Kitchen sink often clogged: Best auger to get it cleared up?

Forums › Home Workshop DIY › Kitchen sink often clogged: Best auger to get it cleared up?

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Bung

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#3080932 29-May-2023 16:16

boland:
The part that's always blocked is kitchen drain only (kitchen sink + insinkerator + dish washer). So think an auger is fine.

Thanks all for the tips. Have bought some liquid drain cleaner, and an auger just in case it happens again.

All our houses have been on piles so drain pipe angles down from floor level to gully trap with no horizontal bits. Guessing that your 7 year old house is on a slab there's a fair chance that the pipe under the slab has minimal to no fall. Unless staff training includes running water long enough after using the insinkerator to flush the food mush out of the pipe it's likely some of it is sticking to the pipe.

tdgeek

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#3081025 29-May-2023 18:24

catdog:

If you own a waterblaster, I found this works quite well (make sure to put an old towel in the sink first and then feed the nozzle in from the outside)

NZ$ 23.40 35%OFF | 2600psi Pressure Washer Sewer Drain Hose, pipe Cleaner For Karcher K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 Pressure Washer Nozzle Sewer Cleaning
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Not trying to dismiss your post but how much damage can that do? An alternative it is the garden hose, by blocking back flow with a towel that could dislodge a blockage. With zero chance of a catastrophe

catdog

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#3081162 29-May-2023 22:04

tdgeek:
catdog:

If you own a waterblaster, I found this works quite well (make sure to put an old towel in the sink first and then feed the nozzle in from the outside)

NZ$ 23.40 35%OFF | 2600psi Pressure Washer Sewer Drain Hose, pipe Cleaner For Karcher K2 K3 K4 K5 K6 K7 Pressure Washer Nozzle Sewer Cleaning
https://a.aliexpress.com/_mrLZvZA

Not trying to dismiss your post but how much damage can that do? An alternative it is the garden hose, by blocking back flow with a towel that could dislodge a blockage. With zero chance of a catastrophe

I think it's pretty unlikely that it could cause any damage. Three of the four jets are facing backwards at a 30 degree angle, so it's not firing the water directly at the walls of the pipe (the forth jet is forward facing). One nice advantage of the rear facing jets is that they help pull the hose along through the pipe while simultaneously pushing any dirt backwards out behind it.

I would recommend trying simple approaches first like you suggested, or pouring down boiling water or drain cleaner. If they solve the problem, then great! However, if the problem is reoccurring such as OP's case, then this nozzle may provide a more thorough clean. You could also probably buy a similar nozzle to just attach to a garden hose without the water blaster and get similar results.

neb

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#3081172 29-May-2023 22:58

The OP could be dealing with a fatberg, in which fats and oils that went down the drain have undergone a process of saponification so that the pipe is lined with, or partially blocked by, a solid soap-like substance that you can't move easily. I think the suggestion of starting with a borescope camera to try and identify the problem is a good one.

boland

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#3082358 30-May-2023 12:56

Thanks, yeah I think something has built up. The first 3-4 years we didn't have any blockage, first time was 3 years ago, then this summer, and again this weekend.

I've poured in some drain cleaner, and bought an auger, just in case it happens again. The water blaster attachment is something I'll look at if this fails, good suggestion.

cddt

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#3082909 31-May-2023 16:16

Have you tried a plunger when it gets blocked?

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boland

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#3083124 1-Jun-2023 07:39

cddt:

Have you tried a plunger when it gets blocked?

Yeah, that worked the last time, but not the time before that.

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