Kitchen sink - drains water v e r y slowly

We have a problem with the kitchen sink that will not drain. Well it will, but only v e r y slowly. Have replaced the S bend and the fitting in the sink base itself: no fix though. If we remove all the pipes, the water drains from the sink just fine (into plastic bucket) - so the sink-fitting itself is clear.

Connect it all up up and back to slow drain again.

The drain pipe that goes through the floor is not blocked. Tried Mr Muscle down it just in case - but it didn't help. When the pipes are in place and we fill the sink, then pull the plug out, bubbles come up from the plug hole, but as I say, the water drains slowly again. I'm obviously not a plumber but cannot see what the problem is here. Seems to be air being sucked in somewhere and venting at the plug hole. This is not our place but it looks to me as if someone has replaced the S bend (or whatever was there before) with new plastic stuff - that then joints onto the grey pushfit pipe (1 ½ inch), I presume because of the slow-drain problem. So maybe something was wrong with the original setup. Appreciate some help - thanks.

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Reply to
michael newport
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We have a similar problem. I eventually gave up trying and put it down to the tortuosity of the drain pipe, a bit like yours actually.

Have you tried one of these:

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? Just make sure you cover/seal the overflow outlet on the sink when you use it, otherwise you're just pushing air down the plughole and back up the overflow pipe, and not generating any pressure to shift a blockage. Another thought, if you have access to the outlet pipe where the sink discharges into a drain, shove a hose up it and blast it clear of crud. Best to put an inverted bowl over the sink plug hole to contain any cruddy fountain. I've used both methods on other sinks with success.

Reply to
Chris Hogg

In message , michael newport writes

Just becuase the Mr Muscle didn't seem to do anything, doesn't mean the pipe isn't blocked - it may well not have shifted the blockage if there is one. Sometimes you need to remove it mechanically (one of those bendy spring things for pipe clearing?)

Other thoughts, what happens to the pipe after it goes down through bottom of the cupboard? Can you see it, check it in anyway?

We used to have a shower here that drained slowly. When eventually bathroom was refitted the problem was obvious. The waste pipe had a sag in it which held water - acting ;like a kind of second trap. Air trapped between this and the shower trap meant that the water didn't drain properly

Reply to
Chris French

To use as plunger type doover, fill the sink fast till it backs up,block any other drains connected with either plugs or a sheet of rubber,put the sucker on and slowly push down, then violently pull back up, try this a few times. the pull instead of push method works best.

Reply to
F Murtz

Have you poured a bucket of water into the open end at a reasonable rate without it backing up? Can you see the other end or outflow of that pipe anywhere, a gully outside or in an inspection chamber?

Chances are it's blocked by congealled fat, caustic soda might shift it but mechanical means should be quicker but you really need to attack it from the downstream side with a flow of water into the upstream side so dislodged bits are free to flow out and not have to negociated the blockage first.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

I did try a small bottle of water and that went straight down the pipe

- (in pic): the one with two clips attaching pipe to wall. I could try a bigger bottle :-) It's strange becuase the sink drains sooo slowly before the water would have time to get to any (partial) blockage. I cannot see where it exits the building - so looks like a it's a callout job! thx all.

Reply to
michael newport

Which particular Mr Muscle product did you use? There are several.

The air may be coming up through a possible blockage in the pipe rather than from another source venting near the plug hole.

Reply to
pamela

That is the important bit.

Reply to
ARW

About 15 years after moving to her newbuild bungalow, my sister complained that her bathroom basin was slow to empty. There was no visible connection to the soil pipe and no flow at the inspection chamber.

The exploratory hole found it discharging directly into the soil! She lived alone so I suppose there wasn't a huge amount being drained.

Reply to
Tim Lamb

If slow to clear the caustic will sit longer on the blockage.

In a similar position with a bathroom basin I filled several 2 pint milk bottles with hot water and poured those direct down the pipe. Listen for the pipe filling up!

One of these reached blockage but too hard to penetrate far.

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This revealed the blockage was in a level stretch a couple of metres away.

After lots of caustic soda rinsed away with bottles of hot water the blockage eased and retreated but more caustic brought no improvement. After more rinsing I poured vinegar down and that cleared it.

Paul.

Reply to
Paul

reasonable

Like a bucket full ... a jam funnel might be useful.

Is this with a sink full of water and pulling the plug? Could be an airlock in the grey section caused by theblockage maybe serveal metrs away. This distance is small bottle of water will appear to flow away fine, there isn't enough water to back up all the way to to the top of the grey pipe, hence a bucket full...

Internal soil stacks have been standard for a long time now. Is there a bit of 9" boxing in the corrner of the bathroom and/or kitchen? Any manholes on that side of the house? Lift the cover and get someone to flush your loo... That'll show if that chamber is carrying your waste.

Reply to
Dave Liquorice

Fill the all the largest pots you have with water, bring to boil, pour the lot down the sink. Add dishwasher detergent if you have some.

Sometimes it helps, sometimes it doesn't -- but it's easy to try.

Thomas Prufer

Reply to
Thomas Prufer

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