Removing thick black sludge from kitchen sink pipe
Discussion
Hi All,
The kitchen sink over at Mum's has been draining slowly, so I took the trap off and cleaned it out, however the pipe leading to outside seems to be full of black sludge. It's soft and seems to have a soft porridge like consistency.
What's the simplest way to remove it? I stuck a drain unclogger spiralled wire thing up it and managed to get a few tablespoons worth out, but the wire isn't long enough to reach the end of the pipe. There was no resistance when pushing it though the sludge.
We left a Cillit Bang gel unclogger down it overnight, but the bottle wasnt very big and probably only filled up the trap that we had already cleaned. Not much improvement if any this morning.
There seems to be lots of conflicting information online about the best products to use. Baking powder, followed by vinegar is a popular one, because all the foaming loosens blockages, but others say it does nothing and the chemical combination neutralises the effect.
My idea is to pour down a couple of 2 litre bottles of thin bleach and leave it overnight, but some say it will damage the glue joining the PVC pipes together. It's a standard grey pipe in a late 80s built house.
Thanks.
The kitchen sink over at Mum's has been draining slowly, so I took the trap off and cleaned it out, however the pipe leading to outside seems to be full of black sludge. It's soft and seems to have a soft porridge like consistency.
What's the simplest way to remove it? I stuck a drain unclogger spiralled wire thing up it and managed to get a few tablespoons worth out, but the wire isn't long enough to reach the end of the pipe. There was no resistance when pushing it though the sludge.
We left a Cillit Bang gel unclogger down it overnight, but the bottle wasnt very big and probably only filled up the trap that we had already cleaned. Not much improvement if any this morning.
There seems to be lots of conflicting information online about the best products to use. Baking powder, followed by vinegar is a popular one, because all the foaming loosens blockages, but others say it does nothing and the chemical combination neutralises the effect.
My idea is to pour down a couple of 2 litre bottles of thin bleach and leave it overnight, but some say it will damage the glue joining the PVC pipes together. It's a standard grey pipe in a late 80s built house.
Thanks.
Wet and dry vac can be great at clearing that stuff. Done it a few times. Block the overflow, nozzle into the plughole or the pipe, packed out with kitchen roll to seal it.
Or if you're really brave take the trap off and put a hose down the drain.
Sinkful of hot water & bleach to finish off.
If the trap is off avoid putting anything in the sink until you refit it, amazing how easy it is to give in to habit...
Or if you're really brave take the trap off and put a hose down the drain.
Sinkful of hot water & bleach to finish off.
If the trap is off avoid putting anything in the sink until you refit it, amazing how easy it is to give in to habit...
I didn't think of the wet vac, but my goodness, the sludge really does stink! I might try the thin bleach first as it's easy to get hold of and very cheap to get hold of a few litres.
https://groceries.asda.com/product/bleach-disinfec...
Just Essentials Thin Bleach contains: Sodium Hypochlorite and Sodium Hydroxide, Detergents info: <5% Chlorine-Based Bleaching Agent, Sodium Hypochlorite (1.05g/100g)
Wouldn't be too strong to leave for a good few hours in PVC pipe?
https://groceries.asda.com/product/bleach-disinfec...
Just Essentials Thin Bleach contains: Sodium Hypochlorite and Sodium Hydroxide, Detergents info: <5% Chlorine-Based Bleaching Agent, Sodium Hypochlorite (1.05g/100g)
Wouldn't be too strong to leave for a good few hours in PVC pipe?
AlexC1981 said:
I didn't think of the wet vac, but my goodness, the sludge really does stink! I might try the thin bleach first as it's easy to get hold of and very cheap to get hold of a few litres.
https://groceries.asda.com/product/bleach-disinfec...
Just Essentials Thin Bleach contains: Sodium Hypochlorite and Sodium Hydroxide, Detergents info: <5% Chlorine-Based Bleaching Agent, Sodium Hypochlorite (1.05g/100g)
Wouldn't be too strong to leave for a good few hours in PVC pipe?
