My sink in my kitchen is clogged, I tried Drano, but to no avail..?

Question

My kitchen sink is clogged the water does not want to go down, I tried Drano but nothing happened, this is going on for about a week. I dont have money for a plumber. I've told my husband that maybe it is a straw that one of my grand-daughter might of thrown in the sink that might be stuck. He said that could not be cause drano would of removed it, is that true..should i take the pipes apart to check, please give me an advice. thank you.

Answer 1

Drano will Not dissolve a straw, you should remove the Elbow from the drain, [put a bucket under it] then check elbow, if is not clogged then its the drain its self, you can use a wire cloths hanger, straighten it out make a small crook in one end run this end into drain while turning it, if you feel it getting hard to turn then pull it out while turning it,
or purchase a small drain snake [at hardware]

Answer 2

First I would try Liquid Plumber. That's always worked for me on really stubborn clogs. It's a heavy liquid and sinks right down to the clog. Then it goes to work on it - whatever it's from it will try to dissolve it. It will dissolve Hair - Fat - Chunks of Grease - just about anything (except certain kinds of squeaky toys or Barbie Heads).

Follow the directions on the Liquid Plumber bottle and give it enough time (again according to the instructions). It if works, great. If it doesn't, ...

Go down to Lowe's or Home Depot and purchase a small drain rooter.

This "rooter" has a thingy at the end that twirls away at whatever is plugging up your drain. It operates by turning a wheel at the top of a 5 or 6 foot wire.

It's sort of like a Snake, but much smaller - something that you are me can handle ourselves.

Put on heavy duty rubber gloves and keep a pail of water nearby so when you take out the rooter, you can put it in there to dilute any gunky water or gunk that may be on it.

So you feed the rooter down the drain until it can't go any further - that's usually the clog. Then you crank the handle a few times. That will cause the thingie at the end to turn and work its way through the clog. Now if the clog is thick, you may have to keep cranking.

If it doesn't unclog it right away, put the rooter back out - be really carefull! Don't spill any gunk from the end - (you don't know what it could be until you have a closer look at it).

Put the rooter in the pail of water and examine the end of it. The tip will be covered with whatever clogged the drain. It' could be a huge chunk of grease or something your kids thought was funny to throw down the drain - one never knows.

Get it off the thingie and try again. If you get it cleared this time - great. If you don't - then I would call a plumber. Yes, you could always try to unhook the pipes yourself, but if you don't know what you're doing, you could mess things up. I always remember those comics with Dagwood working under his kitchen sink, making things worse.

So good luck - I hope you get it unclogged.

Ken

Answer 3

Drano will not dissolve the straw. If you have the tools, yes, take pipes apart and make sure that the straw isn't blocking the pipe and other things getting hung on it. Be sure to have something under the pipes to catch water, (dishpan, big cooking pot) or you will have a real big mess. I used a coat hanger opened and stretched out, with the hanger end made into a loop, and just pushed it in and shoved it and messed with it for about 15 minutes, and it unclogged ours after 3 BIG bottles of drano didn't...If the clog is farther down, you may need to get a pipe snake, or call a plumber. Best of luck.

Answer 4

Do you have a garbage disposal in that sink? The procedure for clearing the clog will be different for sinks with and without garbage disposals. Starting with the basics: Remove as much water as you can from the sink. Seeing as you have put a caustic chemical in the water (Drano) you should be careful and wear gloves. Dispose of this water in the toilet, being very careful not to drip any onto carpets, or floors. Once you have gotten as much water out of the sink as you can, remove everything from under the sink to give you as much room as you can to work. If you have a garbage disposal, look for the outlet connection where the drain pipe connects. This is usually held in place with two screws. Turn the power off to the disposal (for safety). Put a bucket under the disposal and drain pipe. Loosen the screws ans pull the outlet tube loose. You should have some water dripping out. If you have none, the clog is in the disposal drain outlet. Remove the tube and take a screwdriver or other small object and push through the clog. Clean the pipe as well as you can and re-assemble the drain assembly. With no garbage disposal, you just have to remove the trap. Using a pair of channel lock type pliers or a large adjustable wriench, loosen the pipe nut and pull the trap free. Water from the sink will pour out, so again be prepared with a bucket and gloves! Clean the clogs from the trap. Put the assembly back together and you should be ok. If this sounds like something beyond your mechanical skills, call a plumber!

Answer 5

The problem I see is you now have Drano in the pipes, and if you disconnect the pipes, you could be burned. There should be a clean out either on the outside wall, or under the sink. If it is on the exterior wall, remove the plug, and let the water drain outside, then get a snake and try and clean the line with that. Grease is most likely the culprit, and you will want to wear some type of gloves to protect your hands. Good luck!

Answer 6

Yes I am afraid that the only way to really get the pipe clean is to take it apart. It isn't very hard to do and is easy to put back together. If you dont find the clog in the pipe under the sink then unfortunately you will have to hire a plumber. Good luck

Answer 7

If it is not straw and just grease that is clogged, you might try this. Take some arm&hammer baking soda and put a few spoons of it in your drain. Then take a small a pint or quart of white vinegar and pour in the drain. It will fizz and bubble a lot. Even after the bubbling stops, leave the vinegar in there overnight, then see if it helps the next morning.

Answer 8

if drano didnt work i think the best thing to do is open all pipes and see if there is something stuck in one of them. why dont you call a professional just to give you an estimate about the cost? you can also pour amonia down the drain and that might help

Answer 9

Tell your lazy @ss husband to snake out the drain.

Answer 10

if you have a disposal, turn it on and see if that does it..........if not pull the trap at the bottom of the sink under the counter and remove what's blocking it and reassemble.