One of the most colorful and well-known personalities in Houston was Marvin Zindler, the long-time investigative journalist for Channel 13 News. One of his famous catchphrases in his regular restaurant report was, “There’s sliiiiiiiime in the ice machine.” Well folks, there’s slime in your sink pipes too!
Many homes develop sinks that drain VERY slowly. The homeowner was present during one of my recent inspections and was interested in what I was finding. I commented that a couple of the bathroom sinks were not draining well. Wanting to fix everything quickly, before I left the inspection, he brought a p-trap to me and said with a laugh, “This has to be the grossest thing in my home!” He had never seen the gel-like slime buildup that develops inside the sink trap.
Slime in the pipes can cause problems, especially if a primary condensation drain line from the air-conditioning system evaporator core is connected to the stand-pipe of the sink. Some sinks will clog up more than other sinks, depending on the usage, such as make-up, beard trimming, children’s bathroom, etc. Cleaning out the sink trap is a very easy do-it-yourself job, and only takes a few minutes. It should not be too difficult to take the sink trap apart, clean it, and put it back together without it leaking. Give it a try…
Under the sink / lavatory, the standpipe going straight down from the sink should be connected to a u-shaped pipe that’s called a “p-trap.” The plumbing pipes under the sink will be made of either metal or PVC. The sink trap can trap debris that has drained from the sink and prevents it from clogging up deeper in the plumbing system. The sink trap also creates a water seal that prevents sewer gases from coming back into the home. The trap is connected to the pipes with a simple washer seal and slip or connecting nut. Many times, these are merely hand-tight, and you may not need pliers to loosen / tighten the nut.
Clean out your sink trap in five easy steps:
- Clean out items under the sink to clear the working area.
- Have a small bucket and some towels available.
- Loosen the connecting nuts and remove the trap (Hint: Don’t run the water when the trap is off!).
- Clean out the trap and pipes (Maybe you’ll find a lost piece of jewelry!).
- Put it back together with the washers, tighten the nuts (don’t overtighten), and check for leaks.
It’s that simple! Repeat as needed for your home. If you run into a problem, you can always call a friendly plumber. Stay slime-free and unclogged my friends!
