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Kitchen Drain Clogged? We Can Help!

A clogged kitchen sink can put a real damper on meal preparation. It’s hard to keep your kitchen clean without a functional sink drain. Even worse, a clogged drain can cause further problems in your pipes, like leaks and even pipe bursts if left unattended. At the very least, no one wants rotten food sitting in their drain and stinking up the house.

When your kitchen sink is stopped up, you need to act fast. Luckily, there are a few DIY tricks that can clear most kitchen drain clogs.

Read on through the following sections to see how you can use different techniques to unclog your kitchen drain before calling a professional:

  • Garbage Disposal Is Clogged
  • Clogged Kitchen Sinks
  • Preventing Kitchen Sink Clogs

Garbage Disposal Is Clogged

If you have a garbage disposal, that’s the first thing to check when the sink stops draining. Should that turn out to be the culprit, here’s how to get your disposal going again:

  1. While wearing gloves, carefully pull any remaining debris out of the garbage disposal.
  2. Find and press the reset button on the side or bottom of the disposal unit.
  3. Find the small opening at the bottom of the unit. Use an Allen wrench to turn the gears and force the disposal to grind through food bits lodged inside the blades.
  4. Turn the hot water on full blast and run the disposal to grind up the remaining food particles.

Clogged Kitchen Sinks

If you don’t have a garbage disposal, or if your garbage disposal doesn’t seem to be the problem, it’s time to dig a little deeper into the pipes.

Here are some simple DIY options for resolving clogged kitchen sink drains:

  • Pour a kettle of boiling water directly into the drain.
  • If there is standing water, use a sink plunger to loosen the debris creating the clog.
  • Remove the p-trap under the sink, check it for a clog, and remove any gunk before reinstalling the pipe.

If none of these steps gets your kitchen sink flowing again, call Mr. Rooter® Plumbing at (855) 982-2028.

Preventing Kitchen Sink Clogs

Some folks do not realize that their kitchen habits can cause damage to their plumbing system. Most kitchen drain clogs can be prevented.

Follow these simple tips to avoid a clogged kitchen sink in the future:

  • If you have a garbage disposal, run it with hot water at least once a day.
  • Never put bones, potato or cucumber peels, egg shells, coffee grounds, fish skins, or fruit rinds in the garbage disposal.
  • Don’t pour cooking fats or grease down the drain. Allow it to harden and dispose of it in the trash. Or pour off the hot grease into a can or butter container, diverting it from your kitchen sink.
  • Use a microbial drain treatment each month to prevent buildup inside all your drainpipes.
  • Install a food catcher above your garbage disposal to catch the majority of large food scraps. Once the food catcher is full, empty it into the trash.

Get Expert Help for Stubborn Kitchen Clogs

Need professional assistance with a tough kitchen clog? Your local Mr. Rooter Plumbing helps homeowners with a wide range of plumbing issues, including clogged kitchen drains. When you find your kitchen drain clogged up, request an estimate online. Or call us directly at (855) 982-2028.

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