- Hot Water
- Sink Plunger
- A Mix of Baking Soda and Vinegar
- Plumber's Snake
These are DIY solutions that one can do without the help of a plumber. Read on to learn how to use these home remedies and other tips on kitchen sink maintenance.
How to Fix Kitchen Sink if Not Draining Well
Pots and pans used for cooking will have food leftovers and oil. You tend to rinse and pour these into the drain. However, big pieces of meat or vegetable can get stuck in the pipe.
Oil solidifies when it comes in contact with cold water and adheres to the pipes. Water will pass through slowly because of these blockages.
There are many ways to solve this problem. Some may be temporary fixes. But it allows you to use your sink until a plumber is available to check the drainage issue.
1. Hot Water
The immediate remedy for the sink to let water flow out of the drain is to pour hot water. This will melt grease and loosen food waste. This method may need to be repeated a few times to make sure the water is draining well.
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Remove as much water stuck in the sink before pouring hot water. Also, note the material of your pipe. For metal pipes, use boiling water. But, for PVC pipes, pour hot and not boiling water to prevent damaging them.
For kitchen sink maintenance, you may also pour hot water at the end of every washing. Doing this will prevent grease and dirt continue to build up.
2. Sink plunger
3. A Mix of Baking Soda and Vinegar
4. Plumber's Snake
When to Call For Help?
Pipes and air vents can be the cause why your kitchen sink is not draining well. To check and fix these, you will need help from an expert.
P- trap
A kitchen sink is attached to pipes where water flows out to the main drainage. Check out the sink cabinet, here you will see a u-shaped pipe.
This is the P-trap where water stays to prevent gasses to go inside the home. However, this is also the section that is prone to waste build-up and causes water backflow.
Cleaning the P-trap is a job for a plumber. To remove the P-trap is messy with all the water and waste stuck inside. Also, doing it on your own can cause more damage to the pipe if you are inexperienced.
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Air vent
The flow of water in the pipes creates a vacuum. If there is no air to push the vacuum created, water will not flow through the pipes. The plumbing air vent or vent stack lets air into the pipes as well as removes gasses and odor stuck in the pipe.
The vent stack is on the roof. However, it is exposed to external elements like leaves, dust, and other debris that can block the opening of the vent.
You will need the help of a cleaning professional to remove the blockage. If not, air cannot enter the pipes, causing water to be stagnant. Eventually, the pipes cannot contain the water and it will go back up into the drain.
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Things You Should Not Throw in the Kitchen Sink
You might be surprised that small items thrown in the kitchen sink can cause water to drain poorly in your kitchen pipes. These items don't flow out. Instead, they cause a build-up in the pipes.
Food Scraps
Grease and Oil
Ties, Tapes, and Stickers
Can Garbage Disposal Cause the Sink Not to Drain Well?
Kitchen sinks may come with a garbage disposal unit. This will grind food waste into tiny pieces. Thus, making it easy to flush out of the kitchen pipes.
However, food waste like bones, corn husks, or potato peels are hard to grind. Also, putting too much food waste in the unit will not make it work properly.
Big chunks of food waste will not pass through easily and can cause blockage in the pipes. To avoid this, throw only the correct food waste in your garbage disposal unit.
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What is a Drain Guard?
A sink drain guard is a kitchen tool to catch food waste and dirt in your sink. This is also useful when your sink does not have a garbage disposal unit. Using it in your sink prevents large pieces of food waste from getting stuck in the drain.
Having this kitchen sink strainer will protect your sink from clogging in the long run. This will also save you money from calling the plumber to unclog and fix the pipes.
Check this kitchen sink strainer on Amazon
To Wrap Up
At this point, you know what causes your kitchen sink to drain poorly. Don't only use ways to remove food, oil, and other waste materials when a problem comes up. Continue to use DIY solutions to ensure your kitchen drainage will not have any blockages.
For other kitchen concerns, check these out: