Customer Reviews

PermaFLOW PF-07001 Never-Clog Drain

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Good:
1) Really nice looking. LOOKS and FEELS solid too. (But, unfortunately, is not. See below.)
2) The twist-knob REALLY works as advertised and does not leak.
3) Excellent customer service -- the manufacturer is actually READING these discussions and responding to them! Good phone service too.

Bad:
1) Hard to install: both the device and the pipe nuts are made of acrylic. And acrylic tends to be somewhat flexible, and as a result, you cannot quite tighten it right: the threads have an affinity to jump (without breaking, that is) once you near the right tightness.
2) (retracted: problem turned out to not be caused by PermaFlow)
3) Not sure how to describe it, but after a bit of use a crack has developed in the top flange and the whole thing started to leak. :(

Anyway, I have received a replacement and I will be installing it sometime to give it a second try.

Tried to install under Kitchen sink. Unit uses "slip" connectors to seal but the acrylic material is too flexible to totally seal. Unlike the White PVC most kitchen sink plumbing is made with, the clear acrylic doesn't allow the nut to tighten down enough to provide a good seal. No matter how I tried to connect, it leaked where the pie exited from the unit.
The diameter of the unit also isn't large enough for kitchen drains, it increases the pressure as it narrows and that also contributes to the leaks.
The unit also doesn't appear to have the same radius as standard "U" sumps which hinders the ease of installation.
All in All a great disappointment.

got this as a gift as requested. it took all of five minutes to install it. that includes getting a bucket to remove the existing p-trap. unscrew everything (no tools even needed)...take out old p-trap, put this one in...screwed everything back on.

turned on the water...watch it flow through...watch water fill in air to create sewer seal (as is intent of p-trap)...but, can see what is sitting in there if. If it ever gets clogged...turn the wheel...done!

for those that would rather replace a trap ($2-$4) everytime it gets clogged...or buy expensive chemicals or buy tools to snake in there...then, that's your choice. for me $20 to get this, install it, and always see what's trapped and easy to remove clogs...no question, easy piezy lemon squeezy!!!

Uploading photo so that you see what it looks like installed. again, everything fit perfectly and easily for me.

BUY IT, INSTALL IT, Never CLOG!

Like most men, I have facial hair that requires the occasional trimming/shaving/shaping/modifying. I usually perform said maintenance over my bathroom sink. Unfortunately, everywhere I've ever lived and shaved at, the sink starts to clog. Doesn't matter if I diligently remove move of the hair and throw it in the trash, some works its way into the drain and eventually slows the draining process, which means that I periodically need to run some Liquid Plumber down the drain.
This has always bothered me (and I'm sure the chemicals I'm dumping down the drain aren't exactly helping the water supply), so I thought I'd look for a solution.

Behold the PermaFLOW Never-Clog Drain.

I bought this during the holiday sale (did next to no research on it other than reading a few reviews) because it was about the price of the big Liquid Plumber and I figured it was worth a shot. It works.

Installation is simple. I needed a set of Channel lock Pliers to loosen the previous plastic piping; said piping (already starting to get clogged up again) was then dropped in my bucket while I installed the new P Trap. There are 2 sets of washers and nuts for each side, which I presume are sized for the most common pipes; the larger one fit mine nice and tight. I screwed it on hand tight then gave it an extra quarter turn. Flipped on the water, no leaks!
Then I read the instructions and learned the correct position for the internal piece, adjusted the wheel and the drain seemed to clear faster. Thus far (less than a month after installation), I have yet to notice any build up inside the pipe, however I know that if I did, I could just turn on the water and rotate the wheel to clear it.

The item works well in that you get to see what goes through, identify if there is a clog, and scoop or bypass the issue. Of course it may not be pretty, but that is no fault of this device. The only things I would warn you about is that it introduces a clearance issue. It is deeper than a typical trap and if you don't have much clearance under the sink or happen to store items under the piping in the kitchen (as I did) you will have to rethink that.

The problems I had with this item is that the clear plastic is fine for the trap, but the couplers were terrible. You shouldn't over-torque the couplers for general PVC use, but the included ones tended to leak. I think that due to the hard, clear plastic it does not have the give or stretch that PVC typically has. Regardless of how much teflon tape I used, I had a small dripping leak from the couplers. I torqued a little tighter and they were fine till my garbage disposal ran and the coupler snapped (even though it is 2 pieces and 12 inches away from the disposal). I would recommend just tossing these clear couplers in the trash and buying fresh ones from the start to avoid this issue.

