Clogged sink? Where's your trusty plunger, you can clear it!
If you stop and think about what we put down the drains of our sinks it's probably not a surprise that they clog up. Some of the more common reasons a sink gets clogged are hair, soap scum or small pieces of soap, grease, food and foreign objects (read small toys).
If you happen to be reading this page because you have sink that's not draining, read on. There are basically two types of clogged sinks, a build up of junk in the drain pipe or something is stuck in the pipe or p-trap.
The kitchen sink takes the brunt of stuff going down it, especially if you have a garbage disposal too. ( HEY...see how to fix your garbage disposal here!)
The grease and food stick to the sides of the pipe a little bit at a time sort of like your arteries getting clogged by plaque. Uh oh! You may want to schedule a doctor appointment after the clogged sink is cleared?!
A note to you folks who pour grease down the drain. Stop! But if you do pour grease down the drain you may want to run COLD water along with the grease as it will harden the grease and the solid pieces are more likely to go all the way down as opposed running hot water which will keep the grease soft until it hits the cool pipe and then it will harden and stick to the sides deeper down the drain.
After many years of diligently taking all that stuff down it, the sink will start to drain slowly, you may not even notice it for quite awhile. But one day when you turn on the water it doesn't drain or it drains v e r y slowly.
The first resort is to pour REALLY HOT water down the sink to loosen the build up. Heat up a couple of gallons of water on the stove to almost boiling and then s l o w l y pour it down the drain. If this method works for you then you're done. Woo hoo! If it didn't, then try repeating it a couple of times. Then woo hoo!
Now that the clogged sink drain is cleared you should repeat the hot water treatment about two or three times a year to keep it clear. Easy, huh?
- Bucket
- Sliplock pliers
- Rags or bottle brush
- Plumbers teflon tape
- A bit o patience
I'm sure you've probably seen those drain cleaning liquid commercials that show a big fat hairball stuck in the pipe right? Well that is probably the cause of your drain problem.
There are two types of traps: one with a plug and one without. If you have the plug kind, place the bucket under the drain pipe and remove the plug with the pliers. Let any water drain into the bucket then using a small screwdriver or like tool, dig around in the plug hole until you remove the obstruction. If you can't get it then try an unbent metal coat hanger. When the clog is removed, replace the plug and clean up any mess. Woo hoo, you're done. Oh don't forget to test the drain by running some water into the sink.
If it didn't work then you'll have to remove the trap pipe. This is not a big deal so don't leave yet. No woo hoo just yet.
There should be couplings at the top and back of the trap. You will need to unscrew them and take the trap off, don't forget the bucket. Once removed, use the rags or the bottle brush and clean out the pipe or remove the thing that's causing the clog. That being done, replace the trap and test the drain for leaks and to see if the clogged sink is actually unclogged. If it is, you know what. Woo hoo!
