Common Causes of Sink Clogs

August 5, 2011

Kitchen, bathroom, or even utility sinks can become clogged.  Clogs are inconvenient, but severe clogs can be costly and create major problems in your home plumbing system.  They may even require a professional plumber to fix it.  It’s important to understand how and why clogs form as well as preventative measures.  With proper maintenance and some simple tips, you can help avoid major clogs.

Causes of Clogs

Food

Kitchen sink clogs are usually caused by food.  Food washed off of plates and down the drain can become trapped in the pipe system under the sink.  Sinks usually have what’s known as a P- or J-trap that catches larger items to keep them out of the rest of the pipe system in your home.  These bits of food, over time, collect and form a clog.  To remove them you’ll need to use a drain cleaner or plumbing snake.

• Try an environmentally “friendly” drain cleaner with bacteria and enzymes. We don’t recommend chemical drain cleaners for several reasons; most drain chemicals are very toxic, not a good thing to keep around the home if you have children or pets, and the toxic chemicals can also hurt your pipes as well. Over time these chemicals can deteriorate your pipes from the inside out.  If a drain cleaner doesn’t work you may need to have a plumber come clean out the drain.
• It’s best to avoid putting food down the drain and/or install a garbage disposal to help decrease the chances of a clog.

Grease

Grease is a particularly common clog-causing substance.  It creates a sticky sediment that will trap other food and over time create a clog.  This is a difficult type of clog to remove.  Even disposal cannot dissolve liquid grease, which will easily form again and collect in the pipes. 

• Pour grease into a can or scrape into the garbage.  You should avoid putting oils, grease, and fat down your drain. If these items do go down your drain make sure to run your garbage disposal with cold water. This will help chop up the fat and allow it to move through your pipes.

Hair

Hair clogs are common in both bathroom sinks and shower or tub drains.  Hair gets trapped in the sludge in the pipes and accumulates over time.  This will form a very solid type mass and will need to be removed by an environmentally “friendly” drain cleaner that can dissolve the hair or with a pipe snake that frees the mass. 

• Use sink guards to keep hair out of the drain.

Small objects

If you have small children in your home, you know how easily small objects, especially toys end up getting stuck in the drain.  These objects end up causing clogs, especially when they are not detected right away.  Food particles, hair, and even grease can become caught on these objects and form clogs that completely shut off the pipe. 

• To remove these objects you often will first need to shut off the water, then unscrew the P- or J-trap to fish them out.

Items to avoid putting down the drain:

• Fats, oils, or grease from cars or lawnmowers
• Coffee grinds
• Eggshells
• Produce stickers
• Chunks of garbage
• Feminine hygiene products
• Paper towels
• Flushable cat litter
• Rags
• Condoms
• Motor oil, transmission fluids, anti-freeze, or other toxic chemicals
• Solvents, paints, turpentine, nail polish, polish remover
• Flammable or explosive substances
• Corrosive substances that are either acidic or caustic
• Prescription and over-the-counter medications

Have more questions?  Contact Lindstrom Air Conditioning & Plumbing today.

Sources:

www.ehow.com