This thing was awesome, never had a clog the whole 2-3 months we had it. Why 2-3 months you ask? well this is basically two peiced of piping sealed together in the middle as you can see in the pitures.. well we noticed about a month after installing it that there were puddles under the sink, i thought i was maybe a bad seal at one end buy no it was a bad seal in the bottome middle of the pipe itself. Water was basically dripping from the bottom. needless to say i replaced it with a 89 cent PVC pipe and it works just as well.. dont waste your time or money

Along with another gadget called Ez Zip Drain Cleaning Tool Sierra Tools EZ Zip Drain Cleaner, the PermaFlow system works perfectly to keep my bathroom sink draining smoothly year round.

Before, the draining in my bathroom sink will slow to a crawl 2-3 times a year. The see-through PermaFlow let me diagnose where the problem is. If the clog is at the U shape, a simple turn on the knob once or twice will usually clear the clog.

Sometimes, the clog occurs higher in the pipe where the lifting mechanism is for the drain stopper. In those cases, I would use the Ez Zip Drain Cleaning Tool Sierra Tools EZ Zip Drain Cleaner to clean the clog from the drain opening above. While I fish for the clog using the zip tool from above, I would look down and watch if I am able to push the hairball (or whatever) down to the U pipe area. Once I see the clog has been pushed below to where the U shape is, then all I have to do is turn the knob on the PermaFlow to swipe the clog down the pipe.

The above methods work like a charm and have saved me from calling the plumber at least twice already during the last 12 months.

PROS:
- Super easy to install, even for a non-handy person like me.
- Water tight. It comes with different kinds of seals and tighteners. I read the instructions and used the right ones for my pipes. It installed easily and has remained water tight after 12 months.
- The see-through is really helpful in diagnosing the problem. (see explanation above)

CONS:
- After reading some reviews here about leaks, I was concerned. But I found that mine has been water tight and I had no problem installing it. I wonder if people who had problem picked the wrong kind of seals or tightening knobs. The kit provided two different types and the instructions show you which type you need to use.
- For safety, I put a paper cardboard underneath the U pipe, and I check for water marks on the cardboard once in a while. So far so good.

I read all of the reviews of this product, pro and con, including the responses by the manufacturer. I decided to order two of them to try. They were easy to install and haven't leaked a drop. I am going to order two more. To those who gave the product bad reviews, either you haven't tried them or you did something wrong. I think one of the problems some people have may be caused by over tightening. Hand tighten only worked fine for my. Just my opinion.

I received this as a gift and was very excited, since I was renovating my kitchen and could install it myself as part of the whole new sink drain assembly. Haven't needed to use the no-clog handle, but after two months, I noticed last night that the plastic seam where the two parts of the trap assembly join, had started leaking. I'm sending it back and will see what the manufacturer says, but it's only been 2 months and the seam joint has failed, so I'm not hopeful. Too bad, since I liked the idea of it and talked it up at my local plumbing supply.

Our bathroom sink drain slows to a crawl every 3 or 4 or 5 months -- plus the occasional earing dropped down into the trap -- that I thought I'd give this PermaFlow device a shot.

Installation was a snap. Straight forward connections, no Teflon thread tape required, no drips or other problems to complain of. And frankly, it's kind of neat to see what's happening under the sink once everything is connected and the water is flowing.

Trouble is -- that recurring slow drain I mentioned? -- it doesn't clog up down here in the trap. No, instead it clogs up in the throat, around the stopper and the little lever that operates it. So even though, right now, I've got a slow drain in the bathroom sink, this see-through trap is more or less clear (minus the light layer of toothpaste grunge and soap scum lining its bottom -- a simple turn of the knob would get that moving along).

And, good news/bad news, my wife hasn't dropped any jewelry for me to collect. (I'm actually looking forward to that with my flashlight and Flex Claw Pick-Up Tool at the ready.)

What IS COOL is that I can see the effects of my improper drain venting in vivid, living color! Whenever we dump a dishpan full of water down the kitchen sink, the bath sink gurgles. Sure enough, when I watch it through the clear PermaFlow, I can see the water seal in the trap burble and get sucked away by the awesome vacuum force created by the load of dirty dish water surging through the poorly vented line, leaving me with noxious open air flowing between the waste line and the bathroom sink drain. I really ought to make a video of that!!

As cool as that might be, I'm typing this review with a slow drain, and the PermaFlow isn't going to help me clear it. I'll have to disconnect it, just like with the old white plastic trap, remove the stopper and its lever, and rod the accumulated hair and scum out the throat of the sink drain just like I have a dozen times prior.

So while I find absolutely no faults with PermaFlow in day-to-day use, it unfortunately doesn't help me with my most common drain maintenance item.