Having a blocked kitchen drain can really be really annoying and frustrating.
Sometimes you just cannot get a plumber there right when you need him. To make matters worse, you probably have a bunch of people over for dinner or possibly in the middle of food preparation for all your in-laws coming in for Thanksgiving. Whatever the issue, whatever the cause, John the Plumbers Hamilton here to help you with a great tip to have you the homeowner, unclog that drain naturally and hopefully get you going again quickly and efficiently. Of course, we would prefer that you call us… but we like to help out the great people in Hamilton when we can!
Do you remember your grade 4 science fair?
Chances are, you or someone in your school made that fantastic erupting volcano. The one that actually erupts frothy liquid in the colour of choice through a paper mache volcano diorama. Now, Hamilton, do you remember the components? Good old baking soda and vinegar! Baking soda and vinegar are two ingredients almost everyone has in there kitchen; we recommend cheap, white vinegar, but if all you have is ridiculously expensive balsamic or red wine vinegar…well the decision is up to you.
Boil Some Water
With the addition of some boiling hot water, this simple DIY method can really do wonders for a blocked kitchen drain. Sometimes, all that’s in there is a little bit of grease that’s built up on the sides of the pipe. Fats like coconut oil and bacon fat grease are liquid in their hot state but solidify at room temperature. These can quickly cause a buildup inside of your pipes and cause a blocked kitchen drain. Keep in mind that this is not a guarantee – this will unblock a slight clog only, and you do have to follow the steps correctly.
Make Sure The Sink is As Clean As You Can Get It
As for this simple method, we recommend cleaning water out of the sink if possible. It doesn’t have to be dry, but as much of that dirty water should be removed. Next, boil some water in the kettle and slowly pour it down the sink, say about 3 cups worth. Next, add half a cup of baking soda down the kitchen sink drain, followed by a half a cup of vinegar; you’ll want to have the sink stopper ready here-quickly put the stopper so that isn’t all erupt out of this drain, but rather stay contained within the pipe.
Wait about 10 minutes, remove the stopper, and add some more boiling water down there again. Hopefully, this has done the trick and your kitchen sink is draining properly once again. If that hasn’t unblocked it give it a try a second time. If this block is more serious or the volcano method just isn’t doing it for your Hamilton kitchen sink, please give us a call and we’ll have that sink running in no time.
