I am sure that everyone hates it when they discover that their sinks have gotten clogged.
This can be frustrating, and you may think that the only way to solve the problem would be to call in a professional plumber.
Sure, calling in a professional plumber is a good idea. However, if you do not feel like shelling out some money for this easy repair, you can do it yourself when you are done with this informative article.
There are some easy ways that you can use to unclog your sink without having to spend money on a professional plumber.
So if you have been looking for a way to fix your clogged sink, this article will guide you through a straightforward process of setting it so that you can have your sink working perfectly again in no time at all. Let us get started.
We will look at the steps to take in fixing your clogged sink. The first thing with solving any problem is identifying the type of problem you face.
Table of Contents
Here Are Some Of The Possible Causes Of A Clogged Sink
Hair or soap scum?
If either hair or soap has clogged your sink, you can fix it by using some home remedies that you can quickly get in your home to clear it out.
You can use baking soda and vinegar to dissolve the residue inside the sink that may be causing the clogging. If you are looking for a more straightforward solution, you can purchase a drain snake.
This is a tool that you can use out of the box.
Maybe Something Got Stuck In It
If this is the cause of the sink getting clogged, you should first turn off the water supply to the sink and check to see if there is anything inside the sink.
If you see that something has gotten stuck inside the sink, you can use a pair of pliers or tongs to remove whatever it is.
If that does not work, a plunger or a drain snake will be able to get it done. It will all depend on the kind of tools that is available in your home.
Overflow Plate Getting Cracked
If you have a crack in any part of your overflow plate, then you will have water pooling inside the sink, and then things start getting stuck inside the sink, and the clogging takes place.
If it also happens that the overflow plate has been blocked with gunk, it will prevent water in the sink from escaping correctly, and this could lead to the sink getting clogged.
You may not notice this immediately because the water will still be able to come out of the faucet. However, it will eventually cause an overflow, which can be pretty messy to clean up.
If something has been stuck in the overflow plate or if it has been cracked, then it can cause your sink to get clogged.
The Waste Line Getting Blocked
When your waste line gets blocked, it will cause the water to back up into the sink, and when this happens, it can lead to the sink getting clogged.
When you notice what is happening, the first thing to do is turn off the water supply to the sink. You then drain the water in the sink out by using a bucket.
After doing this, you turn the water supply back on and flush the sink again. You may have to do this several times until all the gunk comes out of the sink drain.
If you see that none of the above solutions has worked, then you may be facing a much bigger problem that will need the attention of a professional plumber before it will go away.
So, in this case, you will have to call over your plumber to take a look at the sink and diagnose the real problem, after which he will then fix it for you properly.
So these are some of the possible problems that can cause a sink to clog, along with quick-fire home remedies that you can use to fix them.
If you notice that you cannot find them, then you should give your professional plumber a call for him to take a good look at the sink and see what the real issue is.
We are going to going to take a look at how you can unclog a double kitchen sink.
How To Fix A Clogged Double Kitchen Sink
There are times when you will come across a double kitchen sink that has been clogged. This is similar to fixing a regular sink that has gotten clogged.
However, there are some additional steps that you will need to take when dealing with a double kitchen sink before you can get it fixed totally.
Let us now look at some of the possible causes of clogging in a double kitchen sink below.
Second Drain Struggling With Gunk And Hair
If that is the case, you will need to get a tool known as the ‘drain snaking wire.’
You can get this tool at any home hardware store or home depot. If you do not have this tool, you can use the mop in your home instead.
You can wrap the mop around the second drain hole and then pull through from the other side of the sink, and it will help break up any gunk that has gotten stuck inside the sink.
When Both Drains Are Free-Flowing
If that is the case you are facing, then it may be possible that the main pipe has gotten clogged.
In this case, using a plunger can help get rid of the clog inside the main pipe.
You should make sure to have a bucket ready when you do this because there could be a bubbling overflow sometimes when you are carrying out this fix.
When One Drain Is Free-Flowing While The Other Is Not
When this happens, it can be down to two things. The first possible cause is that the p-trap assembly needs to be cleaned out because it has been stopped.
So you will need to clean out the p-trap before you can think of trying anything else.
The second possibility is that one of the sinks has an individual sink assembly while the other is connected directly to the p-trap group.
Meaning you will have to check on the p-trap to see if the p-trap itself has been clogged or not.
If you do not know what the p-trap is or how to go about checking it out, allow water to run through both sinks and note the sink that drains the water slower.
Doing this will let you know if your p-trap needs cleaning or a replacement.
Several factors are involved in the unclogging of a double kitchen sink that needs to be looked at.
There are times when it will be down to just one factor, while other times it will be down to a combination of several factors.
However, as long as you have patience and you work hard on it with the aid of the right tools, you will be able to fix a clogged double kitchen sink.
So when it comes to a double kitchen sink, these may be the reasons for its clogging. Remember, if you see that your efforts are not yielding any results, you should call in the professionals to look at it to diagnose the real problems.
How To Fix A Clogged Bathtub Drain
The drain of your bathtub can also get clogged for a few reasons. Some of the causes of the bathtub getting can be down to the hair, soap scum, dirt, and gunk filling up in the bathtub drain.
These are the most common reasons why a bathtub gets clogged. Below are some steps to clear out a bathtub drain that has become clogged, and let us check them out.
Clearing Out The Overflow Hole
This is one of the first things to do when you see that your bathtub drain is clogged. Clearing out any hair, soap scum, or gunk that may be blocking the overflow hole can help solve the problem.
If something is stuck in the overflow hole, you can use a pair of needle-nose pliers to get them out because the overflow hole is located at the back of the bathtub where you plug it in.
Using A Plunger
You can use a plunger to get the job done if the previous step does not yield any results. Use the plunger to clear out the overflow hole if you see that nothing is blocking it.
Fill the bathtub up with water, and then use the plunger several times until you see that the drain has finally opened up.
Using A Sink Plunger
If you do not have a plunger used for bathtubs, you can use the sink plunger to clear out the bathtub drain. You can get these at any hardware store in your neighborhood.
Even Walmart sells one of these in their plumbing section. Whichever method you decide to use, you should make sure that the plughole is cleared out already before you try these solutions.
You have to make sure that you do not run into any additional problems later.
You can also learn the skill of unclogging a drain since it can be helpful around the house.
Conclusion
If you do not feel like going through all the steps that have been shown above, you can always jump to using the plunger to get the job done.
However, as I stated earlier, you should make sure that nothing is blocking an overflow hole before using the plunger.
Better still, you can decide to ignore all these and call your professional plumber anytime you think something is wrong with your drains or plumbing.
Of course, I wonder what kind of homeowner you are since you do not want to work on your own home.
You can use several methods to fix clogged drains, which are the common ones shown in this article.
So anytime you see something wrong with your drains, visit this page and fix it yourself like an actual homeowner. You are not renting.
I hope this article has been quite helpful to you today. There is more waiting where you found this one, so do visit at any time to check them out.
For more kitchen tips, you can check out how to clean up kitchen walls and how to seal a kitchen sink.
