# Kitchen sink drain SLOOOOOWLY unless....



## ttinman23 (Feb 1, 2016)

I snaked out a slow draining kitchen sink to the best of my ability. Didn't appear to be much obstruction. As I ran the faucet full blast it almost started backing up immediately. If I turn on the garbage disposal it will then drain pretty fast. There is also a dishwasher. When it runs it also backs up into the sink a bit. Any suggestions?


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## nealtw (Feb 1, 2016)

Is this new or has it always been like this?


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## bud16415 (Feb 1, 2016)

Sounds like you are not getting air behind your water. Is your vent stack ok? No snow or ice build up on top of the roof?


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## ttinman23 (Feb 1, 2016)

Neal TW: It's been like this for a while I guess. I'm doing it for my mother and knew she complained about it for a while......There is no vent built under the sink but I havnt checked the vent on the roof, (but wouldn't any sink get backed up if that's the case.)?


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## Snoonyb (Feb 1, 2016)

ttinman23 said:


> Neal TW: It's been like this for a while I guess. I'm doing it for my mother and knew she complained about it for a while......There is no vent built under the sink but I havnt checked the vent on the roof, (but wouldn't any sink get backed up if that's the case.)?



Do you have a 2 part waste? In other words are there 2 traps under the sink or just a single?

If there is a 2 part waste, is disposal outlet lower than the other?


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## JoeD (Feb 1, 2016)

Could be grease. A snake will often just poke through it and not clear it.


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## ttinman23 (Feb 1, 2016)

Single trap......As soon as I turn the water full blast it starts backing up but when disposal is on it drains immediately.


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## Snoonyb (Feb 1, 2016)

ttinman23 said:


> Single trap......As soon as I turn the water full blast it starts backing up but when disposal is on it drains immediately.



Does the disposal 90 into a "T" and the sink enter the side of the "T" and then into the trap?


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## bud16415 (Feb 1, 2016)

It sounds like the good thing to do right now is clear the stuff out from under the sink and snap a pic showing the guys how it&#8217;s hooked up. Just from that I&#8217;m sure you will get a couple tips what to check and or do.


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## Snoonyb (Feb 1, 2016)

bud16415 said:


> It sounds like the good thing to do right now is clear the stuff out from under the sink and snap a pic showing the guys how its hooked up. Just from that Im sure you will get a couple tips what to check and or do.



Some of the drain "T" will have a baffle in them which restricts back flow from a disposal, and it's beginning to sound like that is where the partial obstruction is in the sink drain.


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## ttinman23 (Feb 1, 2016)

The 90 comes out of the disposal and straight down to the p-trap then into what appears to be a 45 straight a couple inches into another bigger 45 then into main drain......I have to figure out how to send pictures to this site.


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## nealtw (Feb 1, 2016)

ttinman23 said:


> The 90 comes out of the disposal and straight down to the p-trap then into what appears to be a 45 straight a couple inches into another bigger 45 then into main drain......I have to figure out how to send pictures to this site.



Load the photo from your computer Just below the response space find   MANAGE ATTACHMENT. and follow the prompts.


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## Snoonyb (Feb 2, 2016)

ttinman23 said:


> The 90 comes out of the disposal and straight down to the p-trap then into what appears to be a 45 straight a couple inches into another bigger 45 then into main drain......I have to figure out how to send pictures to this site.



Where does the other sink attach to the wast line?


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## ttinman23 (Feb 2, 2016)

It is a single basin.


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## Snoonyb (Feb 2, 2016)

ttinman23 said:


> It is a single basin.



That clears it up, and here I was assuming a double bowl sink.

Now that you've mastered the photo posting, could you post a photo of the other side of the disposal, because it appears that the drain line disappears into the floor.

Also it appears that the dishwasher drain connected to the disposal isn't high looped which can allow discharged waste material, via the disposal, to migrate back into the dishwasher.


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## bud16415 (Feb 2, 2016)

Is there a basement below where this drain pipe goes or is it a crawl space? is the ceiling finished below or is it such you can see the pipes coming down? If you can get a picture from below we can see how it is vented maybe. 

The hose from the dish washer should be hooked up higher to prevent backflow as mentioned above.


