The hanger, which costs about $3, should be placed close to the point where the vertical pipe turns upward through the floor penetration. One hanger at each altered penetration should be sufficient.

The vacuum does a great job because it can often get the water that's in the vertical drain pipe too. Once the water is out of the sink, lie on your back and look up at the underside of the sink.

Or, he could remove as many of the larger-diameter 3-inch drains as possible and replace them with no-hub cast-iron pipe. This is what should have been installed in the first place.

Here was Amanda’s situation. The toilet drain pipe ran in between two floor joists for about five feet. It then turned down using a normal 90-degree fitting — some call it a short bend L ...