From time to time we all notice that the drain in our kitchen sink slows down of stops draining completely. Many times this is caused by the drain "trap" becoming clogged.A couple of things first.
A trap comes in two main configurations; an "S-trap" (example on right)and a "P-trap" (example on left). With an "S-trap" the water drains out through the bottom of the sink, through two "U shaped" fittings put together to make an "S", and out through the floor. With a "P-trap", the water drains out through the bottom of the sink into two fittings put together to make a "P", and out through another plumbing fitting in the wall. S-traps are commonly used in older homes and P-traps are used in newer homes and meet modern code requirements today. Also, kitchen sinks usually use 1 1/2 inch drains and bathroom vanity sinks usually use 1 1/4 inch drains and are made of either chromed metal or plastic.
Now with that out of the way, we can get to work. If your drain is clogged, it's often best to just take the five minutes to remove the trap and clean it out rather than to pour chemicals into the drain and run the risk of being unable to clear the drain and then having to take apart the drain with chemicals in it.
First gather a few items you will need. A towel, a bucket, and a pair of channel lock pliers. Rather than typing four or five paragraphs and run the risk of still not getting my point across, I thought I'd just provide a youtube video that explains things.
You are a good man for posting this stuff...although I will never mess with electrical work...again. Bad things, man.
ReplyDelete