Kitchen sink clogged
Kitchen clogs are grease and food, and they sit a few feet past the trap. That is why the plunger only half works.
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The short version
- Most likely cause
- Grease and food built up in the drain line.
- Safe to try
- A plunger, and cleaning the trap under the sink.
- Call a plumber when
- It clogs again within days, or other drains are slow too.
Safe to try
- Run the disposal if there is one.
- Plunge, with the other bowl blocked.
- Put a bucket under the trap and clean it out.
- Flush with hot water once it drains.
Time to call
- Water backs up into the other bowl or the dishwasher.
- The clog returns within a week.
- Other drains in the house are slow.
- You have already used a chemical cleaner.
Why it keeps clogging
- GreaseGrease goes down as a liquid and cools into a coating that catches everything after it.
- Where it sitsThe blockage is usually in the line inside the wall, beyond the reach of a plunger.
- Chemical cleanersThey sit in the trap when they do not work, and they are hazardous to whoever opens the pipe next. Tell the plumber if you used one.
- The ventA blocked vent makes a sink drain slowly and gurgle even when the line is clear.
What a plumber will do
- Ask what has been tried, including any chemicals.
- Clear the line with a cable from under the sink.
- Check the trap, the disposal and the vent.
- Tell you if the line shows signs of a larger problem.
Never mix drain cleaners or follow one with another. The EPA's warning about household cleaners applies: some combinations release toxic gas.
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