At some point, most homeowners will need to deal with a blocked sink. The most common blockages in the house are the toilet and the kitchen.
This is because these are the items that commonly have the wrong thing pushed down them.
Common causes of blockages are soap, dirt, and food waste. You may be surprised to discover that coffee granules are excellent at blocking your drains. They collect with other small particles and create a blockage.
That’s why you need to know how to react to a blocked and overflowing kitchen sink. This includes having the number of a good emergency plumber Sydney to hand in and calling them if needed.
Shut Off the Water
The first thing you should do with a blocked sink makes sure there is no more water going down it. That means shutting off the faucet. If your waste pipes are blocked then the water has nowhere to go.
Eliminating the flow is the first step.
You can then use a bucket or a bowl to remove some of the water from the sink. This won’t eliminate the blockage but it will stop it from overflowing.
Remember, if there is water on the floor you should move around carefully, you don’t want to fall over.
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Shut Off the Power
If your sink has overflowed a little then you may not need to do this. But, if there is plenty of water on the floor it’s safer to shut off your electricity. Water and electricity don’t mix, they’ll give you a nasty electric shock.
Try the Plunger
You’re now ready to get your sink plunger. Place it into the sink, the rubber head needs to cover the plughole. You can then gently pump the plunger back and forth.
It doesn’t need to be vigorously providing the seal between the plunger and the sink isn’t broken.
The plunger will create a vacuum that can force the clog to move, breaking it up. You’ll hear a gurgling sound and the water in your sink should drain.
Drain Snake
A drain snake is a small metal pipe that goes into the drainpipe. You wind it in and the metal is flexible enough to go around the corners.
It’s also strong enough to push through most clogs. Once you feel a blockage you’ll need to move the snake back and forth several times to punch holes in the clog and start the sink draining again.
If it drains it’s a good idea to pour boiling water down the drain as this helps to clear any blockages.
Taking It Apart
This stage is something that most people prefer to leave to the professionals. However, if you want to you can unscrew the trap under the kitchen sink. This is where food waste usually collects.
Unscrewing this will allow the water out of the sink, have a bucket handy. You can then inspect and clear any blockage in the trap before reconnecting it and testing the sink with a little water.
Remember, if you only put wastewater down the sink you’ll never have an issue with a blockage!
