# Slow runing sink



## tmitch45

Can anyone see from the picture of the sink u bend below if there is anything obviously wrong which would cause it to run slow and cause the sink to fill. I've had it off the sink and run water through it in this exact position and its fine. I've also run water through where it runs into the drain in the ground and its fine. As soon as I connect it all together it slows and fill the sink. Whats worse when the dish washer empties it fills the sink with dirty water.

Any help and advice gratefully received as I'm tearing my hair out!!!!










All pipes are clean and free of any blockage. I've just undone the white connector that fits into the drain in the ground and put a funnel in it and run water into the sink and as soon as I reconnect it the sink fills?????????? Could there be an air pressure air lock situation going on??????


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## Mikesphotaes

I would get a syphon pump from ebay and give the system a few plunges.


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## GSD

I’m no plumber but it all looks like a bit of a dogs breakfast,my thoughts would be the problem is the raised part just after the U bend.


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## tmitch45

GSD said:


> I'm no plumber but it all looks like a bit of a dogs breakfast,my thoughts would be the problem is the raised part just after the U bend.


That's what I though at first but the whole pipe is totally clear and water runs through with ease until I connect it back up!


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## mar00

probably that flexi hose distorting under flow, the've just not left enough room to fit the top straight pipe so bodget it, u bend back looks ok,

swivel the u bed around towards the back to give more room then fit a upright hard pipe and a 90 bend to meet the u bend


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## tmitch45

So just undone the section that fits into the drain in the ground put a funnel in and run the taps see picture below. Run for 10 mins taps on full power no issues at either end. As soon as I connect that white pipe which makes an air tight seal it backs up!!!!!!!! I'm thinking it has to be something to do with air pressure or venting??????


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## AnthonyUK

Is there a pipe from the sink overflow?
This would also allow air to vent.


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## tmitch45

AnthonyUK said:


> Is there a pipe from the sink overflow?
> This would also allow air to vent.


Yes you cannot see it on the pic it goes from the overflow and fits in the back of the plastic base of the plug hole.


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## Serkie

I’ve had something similar with a bathroom basin before. I cured it by plunging it repeatedly until the water drained as expected. In my case some gunk came out of the overflow which I assume was causing an air block.


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## AndyN01

If there's any chance of a blockage then I suggest using a sulphuric acid cleaner.

You'll need to take extreme care and make sure there's nothing that will react but from past experience the acid cleaners are way better than the caustic ones.

Something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/KILROCK-RHINO-DRAIN-UNBLOCKER-Litre/dp/B00F4L9VLE

Good luck.

Andy.


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## Will_G

Definitely sounds like a venting issue. You say the sink fills, what causes this? Is it another appliance? Where in the house is the sink? Do your drains have a roof level vent?


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## MrMatt

That flexi looks rough as. How long is the pipe to the stack and what diameter is it?

If all else fails and you are sure there are no blockages you could change the trap to an anti-vac trap, add an inline anti-vac or fit an Air Admittance Valve?


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## tmitch45

So having looked at this for some time it seems that there is a blockage between where the pipe enters the floor and the main drain. A friend of mine who's a plumber confirmed the pipe work under the sink is fine and that indeed there was a blockage under the kitchen floor. Eventually with his help we freed the blockage. His rodding set was too large to fit so I made some rods out of some plastic speed fit pipe and then attached this to my hose and turned it on full blast! This shifted some of the blockage so then it was a case of moving the pipes in and out about 50cm at a time until the water was running clear at the inspection manhole. After that we reconnected the sink and filled with hot water and once full removed the plug to try and push that last bits through. in the last few sinks full we added disinfectant. The amount of crap which came out was extremely surprising! Lets just say my wife will thing twice before putting heavily dirty plates in the dish washer and oil down the sink. I thought I'd share in case this helps others.


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## Sicskate

I personally would take it all apart and replace the lot. 

You really want your dishwasher waste to be after the U bend. 

Also, what's stopping you from removing the flexi pipe and putting an elbow straight into the floor?? 

There could be a blockage in the floor, maybe you could get some old cable and push it into the straight pipe that goes into the floor?

Sent from my COR-L29 using Tapatalk


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## AnthonyUK

Have a look at the Karcher drain/pipe cleaning attachment and I'm sure there are similar for other pressure washers. There are some great videos on Youtube


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## blademansw

Sicskate said:


> I personally would take it all apart and replace the lot.


This ^^^^

Your "plumber" friend is not a very good plumber if he said that pipework arrangement was fine.


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## ishaaq

as previously said above - grab yourself a McAlpine kit -15/20£. great kit!


