How to Clear Clogged Drains (page 2 of 2)

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Precautions and Tips

CAUTION: Don’t plunge or snake a drain if you’ve poured drain cleaners into the sink. The chemicals can cause serious burns if they splash on your skin. Use drain cleaners only if the sink is draining slowly and not completely clogged.

Clean the P-Trap
Clogs that occur in the P-trap and trap arm of the drain most often occur when grease or coffee grounds stick. If intensive plunging doesn’t remove it, disassemble and clean out the P-trap.

Begin by sponging the water from the sink to reduce the flow under the sink when you pull off the trap. Keep your pan or bucket underneath; dirty water will flow out. We show plastic drain lines, but many older kitchen sinks have metal traps and pipes. Metal slip nuts are usually more difficult to loosen than plastic, but either will probably require the use of slip-joint pliers to break them free. Loosen them gently to avoid cracking or bending the trap assembly.

Unscrew the slip nut between the P-trap and the trap arm first, then the nut at the bottom of the waste tee. If the trap is clogged, clean it, reinstall it and test the line with warm water. Don’t overtighten the slip nuts. Hand tight plus a quarter turn with a pliers should be enough.

If the P-trap isn’t clogged, move on and remove the trap arm and clean it. Run a screwdriver around the inside of the pipe stub-out and pull out any debris that may have collected in the opening. If you still haven’t found the clog, reach for the snake!

Snake the Line
Begin by loosening the setscrew at the tip of the snake and pulling out 6 to 10 in. of cable. Then tighten the setscrew and spin the snake down into the drain line. Initially you may feel an obstruction, but it’s likely that the tip of the snake is just turning a corner. Loosen the setscrew, pull out another 6 to 10 in. of cable and continue to feed the snake into the line. If you feel the cable hit an obstruction, continue cranking and pushing the cable through the clog until you feel the tip bite through. This should be obvious because the tension in the cable will drop. When you are through the clog, turn the crank counterclockwise and pull out the cable. Clean the cable as you pull; it’ll probably be covered with incredibly dirty gunk. You may get a large plug of material at the end of the snake, so keep that bucket handy. Repeat the process until you no longer feel blockage, then reassemble the trap and run plenty of warm water to flush the line.

TIP: After the drain is open, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1/2 cup of white vinegar into the drain. Cover both openings and let it sit for a few minutes. Then run another gallon or so of warm water behind it to flush out the mixture. The combination of baking soda and vinegar can break down any leftover fat deposits and will leave your drain smelling fresh.