During the course of your homeownership, there may come a time when your kitchen sink’s trap gets clogged. The first course of action is typically to attack the clog with a plunger or some drain cleaner. If that doesn’t work, you may want to try using an auger to remove the clog. If the auger fails to unclog the trap, you may have no other choice but to remove it for a good cleaning. Here’s how to do it:
Supplies Needed
In order to clean your kitchen sink’s trap, you will need a bottle brush, buckets, old towels and detergent. In my experience, it is also helpful to have a can of penetrating oil ($3), extra slip nuts, an assortment of plumbers’ tools and a garden hose nearby.
Preparing the Work Area
Start by turning off the water supply to your kitchen sink. Then, using a bucket or cups, remove as much of the built up water as possible. Next, gather up some old towels and buckets to catch any remaining water. Doing so will help prevent a deluge of water from running across your kitchen floor once the trap is removed.
Once that is done, examine your kitchen sink’s trap. It is the U or J shaped piece of pipe that is attached to the tail piece. It is most likely either a fixed trap or a swivel trap. Hopefully your kitchen sink has a swivel trap because they are generally easier to remove.
Remove the Swivel Trap
A fixed trap is securely affixed to the drain pipe. A swivel trap is affixed to the drain pipe and the tail piece by a set of slip nuts. As such, it can be extracted by removing the slip nuts. If the slip nuts don’t want to loosen up easily, you may want to consider busting out a can of penetrating oil. In most cases, the penetrating oil will make the slip nuts easier to remove.
Remove the Clog
Once you have the trap removed, you can work on removing with clog in one of three ways. First, you can attack the trap’s clog with a bottle brush. Second, you can attack the clog with a modified, metal coat hanger. Third, you can take the trap outside and blast the clog out with the aid of your garden hose or a pressure washer. I’d recommend that you try the bottle brush method first. It generally tends to get the job done.
Clean and Reattach the Swivel Trap
After the clog has been removed, wash the trap with a grease fighting detergent. Then dry it off and reattach it to the drain pipe and the tail piece. Once the trap is back into place, turn the water back on and check to make sure that there are no leaks or further clogs to contend with.
Source: Personal Experience
Killeen Gonzalez has a history of completing home improvement projects with her family.
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