A blocked sink disrupts your daily routine, in the kitchen or the bathroom. Kitchen sinks usually block from grease and food debris, while bathroom sinks block from hair and soap scum. We use manual rodding, high-pressure micro-jetting, and electromechanical drain snakes to clear the blockage, from the trap to the underground connection. We carry descaling tools for hard water and grease-cutting attachments for kitchen pipes. We check the full waste run and the outside gulley, to rule out a second blockage. Most sink unblocking jobs take 30 to 60 minutes, and we test the flow before we leave.
We check the U-bend or bottle trap for visible blockages, since most sink blockages start there. We also check further along the waste pipe.
We use drain rods, a powered snake, or micro-jetting to clear the blockage. This also flushes out debris along the waste run.
We check the gulley where the waste pipe leaves the property. We clear any debris that could cause future blockages.
We run both taps at full pressure to check the sink drains freely. Although rare, we test again if any slow drainage remains.
The cost of unblocking a sink depends on where the blockage sits and how bad it is. A kitchen sink with heavy grease buildup may need jetting, since grease clogs pipes fast. Request a fixed-price quote online — we confirm the price before we start, and there's no call-out fee. If we find a deeper problem, such as a broken pipe, we'll explain your options first.
A kitchen sink almost always blocks again because of grease and fat inside the waste pipe. Even small amounts of cooking oil solidify as they cool, and slowly narrow the pipe. A sink strainer, wiping greasy pans with kitchen roll first, and a weekly hot water flush all cut the risk.
Chemical drain cleaners can give short-term relief for a small blockage, but they're not a lasting fix. Repeated use can corrode old metal pipes and damage rubber seals. For a stubborn or full blockage, a mechanical clear-out works better and is safer for your pipes.
Yes. A blockage in a shared underground drain can slow or back up several appliances at once. This is common in older terraced homes, where the kitchen and bathroom waste share a single pipe.