Blocked drains in the kitchen sink is a common plumbing problem in Sydney households. If you notice a weird smell coming from under the sink or your kitchen sink is not draining properly, or taking a long time to do so, then you probably have a blocked drain. With just a little more care you can usually prevent a blocked drain in your kitchen sink, which will save you buying drain unclogging products from your supermarket and having to call a plumber to fix it.
Tips for Preventing a Blocked Sink
- Do not dispose of grease down the kitchen sink – Tipping fats, oils and grease down the kitchen is the most common problem we see that cause a blocked kitchen sink. Once they cool, the fats solidify and stick to your kitchen sink pipes. Eventually this will cause a blockage once the pipe becomes thinner, so make sure you tip your oil into a bottle or a sealed container, and then put it in your garbage bin. Make sure you are careful even when washing your plates, as even they may have small amounts of oil leftover from dinner, always use hot soapy water when rinsing.
- Fruit or vegetable peels – this should be a fairly obvious one, however we still see people that rinse peels down the sink, even small pieces can clog a drain. Please dispose all of your fruit and vegetable peels into your garbage bin.
- Coffee grinds – Another major cause of sink blockages that we see over and over is customers tipping their coffee grinds down the sink. Over time the grinds can form a thick sludge causing a bad blockage. Why not dispose of them in your garden instead to fertilise your vegetables or plants and see your garden flourish!|
- Egg Shells – you may be surprised to think even the smallest of egg shells can cause a blockage in your kitchen sink . The hard shells of eggs can stick to the pipes and cause a build up.
- Expandable Carbohydrates – Foods like rice, pasta, cous cous, pastry and flour will continue to expand even after they have been washed down your kitchen sink. They then become sticky and easily clog up your pipes.
- Produce Stickers – you may think produce stickers on fruit and vegetables are harmless when it comes to causing a blockage in your kitchen sink. However if these stickers build up over time the plastic adhesive they are made of is not water soluble and can cause problems within the pipes