Plumbing service
Kitchen sink drains that will not drain
The kitchen line takes the worst of the house: cooking fat, starch, coffee grounds and whatever the dishwasher pushes through. When it stops, the blockage is rarely in the trap you can see.
- Common clog point: Horizontal run in the basement ceiling or inside the wall behind the sink
- Pipe sizes: Usually 1½" trap and arm, 2" to the stack
- Dishwasher involvement: A stopped sink often floods the dishwasher too
- Typical fix: Cable through the trap arm, jetter for heavy grease
- Licensed, insured trade work (details confirmed when you call)
- Diagnosis before anything is cut
- Emergency calls taken
- Etobicoke and the west end
At a glance
- Common clog point
- Horizontal run in the basement ceiling or inside the wall behind the sink
- Pipe sizes
- Usually 1½" trap and arm, 2" to the stack
- Dishwasher involvement
- A stopped sink often floods the dishwasher too
- Typical fix
- Cable through the trap arm, jetter for heavy grease
Why kitchen lines close up
Fat goes down liquid with hot rinse water and cools within a metre or two. It coats the pipe, catches food particles and slowly turns a two-inch pipe into a pencil-sized opening. Coffee grounds and eggshell bits act like gravel in that paste.
- Many Etobicoke houses had their kitchens moved during renovations, so the drain may travel a long horizontal run before it reaches the stack.
- Long flat runs are where grease settles, and where a plunger or store-bought gel simply cannot reach.
How we clear it without making a mess
We lay a pad in the cabinet, take off the trap and run a cable from the trap arm towards the stack. If the head comes back coated in grey fat, we know a cable alone will not hold, and we suggest jetting the line from the cleanout below.
- Where the dishwasher is connected to the disposal or the tailpiece, we check that its drain hose rises in a loop under the counter or runs through an air gap; that way grey sink water never finds its way into the machine once the sink is running again.
Keeping it open
Paper-towel the pans, tip scraps into the green bin, and grind with cold water, never hot. These are small habits, but they are what separates a line that clogs every winter from one that lasts years.
- If your sink has backed up repeatedly, a short camera look will show whether there is a sag or a rough joint holding the grease in one spot.
Signs to watch for
- Water rising in the second basin when the first is emptied
- Dishwasher finishing a cycle with water left in the bottom
- A sour smell from the sink after a few warm days
- Gurgling from the drain after the tap is shut off
- Grey water appearing at the basement cleanout or floor drain
How the job runs
Clear the cabinet
We empty the base cabinet and lay down protection before opening the trap.
Open the trap arm
The trap comes off so the cable enters straight, not through the curved bend.
Cable or jet
We read the cable head and decide whether the line needs a jetting pass.
Reassemble and test
New slip washers where needed, then both bowls and the dishwasher are run together.