Kitchen sinks block with grease, food scraps and soap. Grease cools and clings to the pipe. Bathroom basins block with hair, toothpaste and soap scum. The block may sit in the trap under the sink, or further along the waste pipe.
Start with the trap, since it is the usual spot. Put a bowl under it, undo it and clear what you find. If the trap is clean and the sink still drains badly, the block sits further down. The blocked drains guide covers that wider picture.
A sink that blocks along with the bath or toilet points to a shared pipe. Read about a blocked toilet or a blocked bath and shower in that case, since the cause may be the same. For stubborn grease, drain jetting is still the usual next step.
The engineer checks the trap under the sink first, the usual place for a block. The trap also shows what has been going down the drain. A bowl under the trap catches the water.
Rods, a powered snake or a small jet clear the pipe beyond the trap, and the trap itself gets a clean. The aim is to clear the whole run, not just the nearest part. Ask for the whole run to be cleared, not just the trap.
Many sinks drain to an outside gully, so the engineer may look there too. Debris can build up at that point and slow the whole pipe. Leaves and grease can collect there and slow the whole pipe.
Most engineers run the taps at full flow to check the sink drains well. A slow drain after clearing may point to a deeper fault, or a partial block that remains. Anything slow after the clear needs a second look.
Use these questions to compare quotes, since the answers differ from one engineer to the next. Write the answers down, since a written note helps if the job changes. Then compare two quotes if the job looks large.
These are typical UK ranges from national price guides, not Essex quotes. MyJobQuote lists rodding at £80 to £145 and jetting at £70 to £175, while Precise Drainage Solutions lists minor blocks at £80 to £150. Heavy grease may need jetting, so it can cost more than a simple trap clear.
Ask for a written quote before work starts, and ask whether there is a call-out charge. If the engineer finds a broken pipe, ask for the options and the prices before any extra work begins. A repair is a different job. Keep the written quote, since it records what you agreed.
Grease is the usual cause. Fat cools inside the pipe and narrows it a little more each time as it sticks to the walls. Wipe greasy pans with kitchen roll, and use a sink strainer to catch food scraps.
Read the label first, since strength and safety advice vary. Never mix products, and keep them away from children and skin. Chemicals may also stay in the pipe, so tell the engineer if you used any.
Yes, if the sink shares a pipe with other fixtures. A block in the shared part can slow the bath or the toilet too, since the water has nowhere to go. Ask the engineer to check the shared pipe.