Unclogging a sink drain is one of the most important and common skills to learn because clogged sink drains cause many problems including water damage and even sink damage. A clogged sink holds lots of water and this weight will bare down on the hardware mounting the sink. So, don’t hesitate with a clogged up drain, get it fixed fast, with the right methods.
First start by trying to most obvious and age of old methods of unclogging a sink drain: the plunger.
Start with a sink that is one quarter full of water, and seal the plunger head around the drain opening. Forcibly press the plunger down and up to draw out and break up the clog. Do not put all your weight behind the plunger, especially on today’s sinks. The pressure will just stress the sink and your counter top, especially if it is just a laminate and particleboard counter.
If this method is unsuccessful, carefully remove the plunger and slide a pipe snake into the drain to dislodge and loosen the material blocking the drain. Be careful when doing this, only work the snake down far enough to reach the clog, and move it side to side, do not push the snake hard into the drain, this only exacerbates the problem and often pushes the clog farther into the drain.
The next method to unclog a sink is to place a bucket under the drain pipe and remove the P-trap by unscrewing the two locking nuts securing it to the drain. There’s one on either side of the p-trap’s u-bend. After removing the drain trap, just poke out any clogged material inside.
Next, probe the horizontal drain line leading to the home’s main drain. It is under the sink and was behind the trap. Use a pipe snake to pull out anything clogging the drain in this section of pipe.
Tip: When your sink is clogged up, and water will not not drain off, there’s the possibility it will overflow causing water damage. So, keep clogs from happening by cleaning out your strainer and basket every so often.