Not at all, and certainly not for they odd time you’ll be using it.https://groceries.asda.com/product/bleach-disinfec...
Just Essentials Thin Bleach contains: Sodium Hypochlorite and Sodium Hydroxide, Detergents info: <5% Chlorine-Based Bleaching Agent, Sodium Hypochlorite (1.05g/100g)
Wouldn't be too strong to leave for a good few hours in PVC pipe?
We have also found the Mr Muscle drain unblocker to be effective as well.
Ideally you need some thickness to it as it will sit easier in the pipe and not wash away as easily.
I thought perhaps the thin stuff would soak into the sludge better to break it down rather than running on top of it.Fair enough.
The longer you can leave it the better and before you wash it through, put the plug in and fill the sink right up to the top with hot water and then remove any plug completely to give the weight of the water a good chance of pushing it through.
It might need a couple of goes but for the cheapness of bleach, it’s certainly worth a shot!
Let us know how it goes!
ETA: this stuff is brilliant.
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/Produc...
The longer you can leave it the better and before you wash it through, put the plug in and fill the sink right up to the top with hot water and then remove any plug completely to give the weight of the water a good chance of pushing it through.
It might need a couple of goes but for the cheapness of bleach, it’s certainly worth a shot!
Let us know how it goes!
ETA: this stuff is brilliant.
https://www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/Produc...
Mix up a bucket of bleach, plug the waste pipe and then pour the bleach down the sink and leave the liquid in the pipe over night. Same with sink unblocker, you need to plug the waste pipe and wash it in to the pipe and leave it there. The key is to be able to fill the waste pipe back to the u bend with whichever solution you use and leave there as long as practical.
DonkeyApple said:
Mix up a bucket of bleach, plug the waste pipe and then pour the bleach down the sink and leave the liquid in the pipe over night. Same with sink unblocker, you need to plug the waste pipe and wash it in to the pipe and leave it there. The key is to be able to fill the waste pipe back to the u bend with whichever solution you use and leave there as long as practical.
That’s literally what’s already been posted.119 said:
DonkeyApple said:
Mix up a bucket of bleach, plug the waste pipe and then pour the bleach down the sink and leave the liquid in the pipe over night. Same with sink unblocker, you need to plug the waste pipe and wash it in to the pipe and leave it there. The key is to be able to fill the waste pipe back to the u bend with whichever solution you use and leave there as long as practical.
That’s literally what’s already been posted.
Rather than deal with unpleasant and toxic chemicals pour some of this stuff down the drain once a day. Let the bacteria take the strain.
hidetheelephants said:
Rather than deal with unpleasant and toxic chemicals pour some of this stuff down the drain once a day. Let the bacteria take the strain.
Much as I like the idea - does it really work? Can bacteria munch through a kitchen pipe of goo "overnight"?I’ve had that exact black sludge in mine before - it’s basically years of grease and food build-up. Honestly the easiest fix for me was boiling water and washing-up liquid, poured a few times to melt the gunk. If that doesn’t shift it, a proper drain rod or one of those long flexible plastic snakes from the DIY shop works better than the little wire ones
OllyAitch said:
I’ve had that exact black sludge in mine before - it’s basically years of grease and food build-up. Honestly the easiest fix for me was boiling water and washing-up liquid, poured a few times to melt the gunk. If that doesn’t shift it, a proper drain rod or one of those long flexible plastic snakes from the DIY shop works better than the little wire ones
Hot water alone did it! We ran the hot tap for a few minutes to let that trickle down and warm up the sludge. Then put the plug in and filled the sink right up. Unplugged, let it trickle down some more, then it started speeding up, left the hot tap running and chucked in a kettle full of boiling water to keep the water level high and maintain the pressure, then something cleared and it went down rapidly. Nice and easy. I did it a second time for good measure.Gassing Station | Homes, Gardens and DIY | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff