A homeowner in Issaquah Highlands called us around one o'clock on a Thursday in May with a kitchen sink that had stopped draining. Donald was there a little after four. He found not one blockage in the kitchen line but two, cleared both, and had the sink running freely before five, with the work tested before he packed up.
What We Did
Donald started under the sink. He took the P-trap off and rodded the line from there, and about six to eight feet in he hit a blockage. Rather than stop there, he kept feeding the rod, hit another one somewhere between fifteen and twenty feet along, and worked the line until it was clear.
With both clogs gone, he put the trap back together and ran water through the sink for about seven minutes, watching the drain at the top and every joint under the cabinet, until he was satisfied the line was keeping up and nothing was leaking.
Why It Matters
- One clog can hide another. Stopping at the first blockage might have brought the water down for a while, with the second one further along waiting to stop it again. Feeding the rod past the first clog is how you find out.
- A plunger can't reach fifteen feet. Cabinet-side fixes work on the trap and the first few feet. A blockage deeper in the line needs a rod run from the trap opening or a cleanout.
- Test with a long run of water. A sink that drains a glass of water isn't proven clear. Several minutes of steady flow shows whether the line keeps up and whether every slip joint under the cabinet stays dry.
- Keep grease out of the kitchen drain. Fat poured down a sink cools and sticks to the inside of the pipe, which is why local sewer utilities ask you to wipe greasy pans and let cooking fat harden for the garbage instead.
Why Issaquah Highlands
Issaquah Highlands is one of the Eastside's younger neighborhoods. The first homes went up on Grand Ridge, above Interstate 90, in 1998, and building carried on for years after, with the City of Issaquah providing its sewer service. A newer house doesn't mean a kitchen line that can't clog, though: the drain collects the same grease and food waste whatever its age, and a long run gives a clog more places to settle. From our shop in Fall City the Highlands are about twenty minutes away, close enough for a same-afternoon call like this one.
Get a Slow Kitchen Drain Cleared
Call 425-549-2400 or schedule an appointment.
More: drain cleaning · plumbing in Issaquah · how to clear a stubborn drain without damaging your pipes · garbage disposal services