How to Repair a Stopped-Up Kitchen Sink

Remove the strainer basket before attempting to unclog your drain.

Clogged kitchen drains are often caused by large particles of food falling into the drain and blocking water flow. An accumulation of cooking fat and debris in the pipes can also stop up your drain. In open sinks that don't have strainer baskets, you may even find that a piece of flatware has fallen into the pipes, blocking your water flow and slowing or stopping your drain. Kitchen drain pipes are constructed so they are relatively easy to fix, especially if the blockage is in the P-trap, which is the pipe beneath your sink shaped like the letter J.

Things You'll Need

• Plunger
• 1- to 2-gallon bucket
• Pipe wrench (optional)
• Screwdriver (optional)
• Plumber's (Teflon) tape

Instructions

Removing the Clog

1. Remove the strainer or any other easily removable drain cover from your sink.

2. Place a plunger--either a clean toilet plunger or a smaller one designed for sinks--around the sink drain and plunge it up and down rapidly several times.

3. Repeat the process until the clog loosens and the sink begins to drain. Often, this is only a temporary fix that turns a completely clogged drain into a slow-running drain. To clear your drain completely, clean out the P-trap once the sink drains.

Cleaning the P-Trap

1. Search for the nuts on either end of the P-trap. These are large rings that fit all the way around the pipes.

2. Place a bucket under the P-trap so it is securely under the pipes to catch any water.

3. Rotate the nuts by hand to loosen them. Use a pipe wrench only if necessary. Modern sinks are also plumbed with PVC pipe instead of metal drain pipes, and a wrench can crack the PVC.

4. Pull the P-trap free from the stationary pipes and drain it into the bucket. Inspect the P-trap and remove anything else within it, either by shaking it out, pushing the debris out with a screwdriver or flushing it out with a garden hose.

5. Wrap the male threads of the sink pipes in plumber's tape, stretching it tightly as you wrap. Restore the P-trap to its original position and tighten the nuts on both ends. Run hot water down the sink for several minutes to flush out the pipes beyond the P-trap. As you do this, check for leaks around the P-trap, and tighten the nuts or add more tape as necessary.

References

• Ace Hardware: Unstopping Clogged Drains, Toilets and Sewers
• The Family Handyman: How to Clear Clogged Sink Drains