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## ollienoclue

That doesn't look like the sort of job a plumber would normally consider ideal. I would buy the required bits, which will cost very little and sort it so after the U bend it does straight down that pipe and out to the drains. It's only plastic and can be cut and tightened up with basic tools. The existing system to me looks like it would impede the flow of water and whatever else has gone down the sink too much meaning it won't reach the drains with as much pizzaz which is probably why the drain backed up in the first place.

Allowing an amount of fat/grease to go down the drains is normal but best to remove all the food waste you can and let a whole sink load of hot water and dishwasher detergent down the sink at the end of any washing up session.

Pouring hot or cold fat directly down the sink is asking for it as it will coagulate in the pipes quite happily. Better to have it mixed with a lot of hot water and detergent so it reaches the sewer system which is a much much larger. Of course food waste is best put in the bin rather than disposed of down the sink. We have an insinkerator but never use it for fear of blocking our drains.


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## Tykebike

I'd be very wary of using a pressure washer if you have push fit waste pipes as a build up of pressure can force water out through the seals which if out of sight can lead to flooding.
I had problems with a shower drain a year after installation, it turned out to be a horrible gooey mess of soap residue and hair. I eventually cleared it with hot water (apparently dont' use boiling water) and soda crystals. I've now set a prompt on my computer to clean it out every month. 
As for the kitchen waste I clean that out at the same time but I wipe any greasy dishes with kitchen towel and bin it before washing the dishes. Prevention is better than cure.
Have a look on https://www.dri-pak.co.uk for cleaning tips.


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## GSD

Tykebike I got an orange plastic spiked thing from Poundstretcher for 49p just push it into the drain twist it a bit pull it out and all the hair and gunk comes out and straight down the bog  not a pleasant job but so effective.


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## Marve

ollienoclue said:


> Of course food waste is best put in the bin rather than disposed of down the sink. We have an insinkerator but never use it for fear of blocking our drains.


You really should use your insinkerator. It is much better to go down there than in your bin. 7.3 million tonnes of food waste ends up in landfills each year where it emits harmful greenhouse gasses..

Instead of going to landfill, food waste can yield valuable biogas and other vital soil nutrients which can be recovered at the wastewater treatment plant if you put it through your insinkerator.

We use ours for as much as possible. Literally everything except banana skins and potato skins. Even chicken bones go down with no problem.


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## ollienoclue

Marve said:


> You really should use your insinkerator. It is much better to go down there than in your bin. 7.3 million tonnes of food waste ends up in landfills each year where it emits harmful greenhouse gasses..
> 
> Instead of going to landfill, food waste can yield valuable biogas and other vital soil nutrients which can be recovered at the wastewater treatment plant if you put it through your insinkerator.
> 
> We use ours for as much as possible. Literally everything except banana skins and potato skins. Even chicken bones go down with no problem.


All our foodwaste goes in the food waste bin which is sent to a biodigester in this region as opposed to the black landfill job.

Things like fruit and veg or peelings go on our own compost heap. In time we will have chickens who I fully expect will be the first to try and eat these as well. After that I will eat the chicken.


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## beatty599

Marve said:


> You really should use your insinkerator. It is much better to go down there than in your bin. 7.3 million tonnes of food waste ends up in landfills each year where it emits harmful greenhouse gasses..
> 
> Instead of going to landfill, food waste can yield valuable biogas and other vital soil nutrients which can be recovered at the wastewater treatment plant if you put it through your insinkerator.
> 
> We use ours for as much as possible. Literally everything except banana skins and potato skins. Even chicken bones go down with no problem.


Just to let you know the Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) don't really recover this kind of think and anything they do it just gets sent to landfill (I work on them).

We have an "insinkerator" fantastic job, just wanted you to know that WwTW's aren't fantastic about cleaning water, as a lot of people that actually run them are there for an easy job and pension, so don't really care.


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## blademansw

beatty599 said:


> Just to let you know the Wastewater Treatment Works (WwTW) don't really recover this kind of think and anything they do it just gets sent to landfill (I work on them).
> 
> We have an "insinkerator" fantastic job, just wanted you to know that WwTW's aren't fantastic about cleaning water, as a lot of people that actually run them are there for an easy job and pension, so don't really care.


Have you got a skip full of sweetcorn at your site?


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## ollienoclue

blademansw said:


> Have you got a skip full of sweetcorn at your site?


They screen out the inorganic bit for incineration or landfill and the rest eventually makes it back to the land as fertiliser.


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## vsideboy

Could be your flexi pipe is causing waste food to collect and then eventually it's all going down the waste pipe in a big blob and causing blockages mate. AS others have said I would redo it with solid pipe.


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