Many homeowners are troubled by a kitchen sink not draining. Every day, we wash dishes and clean up, expecting no issues. It can be startling when the sink has suddenly filled with dirty soap water. You check to see if anything may have blocked the drain opening. Unfortunately, diagnosing the issue can be tricky for the untrained eye.

When a kitchen sink isn’t draining, the problem typically comes from a clog somewhere in the plumbing system. Check if your bathroom sinks will drain quickly or not. If the issue only occurs in the kitchen, the cause is related directly to your sink. Food scraps are often the most obvious culprit of a clogged kitchen sink. Over time, the debris will build up until it leads to drainage issues.

It is crucial to fix the kitchen sink as soon as possible. Any blockages can accumulate and cause significant plumbing damage, such as burst pipes. Homeowners can contact a plumber for professional assistance. The plumbing technician will remove the obstructions, allowing the kitchen sink to flow freely.

In addition, you should learn the causes behind the drainage issues. Here are five possible explanations for a kitchen sink not draining:

Food clog in kitchen sink

Food scraps often cause a kitchen sink to back up and not drain properly. Due to convenience, some homeowners may wash fruit peels, chicken bones, or leftovers down the drain. This bad habit will cause buildup in your plumbing system over time. Food scraps are solids that won’t break down quickly, so they will obstruct the pipes and cause drainage problems.

To avoid this issue in the future, throw away any extra food you may have before attempting to clear the dishes. Your kitchen sink may come with garbage disposal. However, please use it with discretion. When sending food scraps into the garbage disposal, pour water to keep everything soft and malleable. Also, keep larger scraps like bones out of the disposal system. They belong in the trash instead.

Kitchen sink clogged with grease

Be mindful of what you put in your kitchen sink drain or garbage disposal. Grease, fat, oil, or soap residue can accumulate and harden. As these residues coat the pipes, the passage for water becomes narrower. The obstructions will make your sink drain slowly. Eventually, it could stop draining altogether.

To eliminate this buildup, pour a mixture of boiling water and white vinegar down the drain. The hot water will melt and soften the hardened grease. Meanwhile, the vinegar will help remove the greasiness inside the pipe. After a few minutes, pour more boiling water down the drain to flush the remaining residue.

Clogged kitchen sink trap

A sink trap is a curved pipe underneath your sink. The curved shape allows water to collect in one place. Also, it prevents sewer gases from rising out of the sink and into your home. Unfortunately, the unique shape of the pipe makes it the perfect spot for debris to accumulate.

To get rid of the clog, pour hot water down the drain to see if this will flush the debris away. Hot water can sometimes break up and melt clogs like grease. If this doesn’t work, break out your plunger. Place the plunger directly over the drain’s opening, slowly pushing down and up several times. If neither of these solutions works, you can call an Oshawa plumber to unclog the kitchen sink.

Kitchen sink and dishwasher clogged

Some household appliances use the same pipes to drain, such as your dishwasher and kitchen sink. However, dishwashers discharge a lot of water. If this appliance becomes clogged, the water has nowhere to go and will start backing into your sink.

To see if this is the issue, run your dishwasher and see whether your sink becomes backed up. Your washing machine could cause similar problems if it connects to the same pipes. Run a load of laundry and see if you get any water backing up into your sink. Likely, there is a clog somewhere in your main drain line. These clogs are typically too large for homeowners to take on themselves. It’s best to call a Whitby plumber to inspect your home’s plumbing.

Clogged kitchen sink drain line

Sometimes, the kitchen sink drainage issues may indicate a more significant problem across the household. If your kitchen sink is the only appliance backing up, it could be an issue with the specific plumbing. However, you may also notice slow draining bathroom sinks, bathtubs, and shower drains. If so, it signifies something is wrong with the main drain line that connects to the sewer system.

A kitchen sink drain line may become clogged due to accumulated garbage. Likewise, a large object like a branch could be stuck inside one of the main pipes. In this case, it’s best to call a professional to inspect your plumbing and recommend a solution.