Every modern home sits ontop of a network of infrastructure. The walls hold your wiring, insulation, HVAC ducts, and all your plumbing. The plumbing alone is comprised of several layers. The kitchen sink alone has three different stages of drain, from the garbage disposal to the sewer line. We need the kitchen sink to flow clean, it is essential for cooking and the constant cycle of dishes.
If your kitchen sink drain is clogged, it could be one of three primary issues. Let’s take a closer look at what might be clogging your sink and how to use it.
Garbage Disposal Clogs
At the top layer of your kitchen sink drain is the garbage disposal – if you have one. This is a machine made of spinning blades just under one side of your sink. It makes it easy to get food leavings out of your house quickly and cleanly – but only if those food leavings don’t clog the drain. A garbage disposal clog usually relates to hardened food or something too hard to grind.
Home Fixes
To dissolve thick and hardened foods, flush your garbage disposal with very hot water. If your garbage disposal is stuck on an ungrindable item, use a hex wrench (your disposal may have come with a special one) to turn the blades backward, and rock the blades back and forth, to shake the stuck debris loose.
Professional Repair
If your garbage disposal makes noise but does not spin or if you smell burning, you will need repairs instead of DIY fixes. Call for professional repair so that a technician can get your garbage disposal pushing ground food debris through the drain.
Kitchen Drain Clogs
Beyond the garbage disposal is the drain pipes that lead from the kitchen sink to the sewers. If these lines get clogged, then you will need to flush them out.
Home Fixes
Start with a pot of boiling water. Let this push it’s way through the clog. If the sink backs up, allow it to fill and then the pressure will help push the drain clear. After boiling water, use vinegar, baking soda, and/or chemical drain cleaner. Complete the process with another pot of boiling water. In some situations, a plunger in the sink can help to pull clear a specific clog.
Professional Repairs
Sometimes a clog in the drain pipes is more serious than the drain flushing can account for. If your drain needs to be snaked to break up a solid clog, a professional plumber can help you safely break up clogs and clear your drain pipes.
Sewer Clogs Blocking the Kitchen Sink
The final issue with your kitchen sink drain is the sewer itself. In densely populated areas, sewer lines can be clogged, backing up the drains of everyone behind the clog point. Your sewer connection can clog or there may be a clog near your home. Resolving a stopped sewer requires the work of experienced local plumbing professionals.
Professional Repairs
If your garbage disposal is working and your home drains can be snaked through without clog, then the issue is with your sewer. In this case, call for professional plumbers who have experience with repairing the local sewer lines as well as home plumbing.
SOS Drain and Sewer specialize in the unique plumbing relationship between home drains and the city sewer lines. Whether your pipes are clogged internally or a nearby sewer stoppage must be resolved, we can help. Our professional plumbers and technicians will find the source of your kitchen sink drain issues and get rid of the problem, no matter how deep it goes. Contact us today to schedule a drain and sewer consultation.
