Inspecting Sinks
What are we looking for when inspecting kitchen and bathroom sinks and the garbage disposal?
Let’s discuss the kitchen sink first. We are looking at whether it is badly worn or damaged. We examine if the faucet is leaking or dripping, either at the base or at other places, even under the sink. Are the handles loose? What does the water flow rate appear to be? Is the sprayer (if equipped) inoperable, leaking, or damaged? Does the drain leak or does the sink drain slowly? Is there a substandard repair? Does the drain have an s-trap, which against code (see S-traps below), or an accordion (flexible) pipe or trap also not code. Additionally, does there appear to be evidence of past leaks? Is the floor of the cabinet water damaged or does it appear to have been replaced.
A bathroom sink is no different. We inspect for the same things, but a few more. Bathroom sinks can have broken drain stoppers or they may be inoperable or malfunctioning. The mechanism that operates the drain stoppers are often bent and when not functioning properly are a real pain to fix. Additionally, you will find that bathroom sinks are more likely to suffer from slow draining more often than the kitchen sinks. This is due to the fact that our personal hygiene is seen to more often (or really exclusively) in our bathrooms than in the kitchen, thankfully. As a result, hair and other debris to find their way down the drain, getting stuck and causing the water to drain slowly. Regular cleaning (monthly) will help to prevent this build up and keep them clean.
If you are buying a home, a slow drain or an s-trap likely is not something that should keep you from purchasing. There are easy ways to overcome the defects. Of course, that is a discussion you and your broker should have and make a decision together.
Cleaning Garbage Disposals & Sink Drains
So how do you keep them clean? Here are couple of ways.
Garbage Disposals
Baking Soda & Vinegar
The science project comes alive so gather your children to watch process (it will amaze them)!
You will need:
- ½ cup baking soda
- ¼ cup salt
- 1 cup white vinegar
You can mix the salt and baking soda together or add them separately by pouring them into the disposal and the adjacent sink if you have 2 sinks. Then slowly pour the vinegar into the drains, one cup each. You see the mixture start to fizz, add the stopper to keep the fizzing where it will do the most good. After the fizzing stops, about 15 minutes or so rinse thoroughly with hot water.
Here’s a video to help!
Ice & Vinegar or Rock Salt
Fill the disposal with ice cubes, then add rock salt or vinegar to the disposal and engage it for a few seconds with the water running. The scraping ice removes debris by dislodging it and the salt or vinegar helps remove smells. (Note: rock salt may be harder to find than vinegar)
Peels of Citrus
Citrus peels can block odors, but do not remove them, you will likely want to perform cleaning in addition to the citrus application. Cut the peels of a lemon and grind them up in the disposal with cold water. The oil form the peel gives the drain a pleasant smell that should last a while.
If you are going to do all 3, you may want to do them in this order – Ice & vinegar, them the baking soda solution, and finally the peels of citrus.
Bathroom Sinks
Same as the kitchen sink:
Baking Soda & Vinegar
The science project comes alive so be sure to gather your children to watch process (it will amaze them)!
You will need:
- ½ cup baking soda
- ¼ cup salt
- 1 cup white vinegar
First mix the salt and baking soda and pour into the disposal and the adjacent sink if you have 2 sinks. Then slowly pour the vinegar into the drains, one cup each. You see the mixture start to fizz, add the stopper to keep the fizzing where it will do the most good. After the fizzing stops, about 15 minutes or so rinse thoroughly with hot water.
You may want to remove the stopper to get all the ingredients into the drain. If that is difficult to do, reduce the recipe proportionally and repeat several times.
Removing Clogs
Removing clogs uses the same basic recipe, just different amounts.
Baking Soda & Vinegar
Thisscience project comes alive so gather your children to watch process (it will amaze them).
You will need:
- 1 cup baking soda
- ½ cup white vinegar
Remove as much water as you can from the sink or tub. Pour the baking soda and then the vinegar into drain and plug it, allow to sit and work for 30 minutes, after 30 minutes run hot water for 2-3 minutes. Repeat if necessary. Regular, monthly drain cleaning will likely avoid clogs.
Flexible Pipes and Traps – Why not?
Flexible piping does not meet code, so why do they sell them in the home improvement stores? Several reasons actually, we’ll address two reasons in the blog. First, because you will likely not have to cut the flexible pipe or trap to install it, you’ll need fewer tools. Secondly, is because pipes are not lining up easily to connect the drain. In the long run, or even the short run, these advantages do not overcome the high potential of drains becoming clogged and backing up. Debris and eventually sludge will build up in the pipe and you will have to clean it or replace it. They’re a bad idea, if you have a home that has them, you should add it to your to do list and replace them as soon as you can.
S-Traps – What’s the big deal?
S-traps are code violations. In general, inspectors are not code enforcers, but we do highlight areas of safety. An s-trap is one such area. S-traps can create an unsafe condition that could lead to a smelly situation or on the extreme side, health problems or even death. Sewer gases include hydrogen sulfide and methane, the former can cause death in extreme cases, and the later can cause an explosion, also an extreme situation.
Essentially an s-trap can potentially drain the water plug. A water plug is the water the sits at the bottom of the trap and fills the pipe so no sewer gases can get through the drain pipe into the living area of the residence. The s-trap can create enough suction as the water drains to pull all the water out of the trap. The suction is caused by the second part of the S-trap by not allowing any air back through to the trap part of the drain. See the picture below for the difference between an s-trap and a p-trap, it also shows the water plug.
Additional Reminders
- Clean drains once a month
- Prior to using any of the cleaning methods above, run the water in the disposal to remove any food waste
- Don’t forget to clean the garbage slash regularly as well, food can hide in various folds
- Always use your disposal regularly, like any mechanical device, inactivity can cause failure
- Always fix a jam quickly, food quickly allow bacteria to grow
Finally
Keeping you sinks and drains clean will help keep you family healthy. It can also help to avoid an home inspection issue in the future. It’s easy and quick, and the kids will find it fun.
Do you have a suggestion to keep your drains clean? Hit me up at blogs@strousehomeinspections.com.
Next article will be HVAC inspections.
Till next time - Jeremy
4-19-2018
