Plumbing and maintenance
Clearing a blocked sink without wrecking the trap
The short answer
Kitchen sink blockages are usually fat and food at the trap or the first bend. Bathroom basins are usually hair and soap in the pop-up waste.
What to check
- 1
Removing and cleaning the trap physically clears most blockages and shows you exactly what caused it.
- 2
Repeated chemical use damages seals and pipework, and does nothing about the build-up further along the branch.
Questions we get asked
Does boiling water help?
It can soften fat, but on plastic waste pipes very hot water repeatedly is not ideal.
When is it a drain problem?
If several fittings are slow at once, the problem is likely beyond the trap.
Want the awkward part looked at first?
Access, existing pipework and floor build-up are the things that change a plan. Those get checked before anything is promised.