Clogged kitchen sink...

[sarahsthreads]

OK, I think it must be time for a new garbage disposal. At least once a month it manages to completely clog our kitchen sink, but usually just a bit of plunging by DH makes it work again. Well, it did it again tonight and DH has been working on it for over two hours now. (He had to go to Home Depot for a sink auger. I don't know what that is, but it doesn't sound good.) And it has to get fixed because it's not like DD and I can manage without a functional kitchen sink tomorrow. (Even if I were creative enough to use the bathroom sink or something, ignoring the fact that the kitchen sink provides the only non-softened water in the house, DD and I are both sick so my energy level has hit an all time low. No creativity here.)

I have no idea how long these things are supposed to last, but we've been in the house almost 9 years, and who knows how long before that it was installed. We're always really careful not to put too much in it, and never things like potato or carrot peelings (they clog it), or more than one or two eggshells (they clog it), or rice (clogs) or pasta (clogs) or really much of anything except a few pieces of leftovers off a plate... I'm totally OK if it's had enough of disposing and has decided to give up, it's one of the few things we haven't had to replace since we moved in. But did it have to completely clog everything just to make it's point?

Uh-oh. Do plumbers come at 9:30 PM? Because DH just walked in and said he's going to have to admit defeat... Now what?!?

Pregnant + sick + completely messy kitchen with extremely clogged sink = very unhappy mood. :(

Sarah

[tarabenet]

Maybe I can help with some first aid? What is it doing? Does the thing spin and try to grind, or is it jammed and just humming? I'm assuiming it is standing full of water.

With the plunger, is he pushing or pulling? For a clogged disposal, the action needs to be pulling. Squish the plunger flat, then insert it into the drain, then pull. If it is a double sink, fill the other side with a couple of inches of water, and pull the stopper on that side as you pull the plunger up, to try to suction the water (and gook) back through the release holes.

If the thing is jammed, grab wrench and find the bolt head on the bottom center of the disposal unit. Try turning it a half turn or so to the right to relase the blades. You may also need to hit the reset buttong on the top or side of the unit, if it finally tripped the internal fuse.

Running a lot of ice through, with the cold water running, can help clean out the blades and the system and keep it in better shape.

If he's already done this stuff, then I'm defiinitely no help. But hey, I managed to learn a little something useful from my horrible ex, the maintenance guy! Good luck!

ETA: The whole post was preceded by a sympathetic temper fit about stupid plumbing problems! So effing annoying!

[sarahsthreads]

When we get a new disposal, I'll have to use the ice trick...though first I'll actually have to keep ice made in the freezer! ;)

Yeah, he was way past the plunging point. Had the trap all taken apart and was using the auger in the pipes past that point. And now DH and my dad (oh, thank heavens for parents who live close by!) are playing with pipes in the basement. I have a sinking feeling (no pun intended) that stuff has really been building up over time and whatever DH was trying to put down the disposal this evening was just the last straw.

I'm just sitting here on the internet trying to ignore the strange sawing, banging and dripping sounds I'm hearing from the basement. Maybe I should go look up the number for a nearby motel...?

Sarah

[tarabenet]

I'd go with a motel, since I'm pretty sure a sleeping pill is out of the question. LOL!

Good luck! And yes, thank goodness for helpful parents! And for being able to keep your sense of humor even this late in the evening!

[MamaMolly]

Yuck, plugged pipes! I'm guessing that if they are banging away in the basement the problem is further into the system than the disposal...but is sounds like you probably need a new one of those, too.

And plumbers will come out at 9:30, they just charge triple golden time. I know this because one came to my sister's house about that time on a Sunday. Right after I asked if she regularly put the bacteria into the toilet because she had a septic system. And she said 'what bacteria?'

Good luck, I hope it is easily fixed!

[sarahsthreads]

I'm very glad we don't have to worry about *that* particular plumbing issue!

DH and my dad thought they got everything cleared out, and then after my dad left we realized it wasn't quite fixed. I gave up and went to bed, DH fell asleep on the couch, and then at some wee hour this morning he woke up and decided to give it another try, so he apparently fixed it. At least, the sink is now draining properly.

I'm going to avoid using the evil garbage disposal until we can replace it, though.

(And I was really only kidding about a plumber. DH wouldn't call a plumber out unless every pipe in the house burst simultaneously and he had no choice. He's definitely a DIY home-repair kind of guy - which is sometimes good and sometimes...not.)

Sarah :)