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

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boland

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#304691 29-May-2023 08:08

I want to buy an auger to clean up our kitchen sink drain pipes as it's blocking often. I had a cheap manual one, but it has never worked properly and has also fallen apart.

Overseas there are many options, but I can't find many options here in NZ. So far the best I could find is from Mitre 10 but it does not seem to have auto feed, which I like.

I also saw a Ryobi cordless one, but I'd like to stick to my Makita cordless tools as I have invested in those batteries. Makita doesn't seem to have one.

Any tips?

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#3080552 29-May-2023 08:18

Have you tried a liquid drain cleaner?

boland

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#3080554 29-May-2023 08:20

rogercruse:

Have you tried a liquid drain cleaner?

Not yet, never had good experience with them. But perhaps a good idea in this case as I feel it's mainly built up grease etc.
Still, I want an auger, as last night it was blocked again and without an auger it was pretty annoying.

timmmay

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#3080560 29-May-2023 08:42

Maybe it'd be best to avoid the problem happening rather than fixing it when it occurs? Could you try not putting grease down the drain? Soak it up with paper towels and put it in the rubbish bin, or if there's a lot, pour it into a container and throw the container out.

Batman

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#3080561 29-May-2023 08:43

for prevention - Use lots of high concentration dish washing liquid to soak up the grease before letting them down the sink?

boland

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#3080563 29-May-2023 08:46

timmmay:

Maybe it'd be best to avoid the problem happening rather than fixing it when it occurs? Could you try not putting grease down the drain? Soak it up with paper towels and put it in the rubbish bin, or if there's a lot, pour it into a container and throw the container out.

We don't put grease down the drain. We also avoid putting down coffee grinds & banana peels through the insinkerator.

Bung

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#3080573 29-May-2023 09:14

How old is the house? If you're not sticking any of the usual suspects down the drain there could be a pipe problem. If the house is on piles can you see the pipe run? If it isn't supported properly there could be a low spot that stays full of water and is a blockage magnet.

boland

547 posts

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#3080578 29-May-2023 09:18

Bung: How old is the house? If you're not sticking any of the usual suspects down the drain there could be a pipe problem. If the house is on piles can you see the pipe run? If it isn't supported properly there could be a low spot that stays full of water and is a blockage magnet.

Good point. The house is about 7 years old, so I don't expect it to be a pipe problem to be honest. It seems to be blocking in a part between the sink & a vent on the outside. I usually unblock it by running water by inserting a hose into the vent on the outside towards the sink.

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Bung

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#3080583 29-May-2023 09:32

Is this an air vent at roof level or a screw cap for pipe clearance? Have you checked the undersink trap?

MikeAqua

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#3080588 29-May-2023 09:37

I'd also suggest Draino or similar.

Mike

boland

547 posts

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#3080591 29-May-2023 09:42

Bung: Is this an air vent at roof level or a screw cap for pipe clearance? Have you checked the undersink trap?

It's a screw cap for pipe clearance, sorry if I didn't use the right terminology :)

I've checked the undersink trap, thanks.

gzt

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#3080762 29-May-2023 12:10

Does the kitchen sink drain to a combined waste? Imo not a good idea to auger those although people do. I have no idea what the pros do for that case.

boland

547 posts

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#3080770 29-May-2023 12:28

gzt: Does the kitchen sink drain to a combined waste? Imo not a good idea to auger those although people do. I have no idea what the pros do for that case.

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.

tdgeek

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#3080775 29-May-2023 12:33

Ive had success with full sink flushing (higher water force to help dislodge gunk)with very hot water. Next fill the sink with warm water, mix in a good amount of baking soda, pull the plug.

Give it dwell time for the bicarb to dissolve/soften any grease, then a couple more hot flushes. Good idea to at night, mix half a sink of warm water with dishwash, then pull the plug, and let the pipes dwell overnight

Batman

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#3080874 29-May-2023 14:21

boland:

Bung: How old is the house? If you're not sticking any of the usual suspects down the drain there could be a pipe problem. If the house is on piles can you see the pipe run? If it isn't supported properly there could be a low spot that stays full of water and is a blockage magnet.

Good point. The house is about 7 years old, so I don't expect it to be a pipe problem to be honest. It seems to be blocking in a part between the sink & a vent on the outside. I usually unblock it by running water by inserting a hose into the vent on the outside towards the sink.

a few years ago i bought a 20m (can't remember) scope camera from bang good or something for a few dollars, maybe you can find something like that and see what the issue is?

catdog

107 posts

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#3080921 29-May-2023 15:55

boland:
I usually unblock it by running water by inserting a hose into the vent on the outside towards the sink.

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)

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