Top Kitchen Sink Issues And How To Deal With Them
Think about all of the different ways you use your kitchen sink. You use it to fill pots, wash dishes, wash your hands, clean veggies, and so much more. If your kitchen sink starts acting up, that's not a good thing. It's important to therefore know about common kitchen sink problems and how to deal with each of them.
Clogged Drains
Clogs can happen in any drain, but they tend to be most common in the kitchen. It's important to understand the causes of clogs. In this case, it tends to be a combination of grease and other food debris. The grease clings to the inside of the drainpipe, and the other food particles stick to the grease. You can often clear away a clog caused by grease and food by dumping a lot of hot water down the drain. This liquefies the grease and helps it keep flowing all of the way down into the sewer system. If hot water does not work, you can try hot vinegar, which has the added benefit of being acidic. And if vinegar does not work, you should call a plumber, who can use a hydrojet or drain snake to clear the clog safety.
Low Water Pressure
Having the water pressure drop when you're trying to wash dishes or fill a pot can be frustrating. This tends to happen from time to time in kitchens. There are a number of possible causes. If you have hard water, this could be an indication of mineral buildup in your pipes. The only real solution here is to have the mineral-blocked pipe removed and replaced and then to have a water softener installed so this does not happen again.
It's also possible your water pressure is due to a leak. The water is leaking out of the pipe before it reaches your tap. Check the walls and the area below your sink to see if you can spot any wet areas. If you do spot wet areas, you have a leak, and you'll need to have a plumber come fix it.
Leaky Faucets
Because they are turned on and off many times in a day, kitchen faucets are prone to wearing out and beginning to leak. The rubber washers can crack and begin leaking. If you are handy, you may be able to disassemble the faucet and replace the washers. (Turn the water supply off to the faucet first!) If you don't feel like bothering, a plumber can repair or replace a faucet pretty inexpensively.
Kitchen sinks are prone to a number of issues, but luckily, they are all pretty easy to repair. Talk to your residential plumbing contractor to learn more.