Why do Sink Traps Need to be Cleaned?
Are your sinks draining a little slower than normal? This is a good indication that you your sink trap may be clogged or getting clogged. Also known as a “P-trap,” a sink trap is the curved length of pipe that is located below the drain. If you follow the drainpipe up from the bottom of the drain to the wall, this bend will be roughly in the middle, underneath the sink.
The purpose of this bend is to retain enough water in the pipes to prevent sewer odors from rising into your home through the drain. The shape of the trap will also catche small objects if they accidently slip down the drain (like a ring or a small toy). Over time, things like hair, dirt and other debris can build up in the bend causing your sink to drain slower.
Fortunately, cleaning out your sink trap is a relatively easy task and something you can try before calling a plumber to help you out.
Before you get started, you will want to gather the following items:
- A bucket – water will start to drip as soon as you loosen the trap, put this under the drain to catch that water so it doesn’t make a mess
- A wrench or channel lock – this is the best tool to loosen the nuts on the sink trap
- A bottle brush (or some type of cleaning brush) – this helps get the gunk out
- Towels – you will want this handy to ensure you don’t make a miss and can quickly clean up anything that may spill out
Now that you have your tools it is time to get started:
- The first step is placing your bucket under the sink trap – this will catch any water or other items that may be in there
- Next unscrew the slip joint nuts – sing a wrench or channel locks, begin loosening the slip joint nuts on either side of the sink trap. Once you have loosened it up, you should be able to finish unscrewing it with your hands
- Remove the trap – make sure you keep track of the o-rings from both sides of the fittings
- Using the bottle brush – stick it in there to start removing the hair and gunk that has settled in the trap
Once you are sure you have removed all of the gunk and any potential objects that were in there you can start putting it back together:
- Start reassembling the sink trap – ensure that there is an o-ring on each of the male ends of the pipe fitting
- Slide the sink track back in place – one it is in place use your hands to start to retighten the nuts
- Once you have it pretty tight with your hands – use your wrench or channel lock to give the nuts one last turn to ensure it is tight (be careful not to over tighten it though)
Now you can test the drain and make sure there are no leaks and that the water is draining better than before. If you are still having slow draining issues, the potential clog or issue is further down the pipe and you should call in someone to help you out.