Troubleshooting my kitchen sink clog


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Old 09-17-16, 04:10 PM
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Troubleshooting my kitchen sink clog

I have a single sink with a garbage disposal. It has started to clog recently and I have to leave the garbage disposal running for a longer period of time for the water to dissipate.

Not only that, but water clogs very frequently. Nearly every time I leave the water running for a minute+.

How should I going about troubleshooting the problem and what should I try? I was thinking of starting with a Drano type product, but wanted to get some advice before starting anything.

Thanks in advance.
 
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Old 09-17-16, 04:17 PM
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I have never had good results with pour down the drain products so I mostly consider them a waste of money and most contain caustic chemicals that can be a hazard. That said I would mechanically clear the drain line with a drain snake.

When you start running water the length of time it take for the backup to appear can give you an indication as to where the clog is located. The longer it takes for the backup to appear the further away the clog is located. If it appears immediately it's very close. If it takes a long time it's further away.
 
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Old 09-17-16, 04:28 PM
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How old is your house and what material was used in the drain piping? If your house is more than thirty years old there is a good chance that the drain piping is galvanized steel and if so this is the root cause of your problem. Galvanized steel rusts and corrodes internally and this creates many places that will snag debris and clog the piping. Mechanical cleaning via a snake can sometimes temporarily alleviate the problem but the real solution is to replace the piping.
 
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Old 09-17-16, 05:27 PM
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As mentioned, age is important. Replacing the tee in the wall will solve a lot of problems if you have cast iron drains.

If the disposer is old it might need replaced, a single drain kitchen sink should drain easily.
Old disposers can look fine on the outside and be destroyed on the inside.
 
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Old 09-17-16, 05:40 PM
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Thanks for the tips fellas. To answer some of your questions: It's actually a condo unit and not a single family home, which was built originally in the 60's. The unit is renovated and I've been living in it for about 3 years.

From examination, the piping is plastic, at least the U shapes portion (aka trap?), but the portion that goes into the wall appears to be metal.

Not sure about the age of the disposal, but it's a Waste King Gourmet Custom Series (model 9980). When turned on, it appears to be fully functional (at least the blade).

Since it clogs fairly quickly, I'm assuming the blockage is nearby based on Pilot Dane's comment.

That being said, can simply put a snake through the kitchen opening? Will it go through the disposal? Is there a special technique? OR do I need to remove any items before doing anything?
 
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Old 09-17-16, 08:09 PM
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Start by removing the trap under the sink, be ready with a bucket there's going to be some water in it.
Make sure that's clear.
If that's not it then remove the line coming out of the wall and feed the snake from there, making su it runs down not up into the vent.
No way is a snake going to run down through a disposal.
Just makes no since to me to even have a disposal.
Toss the waste in a trash can and save a ton of plumbing issues.
 
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Old 09-18-16, 04:23 AM
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I agree with Joe. Remove the trap under the sink and clean it out. That's the most common spot for a clog. It's it's gunked up when you remove it then you likely have the culprit. If it's mostly clear then while you have the trap off is a good time to run the snake/auger down the drain line.
 
 

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