Kitchen sink blockages are nearly always grease, and grease behaves in a way that makes them frustrating to fix properly.
It goes down warm and liquid, then cools and sets on the pipe wall in layers, like wax in a candle. By the time the sink is slow, there can be metres of pipe coated and narrowed. Clearing a hole through the middle gets the water away today and puts you back here in three months.
Signs of a greased-up kitchen line
- Water draining slower each week rather than suddenly stopping
- A stale or sour smell from the plughole
- Gurgling from the sink after the dishwasher or washing machine empties
- Water backing up into the second bowl of a double sink
- The sink clears if you leave it for an hour, then blocks again as soon as you fill it
What blocks kitchen drains
- Fat, oil and grease
- Roasting-tray fat, frying oil, butter, cream, and the residue rinsed off every plate. Hot water only moves it a bit further along before it sets.
- Food scraps
- Rice, pasta and coffee grounds swell or compact. They do not cause a blockage on their own so much as get caught in the grease already there.
- Detergent and soap residue
- Combines with fat to form a firm scale on the pipe wall, particularly in lines that drain slowly already.
- Dishwasher discharge
- Pushes a surge of hot, greasy water into the same line. It often reveals a restriction that was building quietly.
- A long or flat waste run
- Kitchens on the far side of a house from the main line give grease more cold pipe to set in.
What not to do
Caustic drain cleaner is the usual first move and it is worth knowing what it actually does. It generates heat and can soften some of the fat, but in a line that is properly greased it rarely clears the blockage, and it sits in the pipe.
On older pipework repeated use of caustic products does the pipe no favours, and it makes the eventual job of clearing it more hazardous.
Boiling water poured down a greased line moves the problem along rather than removing it. It is a reasonable maintenance habit, not a repair.
Call 0412 661 632John & Mark were amazing. Arrived on time & fixed the problem quickly without the usual plumber’s hefty invoice. Very professional, highly recommended. Would not use any other plumber now. Thank you so much.
Paul RidleyI called Fair Dinkum Drainage after a co-worker used them. She could not say enough good things about them. So I decided to give them a try. I’d like to thank Nath, who came on time, did the job right, with no hassle. Thank You Nathan!
Dania