Sink Drain Cleaning

American Rooter  of Longmont is here to meet your residential, municipal, and industrial sink drain cleaning needs. For serious clogs, American rooter uses a power rooter to cut through the nasties. With more severe clogs, American Rooter Plumbing employes a power jetting system that forces the clog down the line with a high-pressure water stream. Before calling a plumber you may want to read the following recommendations and tips below.

Kitchen sink drain clogs are most often a result of grease and food buildup.  Too often people pour grease drippings down the drain vs pouring them in the trash or a coffee can. Some people also use their garbabe disposal like a food processor, overloading the drain with ground garbage. Garbage combined with grease can create a formidable clog.

Too often homeowners first try pouring liquid drain cleaner into the drain. This is the first MISTAKE. Liquid drain cleaners actually make the problem worse over time, as the food and grease is never completely dissolved. The partially disolved food and grease turns into a glob of black sludge that can be difficult to remove without the assistance of a plumber. Drain cleaners can also burn your eyes, skin, and damage metal pipes.

The sludge typically gathers in the P-trap, and sometimes farther down the drain line, making the clog difficult to remove without physically taking the P-trap off, or the use of a power rooting system.  See the tip below.

TIP: CAUTION: Wear proper eye protection before working on any plumbing project! Don’t use chemicals. They are corrosive and can cause more problems than not, and even burn your skin and eyes.We recommend you try a plunger to loosen the blockage as follows:

Be sure the plunger’s cup is large enough to cover the drain opening.

1) Fill the clogged sink with enough water to completely cover the plunger’s cup.

2) Coat the rim of the plunger cup with vaseline or petroleum jelly to seal it.

3) Use wet rags to block any outlets such as the a sink’s overflow or another sink on the same drain line. This will create the requried vacum.

4) Plunge 15 to 20 strokes.

5) Repeat if necessary

If the above process doesn’t work, it’s likely that the P-trap will  need to be removed, and an drain auger be used to remove the clog. We recommend you call a plumber.