Is Your Bathroom Sink Not Draining?

There are five words that you rarely want to hear: “the bathroom sink is clogged!” A clogged sink is no fun. It’s unusable until you figure it out, and it’s usually gross. A lot of things go on in the bathroom and a clogged sink isn’t the result of anything good. At best, you could be dealing with some loose hair. At worst? Possibly a serious issue with your plumbing and drainage.

First things first, though. If your bathroom sink isn’t draining properly, your first step is to remove the stopper and check for a clog. It’s easy enough to do — just unscrew or pull up the drain or plug to see if anything’s clinging to it or the inside of the pipe. With regular use, any bathroom sink will get clogged up with soap scum, hair, dead skin, and any manner of other delightful products and grooming castoffs. Take a deep breath and pull it on out of there. Wear gloves if you’ve got them! We know those hairballs can be pretty nasty.

Now that that’s done, your problem may be solved. On the other hand, you may notice that the sink’s still draining slowly, or gurgling when you use the other plumbing in the bathroom. That indicates a bigger problem than a simple clog. It could be buildup sticking to the sides of the pipe, or lack of proper air flow, or even a drainage backup due to heavy rain. Whatever the reason, you’re going to want to skip the harsh chemical clog busters. They might help a little, but ultimately they’re not solving the problem, especially if the problem isn’t buildup.

For stubborn sink clogs, you can try a small drain plunger or a cable to really clear things out, but we recommend you use these tools carefully. You don’t want to damage your pipes. Another possible solution is to remove the elbow joint under the sink to see if it needs to be cleared out, as well. Make sure you put a bucket underneath to catch any water or debris that falls out, and use the proper tools to clean.

After all that, you could still be having trouble. That’s when it’s time to call in the pros. If you’re unfamiliar with plumbing and don’t have the experience to diagnose problems beyond a simple clog, don’t try to wing it. It’s better to pay a plumber to take care of the issue than shell out for new pipes, trust us. A plumber can come in and quickly determine the source of the problem, fix it, and give you maintenance recommendations to prevent the need for repairs in the future. They can access areas of your home that you can’t easily get to, like the air vent on the roof, and they have proper tools that save time and don’t damage your home.

If you’ve already tried to unclog your bathroom sink and still having trouble, just give us a call. We’re happy to help.

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