by Maryam Hussain
What are the common causes of clogging of the drain of a
Kitchen Sink?
Clogging of a kitchen sink drain
is a frequently faced problem. The causes of kitchen drain clogging may
be the accumulation of oily or greasy wash that leached out from dinner set or
pressure cookers, or foodstuff that escaped through sink screens while
washing.
What are the symptoms of
clogged drain?
The symptom of a clogged sink is either
no or a slow decrease in the water level in the sink.
What is the first of all methods
to unclog the drain of a kitchen sink?
Some methods work to some extent
but there is a method that really works. By the way, I have tried all of these methods.
You can first attempt to unclog the drain of kitchen sink by pouring the
boiling water into the sink. But if the water doesn’t start to move, you’ll
need other methods.
What is chemical treatment
method to open the clogged drain?
The next set of remedial methods
is the chemical treatment method. Using commercial liquid or powdered drain
opening chemicals can be a problem. The chemicals are either acidic or caustic
and toxic.
If the sink is clogged & you put
chemicals in it then you actually increase the volume of reactive media and
the probability of a chemical attack on yourself too because you may splash the
chemicals on yourself if you later have to plunge the drain.
Nevertheless, these chemical
agents are also reactive to the bacteria culture of your septic tank (usually
in rural or off-city sites) and may kill huge quantities of the culture.
Because of the diminished quantity of these bacteria, organic matter of routine
washed & leached sink stuff cannot be decomposed and the septic tank may
come in an overflow state.
What to do if chemical
treatment does not work?
If the chemical treatment methods
did not provide the desired results, then try mechanical means that produce
the pulses of striking water waves and overcome the clogging evil with the
least hazard with respect to chemical methods.
What is the mechanical treatment
method for unclogging the clogged drain of kitchen sink?
In the mechanical cleaning
method, a plunger is moved in the direction of the clogged channel to
pump the water toward the clogging. This action produces pressure and induces a
sudden water velocity pulse toward the clogging material. The velocity of a
liquid wave becomes zero as soon as it strikes the clogging and backs forth.
If this action of this water wave is
continued for about ten to fifteen reps, then it significantly loosens the
clogged material, provided the plunger pumps the maximum water, without leaking
from the periphery of the plunger head, in the direction of clogging. The
plunger used for sink, shower, and tub drains is the single-cup model and is
easily available in a hardware shop a market.
If your kitchen sink has two
basins, you’ll need to plug one of them with a rag. Otherwise, you’ll
divert the drain water into the second sink, rather than clearing the clog.
To execute the plunging action,
fill the sink with enough water to nearly submerge the plunger cup. Position
the plunger cup over the drain hole so that the drain is completely covered.
Hold the handle rod of the plunger upright and move the handle rod up and down
forcefully about ten to fifteen times.
Good practice: After
completion of the plunging action, wash the sink & repeat the plunging
activity once.
Throughout this pumping activity,
ensure that the plunger cup is sealed over the drain and remained dipped in
water. Now slightly lift the handle rod to check if the water drains. If
not, try again. If some water is lost during draining, refill the water up to
the previous level & then restart the activity. Try plunging for three or
four rounds of ten to fifteen strokes each.
How to remove stains from the
sink?
Usually, we have ceramic bathroom
ware and the bathroom sink is one of those. Getting stains out of a
solid-surface ceramic sink, the most common type of sink, is amazingly simple.
Fill the sink with hot water and pour
chlorine bleach, (chlorine bleach is a domestic product and is easily
available in the market in liquid bottles of about 150 mL packing). Let
the mixture soak for ten or fifteen minutes. Then drain the sink, rinse it
once with tap water and then wash it with laundry detergent and dry it.
After the sink has emptied, a
small amount of water remains in the trap, preventing sewer gas from rising
into the house, hence the flushing system of the sink should be operated for
about 5 minutes.
Your bathroom ceramic sinks are
typically insulative to the passage of electricity and heat and are more
resistant to high temperatures and harsh environments. These ceramic sinks
are hard but very brittle, so neither strike nor perform aggressive abrasion on
these for stain removal or any other objective. If you have a stone or
metal sink then don’t apply the above procedure.
For stone or metal sinks,
gently scrub these sinks with a medium hard brush, detergent, and water.
You can find the required materials at hardware stores and home centers,
usually in the cleaning aisle or displayed near the stone and metal sink show
racks.
After draining the bleach
solution, slowly and slightly open the tap and avoid a splash of water on your
clothes and skin. Chlorine bleach, sodium hypochlorite (usually 5 % NaOCl)
aqueous solution, not only removes stains but strongly fights bacteria, and
viruses (including COVID-19) and removes colonies of fungi and algae from your
sinks.
Cautions:
If the cleaning agents come in
contact with the skin, wash the skin with soap and water.
Keep detergent, chlorine
bleach, and mixture out of reach of children.
How to fill a crack in a
ceramic sink?
Your bathroom sink is a costly
ware. By repairing cracks, you can save thousands of dollars. Buy some epoxy
adhesive at a hardware store or home center. (Be sure to get the kind designed
for sink repairs).
Preparing the surface:
Dry the surface of the sink with
a dry cloth and then with a hair dryer.
Procedure to fill the crack:
Mix the two pastes of the epoxy
on a piece of cardboard or outside of a used tetra pack or stiff & used PVC
packing, as per the manufacturer’s instructions. Use a piece of wire to spread
the epoxy in the crack. Smooth out the epoxy as much as possible. Let the epoxy
settle & dry. Sufficient drying time should be allowed to the applied
epoxy because it varies from one manufacturer to another, therefore, allow
it to dry for about 24 hours. The cautions and instructions should be read
before applying the epoxy.
Match the color of fill with
that of sink:
When the epoxy is dried the apply
the appliance paint to match the color of epoxy filled area with that of rest
of sink.
How to unclog showerhead of bathroom?
When you observe the mineral and
scales buildup in & above the perforations of the showerhead, this is an
indication that the showerhead status is unhealthy and soon it will provide
the choked flow. To remove the deposits of these minerals and unclog the
tiny holes of the showerhead, you have to dissolve these minerals with white
vinegar.
To start the execution, fill a
household polythene bag with vinegar, place it around the showerhead, then
secure it in place with a rubber band or tie. After a few hours (two to
three hours), take off the bag and flush the showerhead with water.
Gently rub the showerhead with a piece of cloth & run the shower for about five minutes to flush out the mineral particles.
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