Nothing can be more frustrating than a clogged drain, especially if it is in your kitchen. Has your kitchen drain ever clogged at a convenient time? Usually, of course, the clog occurs when you are at your most hurried, either cooking the family meal or cleaning up afterward. Usually the kitchen sink is the one in the house most used so there really is no convenient time for a clogged drain.
The culprit for most kitchen drain clogs can be traced to a combination of food particles, fat, and soap that has accumulated over time. Because of their dense weight, food particles can lay on the bottom of pipes, piling up until the movement of water only picks up the first loose layers. On the other hand, fat goes down the pipe as a liquid, which comes into contact with the coolness of the piping, causing it to condense. Just like plaque in the human body, the fat solidifies and slowly fills the pipe from the sides, which narrows the passage. Soap, then, soaks into the entire wet mass, sticking to the walls of a horizontal pipe. Since soap is caustic or corrosive, it can slowly erode the pipe wall. Add to this messy mass of clog, hair, if you are in the habit of washing your hair in the kitchen sink.
This type of nasty kitchen sink drain clog may require the services of your local plumbing professional. You can try unclogging it yourself first by running very hot water down the drain, to liquefy the fat. One of the many drain cleaning products available at any hardware store just may work. If your efforts are ineffective, your local plumber should be able to snake free that nasty clog with a water jet cable.
