Is Your Kitchen Sink Having Problems
Your kitchen sink is having problems. Water is not draining properly. Now your kitchen sink clog is causing it to fill up with water. Single bowl, double bowl, with a garbage disposal, a dish washer or without. With all kitchen sink setups, you will have varying degrees of how kitchen sink clogs are caused. Also, how they can be cleared. Standing water in your kitchen sink is the first indications that there is stoppage.
It could be as simple as build up in the strainer body. A blocked disposal, a blockage in the in the trap or something more serious down the drain pipe. If you have a dishwasher without an air gap, you may be sending waste water into your dishwasher. So always check inside the dishwasher if you suspect a clogged kitchen drain and the water begins to drain unexpectedly.
Troubleshooting a Kitchen Sink Clog
In a single-bowl sink, a clog typically results in standing water. In a double-bowl sink, water may drain from one side and back up into the other until it levels out in both basins.
If you’ve already tried plunging and using a chemical drain cleaner (which we don’t recommend) without success, the clog is likely beyond the strainer basket. The next step is to inspect the trap. If the trap has a clean-out plug, place a bucket underneath and remove the plug. If no water drains out, the trap itself may be clogged. In that case, disconnect the trap, clear the blockage, and reinstall it, making sure the sink drains properly without any leaks.
If water does drain freely when the plug is removed, the clog is likely farther down the line. You can attempt to clear it by removing the piping under the sink and using a hand-held drain auger. However, if the clog is more serious or remains unresolved, it’s best to call a professional plumber equipped with a powered drain cleaning machine.
Proper Kitchen Sink Usage
Never pour cooking oil, hamburger grease or other fats down your kitchen drain. As they cool, the grease solidifies and sticks to your pipes. Over time, this can cause a serious kitchen sink clog that can be difficult to eliminate without calling a qualified plumber. Instead, place grease and cooking oils into a separate receptacle and dispose of them with your solid waste in the garbage. It’s also a good practice to use a strainer in your sink to keep food waste, jewelry and other items from washing down the drain or disposal and becoming stuck.
Proper Garbage Disposal Operation
Avoid putting fatty meats or stringy materials down the garbage disposal. Poultry skins, celery, eggshells, and grease are all items to avoid. Before you put food in the garbage disposal, make sure to turn it on and run hot water while using it. To keep your disposal from jamming, consider grinding a cupful of ice cubes every so often. Doing so will help to loosen any food stuck inside the disposal and keep it running clean.
What if my Kitchen Sink Clog is not Repaired?
Timely repair of a clogged kitchen sink or slow kitchen drain is critical. Postponing a proper drain repair may lead to larger problems with main sewer lines or septic systems. A clogged sewer line or septic system can lead to waste water backing up into showers, sinks and appliances affecting the health of your home.
When to Hire a Professional Plumber
Note: Plumbing tools, such as a drain snakes or drain augers require expertise and can be dangerous to a user with little or no experience. The improper use of manual and powered drain cleaning tools to dislodge kitchen sink clogs may cause injury to your person or undue damage to your plumbing systems.
If you have reached this stage in the process and have not cleared the clogged drain, we recommend you contact a licensed and experienced plumber.
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Also, read some of our other household plumbing tips and other helpful article on our Tampa plumbing blog.
