Samsta asked:


There’s rice and some other stuff stuck in the u-bend of my kitchen drain. How do i unblock it with cheap stuff? I tried opening it but it was a mess. There’s two sinks and the u-bend is under the right sink. I dont have money to get a plumber or a plunge or anything else. Waiting for pay-day lol. Help plz! Thankoo
MATT

11 Responses to “How do i unblock my kitchen drain without gettin a plumber? Help plzzZ?”

1. TED on May 2nd, 2009 11:05 am

   HARLAN

   try borrowing one from a neighbor. that is what they are there for. a plunger will work great. you can also get drain cleaner from the dollar store cheap….

2. BILLIE on May 5th, 2009 9:49 pm

   TRAVIS

   If possible, take the trap (u-bend) out. unscrew it at the 2 tops of the “U”. Clean it out, put it back in, and you should be good to go!

3. PAT on May 8th, 2009 11:57 pm

   GERALD

   You could try pouring baking soda then vinegar down the drain. Maybe a cup of baking soda to half cup vinegar. Let it bubble for a few minutes then pour down a kettle of boiling water. This will often clear a drain and you probably have these things on hand.

4. MONROE on May 11th, 2009 1:27 pm

   ADRIAN

   The best thing to do is to remove the trap, or “u bend,” as you called it, and clean it out. This can be messy, especially if you have water still in the sink. The best thing to do is to remove everything from under the sink, put down a couple towels in the bottom of the cabinet and get a bucket or some other kind of container to catch the water that comes out. Keep in mind that even if the sink has drained, there will still be water in the trap. Make sure that when you remove the trap you don’t lose the little plastic gaskets that go on it, otherwise when you put it back together it will leak. There will be one on both end of the trap. Tighter the nuts back up good when you are done and run some water thru it to see if it leaks, if it does just tighten the nuts up more. Good luck!

5. AARON on May 14th, 2009 5:35 am

   ROCCO

   take a metal coat hange and straighten . at the tip make a “J” so it will round corners poke away if the doesn’t work get a real snake they are only eight dollars. It’s tough to use a plunger because it just pushes to the next sink and not the clog. fell free to email me if this does’nt work there’s more than one way to skin a cat

6. MARSHALL on May 16th, 2009 12:42 am

   REYNALDO

   Certainly valid suggestions. One I’d attempt is remove the “P” trap. That’s holding the clog. Second, Borrow a plunger, or a garden hose and run it down into the P trap.

   Yes it may be messy, and tedious, but it has to be done.

   No offense, but next time, don’t dump solids in the sink drain

7. JOSHUA on May 16th, 2009 2:36 am

   NATHANIEL

   1. If you have a garden hose, especially with a high pressue spray, shove it down as far as you can, wedge it in with some plastic bags around the perimeter, as to force a jet of water through the gunk.
   2. Improvise or borrow a plunger!
   3. Get a bucket and take off that P-trap it’s easy if you try.
   It might be a mess, but it won’t go away by itself!
   4. Bribe a handy neighbor with a tempting barter?

8. WILBERT on May 19th, 2009 9:40 am

   LIONEL

   try some Draino– or liquid plummer -plunger

9. HOWARD on May 21st, 2009 6:15 am

   OSCAR

   Kidnap a plumber and force him to do the job

10. MATT on May 21st, 2009 8:16 am

    BYRON

    don’t pour anything in there . the easiest way is to get a bucket and place it under the p trap. If you have a plastic trap you can do it without even using tools. Unscrew the two nuts that hold it up. clean it out then replace. Test before you remove the bucket.
    Try to look it up on the net. Google “P trap” for a picture.

    I cleaned one out once with cereal in it. The cereal started to swell up and made it tough to clear it out.

    Here’s another trick I saw work once. How to plunge without a plunger.
    On a double sink you have to block the OTHER sink drain with a large wet rag that will block the drain. Next place another wet rag in the drain you’re working on and pump it up and down. It will cause some suction action which may break the clog.

11. GLEN on May 22nd, 2009 12:44 am

    BRUCE

    First you need to get a shallow pan or bucket and disconnect the P trap which you are calling a Ubend. Do not put any more water down the drain . Let it stand for a few minutes.
    Remove all your items under the sink so you have room to work. Next take the trap apart and disconnect all the parts going to the drain P trap. When you loosen the plastic nuts which you will turn counter clock wise to undo and clock wise when you put them back or tighten.
    Now you will start to get water in the drain leaking out so make sure the pan is under the area where you are receiving the pipes to catch the water and food.
    Once you get the pipes apart take them out side and wash them out. Remember which way the washers go on when you remove them because they need to go back on the same way for the drain not to leak when your done.
    You will need some kind of hand drain snake which you can find at a home improvement store for fairly cheap. or you can rent a power snake from a rental yard if the small hand snake doesnt work.
    Now you may luck out and the drain in the wall may not be clogged and you can put the drain back together and see if the problem was corrected.
    You should snake the drain anyways to make sure it is open for the water to run through.
    If you have a major clog than the rental snake will be needed.
    If you have a garbage disposal you need to fill both sides of your sinks about half way full of water and turn on the garbage disposal and pull both strainers out at the same time ,and it should flush out both drain lines at the same time (But only after you hook the pipes back first. )
    When you are tightening the pipes back remember tighten the nuts hand tight and than with a pair of channel locks turn the nut just about a quarter turn more.
    Do not over tighten or you will ***** the nut and break the seal.
    Hopefully this can help you . And always remember not to put RICE,EGG SHELLS . ONION PEELS AND ALIKE ITEMS DOWN YOUR DRAIN OR YOU WILL HAVE THIS PROBLEM A LOT because they get compacted in the drain and the air gap for the garbage disposal to work properly.
    If you don’t have the money ask a friend if they have any of the tools to help you.
    Most of the time if you ask people if they have things some one will have what you need.
    Good Luck