Blocked Sinks and Waste Pipes
Kitchen sinks, basins, baths, showers and washing machine waste that has slowed to a trickle or stopped altogether, cleared and tested on the same visit.
Call 07427 195142 — 24/7An internal waste pipe blocks for different reasons to a buried drain. Fat, soap scale, hair and food waste build up on the pipe wall until the bore is too narrow for the water to carry anything away.
Most sink blockages sit within the first few metres of pipework, which is why we strip and clean traps and branches rather than tipping chemicals down and hoping.
Thinking of reaching for an unblocker first? Read are chemical drain cleaners safe?.
What causes it
- Cooking fat and oil hardening inside the branch pipe
- Hair and soap scale in bath and shower traps
- Food waste and coffee grounds packing a kitchen trap
- Washing machine and dishwasher waste silting up
- Poorly fitted pipework with no fall or too many bends
Our process
- 1
Check
We test each appliance separately to work out whether the fault is local or on a shared branch.
- 2
Strip
Traps and accessible branches are opened and cleaned properly rather than pushed through.
- 3
Clear
Mechanical clearance and flushing to take the pipe back to full bore.
- 4
Test
We run every affected appliance together to prove the run copes with real use.
Blocked Sinks and Waste Pipes near you
Related guides
FAQs
Should I try a supermarket drain unblocker first?
We would rather you did not. Caustic products sit in the standing water, can damage older plastic and chrome pipework, and seldom shift a hardened fat layer.
Why do two sinks block at the same time?
They almost always share a branch pipe. The blockage sits downstream of both, so clearing one trap changes nothing.
Can you fix the gurgling after the water clears?
Yes. Gurgling normally means air is being drawn through a trap, which points to venting or a partial blockage further along, and both are things we can check on the visit.
Blocked kitchen sink
A blocked kitchen sink is almost always fat. Warm washing-up water carries grease into the trap and the first stretch of waste pipe, where it cools, sticks to the wall and catches food scraps and coffee grounds. Over months the bore narrows until the sink drains slowly, then stops. Dishwashers and washing machines often share the same waste, so a blockage there can also make them fault or back up into the sink when they empty.
Kitchen sink keeps blocking
If the kitchen sink keeps blocking after you have cleared it, the trap was only part of the problem. The fat layer usually carries on along the waste pipe to the point where it leaves the house, and a plunger only pushes a hole through it. Other repeat causes are a waste pipe laid with too little fall, too many tight bends, or a gully outside that is half full of silt. We clear the full length of the run and then check where it joins the drain, so the fix lasts. If the outside gully or drain is the cause, see blocked outside drains.
How to unblock a sink waste pipe
For a sink that is slow rather than stopped, start with the trap. Put a bowl underneath, unscrew the trap by hand, empty and rinse it, and refit it with the seals seated properly. A sink plunger can then help, with the overflow covered by a damp cloth so the pressure goes down the pipe. Avoid caustic products in standing water. Our step-by-step guide on how to unblock a sink waste pipe covers this in detail. If the water does not move after that, the blockage is further along and needs mechanical clearing.
Waste pipe blocked further down
When a sink, a basin and a bath all slow down together, the waste pipe blocked is the shared branch or the soil stack rather than any one trap. Water may rise in one outlet when another is used. That needs clearing from an access point lower down, and if the stack itself is affected, our page on blocked soil stacks explains what is involved. For bathroom wastes on their own, see blocked shower drain.
Blocked sink questions
What is a blocked sink?
It is a sink where water drains slowly or not at all because something is narrowing the trap or waste pipe, usually fat, food, hair or soap scale.
Why is my sink blocked?
In a kitchen it is usually grease and food waste; in a bathroom, hair and soap. A sink that blocks along with other outlets points to the shared pipe further down.
How do I fix a blocked sink myself?
Clean out the trap, then try a sink plunger with the overflow covered. If the water still will not move, the blockage is beyond reach and needs clearing properly.
Why is my sink gurgling?
Gurgling is air being pulled through the trap as water drains. It often means a partial blockage further along the pipe or a problem with the venting.
How do I fix a gurgling sink?
Clear the trap and run plenty of hot water first. If the noise carries on, the waste run or vent needs checking, which we can do on the same visit as any clearance.
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