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Unclogging a Sink Drain
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| One of the most common household plumbing problems is a
clogged sink drain trap. Mostly, it's because traps work
by gravity – holding water in them to prevent sewer gases
from coming up into the house. Gravity, however, works to
hold an accumulation of grease, soap, and hair that, over
the years, turns into a gunky mess. Fortunately, this is one of the easiest
plumbing fix-its. You can clean out a trap in a few
minutes by taking off the trap and dumping out debris. |
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 First, put a
bucket under the trap to catch water and debris. Then
loosen the slip nuts on the trap using a pair of slip
joint pliers. Unscrew the nuts by hand and slide them away
from the connections. |
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 Dump the
debris into the bucket and clean the trap with a small
wire brush. Rinse the trap out in hot water. (Remember
that you just disconnected your drain pipe!) Inspect the
slip nut washers for wear and replace them if necessary.
Reinstall the trap and tighten the slip nuts. |
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Clearing a Fixture Drain
Line
If your sink is backed up but the clog isn't in the trap,
it's probably further in the drain system – in the drain
lines inside your walls...
Fixing Leaky Sink
Strainers
The sink strainer assembly connects the sink to the drain
line...
Replacing Drain Traps
Drain traps – those U-shape pieces of drain pipe
underneath your sink – do a lot of dirty work...
Clearing Sink Drains
with a Plunger
Sinks get clogged and backed up when soap, hair, and
grease build up and clog the trap or the drain line... |
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