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Nothing disrupts your everyday home life quite like a clogged sink. Your cooking and cleaning routines take far longer to complete, not to mention the mess and smell you may experience. This happens because a lot of people neglect to take proper care of their sinks and only do so when they begin to malfunction.
Caring for Your Sink
There are easy ways of taking care of your sink, and one of them is using strainers on every drain in your house, for example. Strainers catch most large objects before they become stuck in the drain pipes below. They’re inexpensive and can be bought at any home improvement or hardware store.
Another care tip for your sink is to avoid putting grease down the drains and use disposable aluminum foil trays instead. These make cleanup easy because all the grease drip onto the foil instead of hard-to-reach areas where it could cause problems down the line due to corrosion caused by build-up.
As long as you maintain these little habits, hopefully, your sink will not cause you any problems. However, in many busy households, this might be inevitable.
Signs of A Clogged Sink
There are several signs that you might have a clog in your sink, but it’s not always easy to tell whether it’s something you can fix on your own, or if it’s serious enough to call for professional plumbing services. This article has listed the several signs you need to look for to help you determine that.
Water Is Slow to Drain
If you notice that your sink is taking longer to drain than usual, or if it’s draining slower than other sinks in your home, you may have a clogged sink. Water takes longer to drain because the obstruction slows down the flow. This also manifests when water begins pooling on the counter.
A clog also means there are no air gaps between wastewater and pipes, preventing proper drainage. This can lead to overflows and backups that result in potentially harmful bacteria being released into your home.
Gurgling Noises in The Pipes
If you hear gurgling noises in the pipes, that means liquid or food is blocking the flow of water. The best thing to do when this happens is to turn off the water supply and flush out your drain with either a liquid plumber or boiling water.
To do this, turn on the cold water and let it run until it’s hot. Then turn off the faucet, add about ½ cup of baking soda to the bottom of your sink, and plug up any drains with wet rags or towels (this will prevent debris from flying into your eyes).
Next, pour a kettle full of boiling water down each drain. Don’t try to speed up this process by pouring more than one kettle at once. After doing this for 30 seconds per drain (that’s a total of 5 minutes per sink), turn on all faucets again while they’re still running hot so that any leftover debris gets flushed away before turning cold again after another minute has passed; then repeat these steps if necessary until everything runs smoothly again.
A Smell Coming from The Sink
Is there a stench coming from your sink? It could be caused by odor-causing bacteria feeding on whatever is clogging your pipes. Sometimes it smells like rotten eggs or sewage. Mold growth on the debris causing your clog also produces a foul smell. It’s best to keep your pipes clear at all times to prevent these unpleasant odors from stinking up your home.
Water Backing up From Another Drain or Toilet
The toilet works as a good indicator for a clogged drain. When flushing your toilet, if water rises in your sink or bathtub, you have a clogged sink.
This also works vice-versa—if your toilet is filling up while the tap in the sink is running, it is likely to be the same issue.
Water Bubbling Up From The Garbage Disposal
Another sign of a clogged sink is water bubbling up from the garbage disposal. Garbage disposals are not designed to handle all kinds of food waste, which can clog the drain and lead to back-ups in your plumbing system.
If you see this in your home, it’s best to contact a plumber immediately so they can unclog everything before there is any more damage done.
In addition to this running water issue, other signs may indicate an underlying issue with your pipes or drains.
Conclusion
A sink that acts funny is often a sign of a clogged drain. The good news is that it’s not hard to figure out if you have a problem.
If you notice anything unusual, like water backing up or smells coming from the drains, call around for an emergency plumber to come to take care of it right away.
