The kitchen sink is an invaluable part of your home. In fact, the term “everything but the kitchen sink” is a reflection of this. The idiom dates back to WWII when citizens donated “everything but the kitchen sink” to help the war effort. The reasoning was that cast-iron sinks were deemed too heavy and bulky for donation.
We can’t imagine any homeowner being without a kitchen sink. Your kitchen sink is used multiple times throughout the day for food preparation, cooking, washing, and cleaning. It’s also subject to a lot of abuse. All the waste that comes from cooking and household chores goes down the drain. Unfortunately, this can lead to kitchen sink backups.
Even if there’s just a small amount of water backed up in your sink, you should call a professional. You don’t want it to get to the point where water is spilling out of the sink and onto your kitchen floor. When it comes to issues with kitchen plumbing in Salt Lake City, UT, you can count on our team for fast repairs. Let’s look at 3 common causes for this issue so you can hopefully avoid needing our expert service.
1. The Kitchen Sink’s Pipes Are Clogged
A clogged pipe is the most common cause of a backup. The size of a kitchen sink makes it ideal for other tasks not related to cooking. Kitchen sinks often bear the brunt of clog-inducing items such as pet hair, dirt, soil, and plants from dog-owning, green-thumbed homeowners who like to give their dogs a bath in the sink, or who use the kitchen as a mudroom and greenhouse.
All that food waste, scraps, gunk, grease, and even hair gets washed down the drain. Most of this debris will pass through the pipes without issue, but pieces can dislodge and get stuck. Over time, all these small bits start to add up, making the opening of the pipes narrower. That makes it more difficult for water to get through. When water can’t move freely through the partial blockages, it starts to back up and accumulates in the sink.
2. Is Your Dishwasher Too Powerful?
This can be the cause of a backup for homeowners who have recently Installed a new dishwasher. When the new dishwasher has a stronger pump than the one before it, it can overwhelm the pipes. Your dishwasher and your kitchen sink use the same drain. When the new dishwasher pushes out a lot of water, your pipes might be struggling with the amount. When it can’t keep up and drain properly, it can back up into the sink
3. Is Your Washing Machine the Culprit?
It may seem strange to think that your washing machine could cause your kitchen sink to back up but it makes more sense when you think that a lot of your pipes are connected throughout your house. If you notice the backup only occurs when you’re running the clothes washer, the blockage might originate from the washing machine pipe. This can be a tricky clog to fix and you want to make sure to contact a professional plumber for this type of blockage.
See what keeps our customers saying, “I Love My Design Comfort” and contact us today for professional and reliable kitchen sink plumbing problems.
