in your kitchen sink drain pipe can be repaired fairly easily if you have a few tools and are somewhat handy with them.

I suspect that AllenJ is correct in saying that the black gunk is remnants of soap and other things that get stuck on the drain pipe walls. It's common for it to appear and smell like what you described. It's necessary to clean drains occasionally to remove the buildup.

As for why it appeared in the toilet at the same time..??? That's a mystery to me.


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## LateralConcepts

LanaHere said:


> Under my kitchen sink, I noticed there is a leak in the drainage pipe. Then there is black stuff which smells like sewage stuff all over the bottom of my kitchen sink base. At the same time, I saw black stuff in my toilet. The black stuff doesn't come up any more, but I want to prevent that from happening again. I have young children in the house, so I have to be cautious.
> 
> What is that and what do I need to do? I live in a city, so I pay a sewage bill.
> 
> Thank you in advance for your reply. You may also email me at [email protected] directly with your answer.


A common misconception is that paying a sewer bill leads a lot of people to think the city is somehow responsible. Couldn't be further from the truth. You pay the city for waste water treatment. The sewer line from your house to the street is your responsibility. There could be a blockage in the main if you have stuff coming up in the toilet. Not likely however, unless it's coming up in a lower fixture like a floor drain, tub, or shower. The black mess you describe under your sink is sludge buildup from years of accumulated grease, grime, soap, etc. (smells like gray water not sewage). Don't use drain cleaners. A living bacteria (bio-treatment) will help with preventative maintenance. Common household items, bleach, anti-bacterial soaps, can kill the natural (good) living bacteria in drains eventually leading to a soft blockage. If you have a soft blockage, a snake probably won't clear it but temporarily if at all. It will probably require jetting with a mini-jetter to clean the inside walls of the pipe. As far as your leak goes; like others mentioned, probably a simple fix. If you can post a picture that may help. Black stuff in the toilet could be deterioration of plastic and rubber components in the tank caused by cleaners.


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## LanaHere

I remember when I saw the black stuff in the toilet, it smelled like sewage, and it made my toilet black and some are brown like you haven't clean your toilet in months. I really believe the sewer came up on me. If I am right, what should I do? I've been living in this house for over 15 yrs. It's an old house. The toilet is relatively new. Nothing in the toilet water tank that is black residue. I've checked many times. The kitchen sink and its base is about 8 yrs old. When the leak happened, the black stuff came up and got all over the kitchen sink base. 
So do I call Rotor Rooter to clean the sewage line or should I pour something down the drain to clean out the drain pipe so it won't happen again. Someone who lives in my area said that they think it's from all the rain and the sewer got backed up. But that person is not a plumber, so it's just a guess.


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## LateralConcepts

Yes you need to call a service plumbing (rooter) company that specializes in drain problems.


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## LateralConcepts

majorchamp said:


> I will have to check that.
> 
> I have given my son a bath in the guest bathtub, but didn't think to go check for gurgling anywhere.
> 
> However, we recently got hooked up with a new washer/dryer...and when I ran the washer which is upstairs, I heard bubbling coming from the downstairs toilet. Last only about 1 minute, but it sounded as if someone was blowing bubbles in the downstairs toilet.


Sounds as though you have a blockage in the main line. Bubbles (sewer gas being displaced) are most likely causing your smell. A new washer washing machine puts out a higher volume of water than the old one did. The blockage is minimal, so you likely won't notice a problem without a high volume of water. 

When was the house built?


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## LanaHere

*Black stuff under my sink.*

See black stuff under my sink. Someone said it's mold that came out of my drain pipe. It was in the toilet too. All my 15 yrs living in this 60+ yr old house, this is the first time I've seen this. Could it happen again?


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## LateralConcepts

> See black stuff under my sink. Someone said it's mold that came out of my drain pipe. It was in the toilet too. All my 15 yrs living in this 60+ yr old house, this is the first time I've seen this. Could it happen again?


Yes, it can happen again. You need to have it looked at. It's not mold. It's years of grease and accumulation. If you cut out a section of the old galvanized pipe for behind the wall of your kitchen cabinet, what used to be an 1 1/2" pipe is now probably necked down to 1/2" or less in spots packed full of sludge. That's not your only problem though if you had stuff coming up in your toilet also. 

I'm puzzled however, why you wouldn't have seen it in the shower, tub, or floor drain. Do you have a basement?


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## AllanJ

The mess under your sink could be mold unrelated to what leaked (or distant offspring of mold that leaked) from the drain pipe. Any water leaking from the pipe or condensing off cold water supply pipes or leaking between the sink rim and counter top would have added moisture and humidity under the sink and favored the growth of mold.


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## federer

lots of good suggestions here-lana did you figure out what it was?


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## LLW

*black goo in the drain*

I have that black goo in my kitchen sink but i cant seem to get a snake through it to clean it out what should i do other than calling the plumber? Also when i was cleaning it i got some into a open burn wound, is that a bad thing?


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## broox

Where are you trying to snake from?

I think burns get infected very easily.


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## LLW

im trying to snake it from the pipe coming out of the wall itself because that is where the problem is.


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## broox

Most of the time that pipe coming out of the wall goes to the right or left and tees into a vertical pipe that goes up and down. The down goes to the sewer, the up is a vent which usually goes through the roof. I have pretty good luck snaking kitchen drain lines from the roof down through the vent pipe. I hope that helps.


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