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## slownsteady (Feb 2, 2016)

ttinman23 said:


> I snaked out a slow draining kitchen sink to the best of my ability. Didn't appear to be much obstruction. As I ran the faucet full blast it almost started backing up immediately. If I turn on the garbage disposal it will then drain pretty fast. There is also a dishwasher. When it runs it also backs up into the sink a bit. Any suggestions?



The Op mentions that it drains better when the disposal is running. i would suspect if the problem is in the pipe, it wouldn't make a diff if the disposal was on or off. Could that mean the disposal has a blockage, or has a closed position when it is not running?


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## Snoonyb (Feb 2, 2016)

slownsteady said:


> The Op mentions that it drains better when the disposal is running. i would suspect if the problem is in the pipe, it wouldn't make a diff if the disposal was on or off. Could that mean the disposal has a blockage, or has a closed position when it is not running?



I'm going to make another wild guess here.

The mention of 2-45's implies a transition to 2" at the drain, so I'm wondering if there is no vent above the floor and the vent exist in the 2" waste line below the floor.

The resolution may be as simple as disassembling and cleaning the trap and short length to the first 45.


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## inspectorD (Feb 2, 2016)

Looks to me like an S trap... that would be an issue with a slow drain. However when the disposal is turned on...it will be powered down the drain.


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## nealtw (Feb 2, 2016)

ttinman23 said:


> It is a single basin.



Have you removed the trap and inspected closer? Or check the black pipe above the trap for anything stuck in there.


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## ttinman23 (Feb 2, 2016)

For some darn reason my computer has blank pictures of the drain going into the floor. Did nothing different from original pictures...... The 2" drain goes straight down under slab of kitchen. There is no basement or crawl space. I'm guessing it goes under slab of kitchen to the front yard......I was thinking same slownsteady.....


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## nealtw (Feb 2, 2016)

The vent would have been hidden in a near by interior wall, should be able to find it on the roof or in the attic if it joins with another up there.


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## bud16415 (Feb 3, 2016)

Another place to look for the vent is just outside the wall of the house where the pipe exits. It would have a mushroom cap on it.


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## ttinman23 (Feb 3, 2016)

The only vent on house is above the upstairs bathroom in the front part of the house. The kitchen sink is located on main floor towards back of the house.


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## bud16415 (Feb 3, 2016)

Sounds to me like you are not vented and that&#8217;s why its chugging. Also the reason it works when you turn the GD on and it pumps the water out instead of draining. 

You could add a cheater vent under the sink if you think this sink line just runs out into some kind of a drywell in the yard. I wouldn&#8217;t worry too much with adding one.


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## ttinman23 (Feb 3, 2016)

Yes this hooks up eventually to the sewer I would imagine. Maybe adding vent pipe underneath is the reason IDK. thanks


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## Snoonyb (Feb 3, 2016)

ttinman23 said:


> Yes this hooks up eventually to the sewer I would imagine. Maybe adding vent pipe underneath is the reason IDK. thanks



Actually the simplest cure is to rework the sink drain and add a STUDOR vent outside the kitchen sink wall.


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## bobpearce (Feb 5, 2016)

I do not like garbage disposals, I had so so much problems with mine, I bought waste king, this one to be exact: http://www.sinkwastecare.com/waste-king-l-2600/ and it was a complete waste of money. Has nothing but problems with it! I just got a refund, and decided never to use one again!


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## bud16415 (Feb 5, 2016)

bobpearce said:


> I do not like garbage disposals, I had so so much problems with mine, I bought waste king, this one to be exact: http://www.sinkwastecare.com/waste-king-l-2600/ and it was a complete waste of money. Has nothing but problems with it! I just got a refund, and decided never to use one again!



I have always had well and septic and never wanted to fill the septic with a bunch of stuff you could put on the garden. Now we are tied into city waste and I have a grinder pump (thats another thread) so I guess I could have one but see no need. I do send little bits down the drain now that I might have been more careful with before. I still dont see the need for one also.


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## frodo (Feb 5, 2016)

disposal is pushing the water thru the obstruction.

you have grease build up,  call a plumber to have the drained cleared of grease


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## slownsteady (Feb 5, 2016)

I never realized a disposal would create enough pressure to push water down.


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