Clogged Sink
Clearing clogs, restoring flow – your drains and pipes are in good hands!
At one time or another, many customers have been faced with a clogged kitchen sink and have been puzzled by how it seemingly happened overnight. Our technicians have always heard the homeowners say how careful they’ve always been, making sure no food substances have gone into the drain and using other preventive measures to ensure their drains don’t get clogged.
The truth is, a clogged bathroom sink or kitchen sink is often a result of a slow buildup in the system. In the kitchen, one cause can be due to rinsing off plates or utensils causing a slow buildup of food piles up in the sink. In a bathroom, it can be a buildup of hair or other particles that slowly form a clog in the piping system.
Emergency Plumbing: Clogged Drain; Vaughan Plumbing
Any number of reasons can attribute to slow buildups that will eventually clog a sink as many that we’ve seen as plumbing technicians throughout the years. There’s a long way from your sink to the city sewer system and while we might think that all the waste that gets poured down our sinks will reach the end, a lot of it does not. The piping system walls are often left with residue buildup on the internal walls and over time, will develop into a thick, sludgy buildup of organic waste, congealed grease and food debris.
The buildup can become so onerous that it will cause your sink to clog – at any given moment and without warning. A sink can only handle so much but with that sort of eventual buildup, will cause it to be clogged and overflow and wreak havoc on your system.
How To Fix A Clogged Sink
A tried and true method to breaking up a stoppage in your pipes is by way of electric snake equipment, as used by licensed professionals. By utilizing this tool to properly excavate the issue from the clog will most assuredly break up the obstruction in question.
In our recommendation, the only way to effectively clean and restore your piping system is with power jet equipment, also to be used by professional plumbers. We offer these services to our customers and will provide all the services necessary to ensure the clogged sink or drain doesn’t come back.
As a homeowner, if you are looking for a do-it-yourself option for unclogging your sink, there are a few household items you can try in the interim.
Using A Simple Plunger
Plunging out a clog in your toilet is a very common task a homeowner can take on themselves before a snake is needed. Try to utilize the plunger for the sink to help dislodge whatever blockage has been building up in your sink. Oftentimes, the pressure applied to your drain hole is all that will be required to stop the blockage.
When plunging is applied, always make sure the sink has enough water to submerge the head of the plunger and that the plunger is placed directly over the cup of the opening. By plunging up and down rapidly and lifting only about an inch with each stroke, you will apply enough pressure to extract the clog from your sink.
Pouring Boiling Water Into Your Sink
By boiling a pot of water and carefully pouring the water into your drain, it should help alleviate some if not all of the blockage. However, do not try this method if the drain is attached to PVC pipes as it can soften or damage the material inside your pipes.
Inspect Your Garbage Disposal
Be sure that your garbage disposal unit isn’t damaged at all and could be the culprit on why your pipes aren’t running smoothly. Try turning on your garbage disposal and see if it’s running correctly. If the disposal is not running, check to see if it’s overheated and see if resetting it will solve the issue.
Dissolve Clog With Baking Soda
Another oft-used alternative to unclogging a sink is baking soda which will provide a more natural and gentler approach. You can try this approach by pouring a cup of fresh baking soda followed by one cup of white vinegar and then placing a rubber stopper over the drain. Wait about 15-20 minutes for the vinegar and baking soda to unclog the drain, remove the drain cover and use hot water to flush out the clog.
Using A Wet-Dry Vacuum
Check the manufacturer’s instructions on how to properly use this device but start the process by placing the hose at the start of the drain and creating a tight seal around the end of the house and drain. If you have a double sink, seal off the opposite side with a rubber stopper and turn on the machine to the highest. The pressure of the vacuum should help dislodge the clog.
These ideas are all recommended solutions that can help unclog the drains in your bathroom or kitchen. There are a few tried and true methods in here and can certainly help you in the future.
Some basic ideas to help prevent a clogged sink would be not to overload your garbage disposal and not to allow grease, oil or coffee grounds in your drain. Collect that waste to go into your compost garbage.
For solutions for your garbage disposal, it’s often wise to freeze a mixture of half vinegar and half water into ice cubes. Every now and again drop one or two of these into your disposal to keep it fresh. Also, running hot water from your tap after each kitchen use will help keep the drain cleared.
Of course, if you don’t feel comfortable using these devices or methods, call Preferred Plumbing Solutions to assist you. We will always explain in great detail what the issue is and how to properly remove the clog from your drains.
For the best possible results and to ensure the problem doesn’t come back, we will always recommend contacting a local plumber near you to provide the best service for all your residential plumbing needs!
Frequently Asked Questions
My Kitchen drain is draining very slowly, is this a problem?
Yes it is a problem, it means that the drain is very dirty with organic waste and grease. There is an accumulation of waste that requires professional help.
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