How To Unclog A Sink: Best 6 Techniques To Follow

November 6, 2020
 | By 
Queen Plumbing Charlotte

Most drain blockages occur when dirt, skin flakes, hair bond, and soap scum builds on the walls of drain pipes over time. A clogged sink restricts the water flow.

Before unclogging a bathroom sink, we need to know what is the reason behind the clogged sink. Small clogged sinks are relatively easy to unclog with hot water, baking soda, and vinegar, but a big clogged sink drain opening needs a drain snake or plumbing snake to unclog.

In the following part, we will discuss why you face clogging problems and how to overcome the problems in an easy way.

Why Do I Have A Clogged Sink?

Your kitchen or bathroom sink sinks can clog for many reasons. Kitchen sink clog due to soap scum buildup, garbage disposal, food waste, and some other reasons. Soap residue, hair, and other debris clog the bathroom sink.

Below are the most common reasons behind the clogged drain:

Hair Clump

Hair clumps together and become trapped on the side of walls and knotted in the drain's components when it enters your sink drain. It is trapped primarily on a p trap and U-shaped pipe.

To remove hair, use long tweezers or a zip-it tool. An old toothbrush can help in outer cases. If neither of these methods works, consider disassembling the whole drain.

Damaged Or Broken Pipe

Sometimes the old rusty pipe can slowly lead to a clogged bathroom sink. A damaged sink and pipe can lead to plumbing system error causing plumbing issues.

So replacing the old rusty pipes with plastic pipes or PVC pipes can be an easy fix. We can plunge or use the snake method if a temporary problem occurs.

Soap Scum

Soap scum is particularly common in countries with hard water. Over time, it can accumulate inside of the pipes, increasing mold and mildew growth and clogging kitchen and bathroom sinks.

To reduce built-up soap scum, slowly pour some boiling water inside the drain and also use the baking soda & vinegar method. If it still didn't move, soak it in warm water for about an hour.

Jammed P Trap

The p-trap is the curved pipe that attaches to the wall pipe bucket underneath your bathroom sink. It keeps damaging sewage vapors from entering the sink drain.

Disconnect your bathroom sink's trap and clear out any hair or big things that may have been trapped therein.

Unclogging Procedure Of Clogged Kitchen OR Bathroom Sinks

There is no good time to stick with a clogged sink. Any problem is a severe problem. Depending on the depth of the problem, sometimes you need to bring a professional plumber. However, there are some methods we can follow by ourselves to unclog a bathroom sink or kitchen sink, and they are listed below.

Baking Soda With White Vinegar

Garbage disposal without control and other things like food waste, dental floss, and other waste materials cause the standing water problem. You can try the following method to flush the clog.

  • Remove the top of the sink stopper and unscrew the drain lid.
  • Take one cup of regular white vinegar and 12 cups of baking soda.
  • Twelve cups of baking soda should be poured down the drain.
  • Pour the vinegar solution down inside the drain.
  • Allow the mixture to drain for a couple of minutes or wait for the fizzing to stop.
  • Pour hot water or boiling water down the sink drain.
  • Do again the technique three times more with tepid water.

Hair Clogged Bathroom Sink

The bathroom sink can be clogged easily with hair. To remove the clog caused by hair, you can follow the following steps:

  1. Take out the stopper of the sink drain.
  2. Check the drain with a flashlight.
  3. Once you catch the sight of hair, make use of the long tweezers and remove the drain clog.
  4. If you can't see it, use a zip-it or similar tool and use a wire hanger to extract the hair.
  5. Slide the instrument as far top and down the sink drain as it may go naturally. Don't try to push it.
  6. Push the device in at various angles. To trap additional hair, try moving the hand crank inside the sink drain.
  7. Redo the whole process as needed, and pour boiling water or hot tap water when needed.

P Trap Cleanup

P-shaped traps can be quite problematic for the sink drains. It hinders the flush process, and the rolling boil water method doesn't work. We need extra tools to unclog it. Steps are:

Clogged P Trap Cleaning Approach
  1. Wear plastic or rubber gloves and place a bucket below your sink trap.
  2. Whenever required, release the small slip nuts with pliers or bare hands.
  3. Hand-remove the trap and empty the excess water inside the large pot bucket.
  4. Remove any debris or grime that has been trapped a few inches inside the trap.
  5. Using a bristle brush, clean the trap. It can be found in a local hardware store.
  6. Reassemble the sink trap and test out the sink drain with standing water.

Plunging Sink Drain

Plunging is the most common and effective solution to clogging problems.

A homemaker plunging the kitchen sink drain with a plunger
  1. Make use of a cup toilet plunger.
  2. Take out the drain stopper.
  3. Use tape or any wet rag on the sink drain to stop the overflow.
  4. Towels or wet rags should be placed on the ground around the sink side.
  5. Fill up the sink halfway with some warm water.
  6. Make a tight clinch over the sink drain using the plunger's cup.
  7. Using fast, sharp movements, pump the plunger and repeatedly seal it up and down.
  8. Check the drain and inspect if the clog has been removed.
  9. Repeat as many times as needed. Check the flush.

Use Plumber's Snake

  1. Use automatic drain snakes (also known as plumber's snakes) if available.
  2. Place rags or paper towels beneath the sink.
  3. Take out the p-shaped trap.
  4. Take out the stopper.
  5. Manually insert the snake into the wall drain. You can follow the manufacturer's instructions for further information.
  6. Using the top handle, uncoil the drain snake inside the clogged drains.
  7. Turn the head above, below, and sideways when you reach the stubborn clogs.
  8. Reattach the sink drain components after removing the snake.
  9. Examine the drain.

Chemical drain Cleaners

Chemical cleaners can be harmful to the body and can cause health problems when they are not used without precautions. Below are a few steps showing how to unclog a sink using chemical drain cleaner:

Pre-requisites:

  1. Make sure about safety. Use hand gloves and aprons.
  2. Do not mix two different types of chemicals in a sink drain together. Think before using caustic chemicals.
  3. Do not use any other methods before using the chemical process. Previously used chemicals and vinegar can react with the chemical causing further sewer gases.
  4. After using a chemical drain unclogging solution, do not apply any pressure-related handling sink drains.
  5. Keep the eye, nose, mouth, and sensitive organs away and safe from the chemicals.
  6. After using the chemical, method, do not use the chemical method directly after that.
  7. Keep good airflow in the place before using chemicals.

Contact professional plumbers if you are not an expert.

Unclogging Drain With Chemicals

  1. To remove an exposed sink drain clog, use any basic mechanical procedure. You can use the plunger or drain snake method.
  2. Read the instructions on the bottle and apply the chemical to unclog a bathroom sink as instructed. Do not assume any quantity.
  3. Do not flush the solution. Slowly pour it into sink clogs.
  4. Chemical solutions are often very fast-acting. The obstruction would be gone in a matter of minutes.
  5. But it might take many hours in the event of severe clogs. As a result, you can use the solution overnight and let it drain for a few hours.

Although the chemical method is very effective for kitchen and bathroom clogs, we should avoid using it to unclog a sink as it is unsuitable for pipelines and the environment.

However, the above methods are handy for urgent solutions to unclog a sink. But for a professional checkup and sustainable sinks to work, you need to get your sink drain checked up by an expert. According to a company named 'Energy star,' the plumbing solutions are very costly in Old Statesville Rd Charlotte.

Contact QUEEN CHARLOTTE PLUMBING at 704-707-3339 for 24/7 professional plumbing support. We are the top reviewed local plumber compliance who takes care of plumbing issues at a reasonable cost.

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