Said It Here

Why does my sink drain keep clogging up?

P-trap blockages are often caused by buildup from past habits like toothpaste or potential plumbing pipe height issues. Because professional repairs are unaffordable, homeowners must rely on DIY cleaning methods to keep the drain clear.

What people tried

Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.

  1. 1
    Trying to manually fix the plumbing setup oneself
  2. 2
    Replacing the accordion trap with a normal one and modifying the dishwasher tailpiece extension
  3. 3
    Cleaning out the drain stopper and pipe
  4. 4
    Placing a hollow cylinder over the drain holes to test for air lock
  5. 5
    Drilling out holes in the drain strainer to create a vent
  6. 6
    Unclogging or replacing the pipe
  7. 7
    Getting the line snaked to remove roots
  8. 8
    Modifying the PVC pipe to create a clean out
  9. 9
    Detaching the downspout from the underground system and using an above-ground extension
  10. 10
    Digging up and replacing the pipe with a shovel
  11. 11
    Hiring a plumber

In their words

Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.

The p trap keeps getting clogged up. I read that the pipe going out of the back may be too high up. But I cant afford to have that fixed right now.source ↗

Butterfly_Violets · r/Plumbing · 1 upvotes

is it time for me to clean my sinksource ↗

when i was younger id put big globs of toothpaste down this sink for like 2 years straight so thats probably an issue theresource ↗

it’s occasionally stinky but i do live on the beach as wellsource ↗

AirportIcy9303 · r/Plumbing · 1 upvotes

It can often take almost half an hour to drain sometimes.source ↗

I cleaned the trap and snaked the drain up to 25ft but got nothing.source ↗

Classicrock2095 · r/Plumbing · 1 upvotes

I have one that does the same. No idea where it goes or how to unclog it. Following!source ↗

Junkhead187 · r/homeowners

Where this came up

People with this problem also raised