clogged gray water pipes

Take the P-trap out and clean it as needed.

If you have grease in your kitchen P-trap, it's likely in the tank too. I would use liquid Drano. I won't hurt anything. Make sure the label says it won't attack metal. Our owner's manual says to use it. Just never ever dump it into a private on-site septic disposal system. Put some liquid Drano into the tank along with about 5 gallons of water and go for a drive so it will slosh around. The tank will end up factory fresh again. If you end up doing this, might as well give the black tank the same cleaning job.

You'll have an air admittance valve under a sink and you can always unscrew that to run a snake into the tank if you can't get it in otherwise.

If you are talking about the bathroom sink, you could have hair and crud in there. There is a nifty little hair removal snake like below. Only a buck or two at a hardware store and they work great. (If Anthony Sullivan has his name on it, it's going to be a great product!) Good for a tub/shower drain too.

Moved to General from Cooking forum

x3 Mitch

I do the same as Mitch5252. At a local supermarket I found a set of 3 different sizes on clearance at the end of the summer for $1.25. Bought 2 sets.

I have these on all 3 sink drains in the trailer and quite a few at the house, too. Can't believe how much stuff they catch! They come in large and small, and some have a finer mesh than others.

Since most sink clogs are from grease, boiling hot water usually does the trick with non-metal sinks.

The other methods mentioned can work too. The method chosen depends on the clog itself. A hairball in the shower doesn't respond to hot water.

I've disconnected the P trap and an accumulation of grease and coffee grounds were the culprit. We do wipe grease and other bits from pans and plates but I guess we don't get it all.

My best friend is an empty pickle jar which I use for grease and greasy stuff. Put on the lid and store it under the sink until it's full then into the garbage it goes. Even do this at home.

Easiest thing is to just unscrew the trap under the kitchen sink. Most likely, clog is in the trap. If it isn't, easy to chase the pipe down stream of the trap to the tank.

kgarnham1234 wrote:
What and how do I clean the drain pipes from a sink?

I'm fond of the following method as a low damage works for any sink's pipe method:

Stuff baking soda down the drain until you can't put in anymore. Pour a cup of white vinegar in and place the sink stopper a top. When the bubbling subsides add a quart or so of boiling hot water. Drain still sluggish? Repeat. I do this about once every 1 to 2 weeks since It saves me from yelling at people to stop pouring grease down the sink;).

If your pipe is weally and truly clogged try these methods:

http://www.thisoldhouse.com/toh/article/0,,193799-3,00.html