Kitchen sink drain maintenance
by
Dkempffer
+9
Yesterday I discovered a leak under my kitchen sink caused by the big bolt holding the drain to my sink tightly had broke. I took it apart and was so disgusted by the build up of gunk between the top drain and the bottom piece holding it up. Is there any way to prevent this gunk buildup or should I be taking this apart on a regular basis to clean it? I have never known of anyone that regularly takes their drains apart to clean them.
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Putting baking soda and vinegar (with hot/warm water) in your drain a couple times a month will help cut down on the gunk.
I recently bought a house that was built in the 50's. The drain pipe has been cleaned but needs to be replaced due to the buildup of grease over the years. My plumber said to squirt a lot of blue Dawn dish soap down the pipe, let it sit for a while then run HOT water down it for about 10 minutes to help keep the drain open and dissolve some of the grease until I can afford to have the main drain under the house replaced.
He also said to wipe the grease off any pot or pan that has grease on it with paper towels before washing.
Every time I boil water for tea, I dump the extra water down the drain to dissolve any grease that congeals in the pipes and makes things get stuck or creates a complete blockage. Make sure you use a good drain to catch large bits and pieces from making things worse. Also do not pour grease, oil or bacon fat down the drain but collect it in a metal can then toss it out.Use Cindy's idea of putting baking soda followed by vinegar down the drain occasionally to help things along. Taking apart the pipes is not a good idea as part of regular maintenance, but using some preventative methods can go a long way to help keep the pipes clear.
get some FlexSeal and put around where the leak is. It comes in liquid or tape. At HD or Lowes. It stops any leaks.
What you have is a bell housing strainer assembly in you sink. The bell housing (looks like a bowl) holds the basket strainer down when the large nut is tightened under the sink, Picture 1. When the nut broke the basket seal was broken and let crud and water leak into the bell (bowl). You can solve the problem by replacing it with a universal basket strainer assembly, Picture 2. No bell housing, no crud.
Example of standard basket strainer assembly.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Glacier-Bay-4-5-in-Fit-All-Sink-Strainer-Stainless-Steel-25477/206161406
Instructions on replacing the basket strainer assembly.
https://www.familyhandyman.com/kitchen/how-to-replace-a-kitchen-sink-basket-and-old-metal-trap/view-all/
Well that settles that!