If the kitchen is the heart of your home, then between meal prep, washing dishes, your hands, etc., the kitchen sink is likely one of the most frequently used areas. That much use can often lead to problems, however, including a clogged sink drain.
There are a lot of different substances that could potentially end up going down the drain, including food, soap, cooking oil, butter, coffee grounds and grease. Over time, all these items can lead to clogs in your pipes – particularly if grease is collecting, since it can congeal, attract and trap other food debris. If left untreated, this can lead to your pipes becoming completely blocked. It may even cause water to start backing up into your sink.
If your kitchen drain is experiencing issues, here are some steps you can take to try and unclog your sink.
- Pour boiling water down the drain. It can soften and break up stubborn grease trapped in your pipes, along with any food debris that may have collected, and wash it away.
- Plunge it. First, make sure there are at least a few inches of water in the sink, then block the overflow drain with a rag to prevent water from leaking. Finally, place a cup plunger over the drain and plunge it up and down. Be sure not to plunge too aggressively. Otherwise, you risk damaging the drain line connection, which can lead to leaks or ruin the trap.
- Check the trap. As its names suggests, a trap is a plumbing fixture that traps debris that has drained from the sink and prevents it from forming a clog in your pipes. If hot water and a plunger fail to remove the clog, try removing and cleaning the trap. First, clear any excess water from the sink, and put a bucket underneath the drainpipes, since the trap will release any standing water when you remove it. After you’ve removed the trap, put on gloves and see if you can clear the clog out by hand.
- Use a plumbing snake. If the clog is located further down the pipe and can’t be reached by hand, try using a plumbing snake. Also known as a drain snake, a plumbing snake has a long wire coil with a corkscrew-like tip. To remove a clog, simply feed the snake into the pipe. Once you reach the clog, turn the snake clockwise until the tip breaks up the clog. If the clog is particularly large, you may also be able to use the plumbing snake to “grab” the clog and pull it out of the pipe.
If none of these efforts pay off, or you aren’t comfortable snaking your line, call the experienced team of drain experts at EcoClean. We can use sewer cameras to inspect your pipes and locate the source of the clog. Depending on its location, we can then use a variety of methods to remove it, including snaking, water jetting and even the newest milling technology. We’ll have the water flowing from your sink to your pipes again before you know it!
