Question on a Kitchen Sink Drain

[BKWA]

I have a little problem with my kitchen sink that I was hoping someone could help me with. When I let the water run into the drain it drains fine...when I turn the water off the rest of the water drains away...about 2-3 seconds after all the water is gone it starts making this glug, glug, glug sound. The sound continues for about 5-6 seconds and then stops...it is really annoying.

We don't have any stoppages or problems with a backup right now, it seems like it has something to do with the air in the pipes.

ANy help on stopping this would be great.
Thanks,

[plumbdog10]

Sounds like the vent of that fixture is stopped. But stay-tuned for better advice from Plumber Rick and Plumber.

the dog :cool:

[plumber]

Yes a vent may well be blocked. Also I think you have a line close to being blocked farther down the drain.

If you fill the sink up all the way, or both sides if you have a two pan sink, and let the water drain completely all at once what happens?

Also, do you hear deep gurgling sounds when water is drained from other fixtures?

[imported_PLUMBER RICK]

you have 1 of 2 things going on. the line is very close to plugging up. are any other fixtures showing any signs of a stoppage. out here lots of kitchens share the same 2'' waste line as the washing machine. the kitchen and washer are the 2 worst fixtures when it comes to stoppages. food grease, soap and lint. not to mention lots of water at once.

the second scenario is waste clinging onto the tailpiece of the sink. this usually causes more of a dripping sound than a gurgle. shower drains are more prone to this with a hair stoppage.

the fix to your noise is to properly snake out the affected line/ lines. if there are no other areas that affect the sink (laundry) then snake the sink with the trap off or preferably from a cleanout for the sink. use a proper cutter to help break the food or grease off the pipe. plenty of water to flush it out. with the cleanout you can run water in the sink while snaking. the best way is to hydro-jet the line, but it can get messy and is better left for a pro. not too many rental yards rent a hydro-jetter.

good luck.

rick.

[Theron]

How long have you lived there? How long has this problem been occuring? Was it sudden or did the problem seem to get worse gradually?

[BKWA]

Thanks for the feedback, let me answer a couple of the questions.

I have heard the Deep gurgling sound your talking about right before a stoppage...that sounds is different and you can hear it from several different drains around the house. This sound is much more hoolow soundinng and it is only at the Kitchen sink.

When I fill up the 2 sinks and drain it, it drains very quickly...no aapreant problems there.

I have lived in the house for 5 years...I have only had this problem for the last few months...In fact I just remembered that it really started after I put in a new sink...not sure if that matters or just coincedence.

If I cleaned out the vent could that help? again it is a hollow sound...more like clunck, clunck,clunck I guess.

Thanks again for any tips.

[imported_PLUMBER RICK]

bkwa, if you have had this problem for several months, it's most likely not a stoppage. you mentioned that it started after the new sink installation. is it possible that the noise is caused by the lack of a properly installed trap? is the trap installation creating a siphon leg? if the trap is installed directly from the wall santee, it is probably correct. if the trap was elevated up above the center line of the santee, then you would have a siphon leg. this would cause a draining noise you referred to. check the trap installation and then not a bad idea to snake it anyways if you do it yourself.

rick.

[Theron]

Do you have a digital camera? Would you be willing to snap a photo or two of the plumbing under the sink for us?

[BKWA]

I don't have a camera but I'll try to get a buddy of mine to come by and take a few shots and put them up.

Sorry Plumber Rick but I'm a real green horn...can you tell me what the Santee is? and also a siphon leg...I can pretty much figure it out based on the context that you used them in but I'm not familiar with the specific definitions of those terms.

Thanks much again,

[plumber]

Are your drain pipes aimed down hill? :D

Sorry, couldn't resist. A picture would be beneficial.

A drain that is extremely fast to the point of a very loud sucking sound is usually indicative of a blocked vent or the lack of a vent.

[ToUtahNow]

I have seen more than one kitchen sink where the vent was sacrificed to add a bay-window. I would take a second just to look up at the roof and verify you have a vent to your kitchen sink.

Mark

[Theron]

Hey everybody, have you ever seen a loop vent gurgle? I saw one once that was gurgling. I checked it though and it was to code.

[ToUtahNow]

Originally posted by Theron:
Hey everybody, have you ever seen a loop vent gurgle? I saw one once that was gurgling. I checked it though and it was to code. It is fairly common for a loop vent (island sink) to gurgle when it needs cleaning or is improperly installed.

[Gary32]

BKWA, I'm experincing the exact problem you are having. I recently installed a new sink and had to do some minor modifications on the plumbing underneath the sink. Now I get a loud knocking sound about 5 seconds after I turn the water off. Have you had any luck in fixing your problem? Thanks,

[BKWA]

Sorry, I've been off line and busy with work. I have not had a chance to take pictures yet...to me it looks OK underneath??? Excuse my crude explanation but here is a written description:

We have a double sink with 2 down spouts that come straight down about 6 inches. The left down spout has an input drain site for the dishwasher. The right sink drain drops down and then runs left merging with the left down spout (below the dishwasher input site). The left side sink drain then continues down and then there is the trap bend. The trap itself is below the level of the horizontal run connecting the 2 sink drains. from the trap it goes straight down through the floor and into the pipes in the basement where it runs out.

I will check on the roof but I'm pretty certain there is not a vent right above the kitchen sink...

Not sure if this makes a darn but if sense but I guess I'm to the point where I need to either rework the plumbing underneath or install some ventilation.

Let me know what you think about either choice...thanks again for the help.

[plumber]

BKWA,

That was a good description. From what you have written, you have an unvented S trap down through the floor and connecting in to your house drain below. Since the line does drain you do not have a blockage in the pipe.

Do you have any vents through the roof, or possibly even through the wall?

There are some mechanical vents available on the market that will allow you to do just a little bit of modification to your sink drain which will allow you to prevent your trap from siphoning which is what is causing your noise. They will work in a pinch but they are not a permenant fix. I would be fined heavily and possibly even lose my license if I installed one anywhere in the State of Ill.

To vent your drain and sewer system properly you really need to vent the system to the outside atmosphere. It causes my arthritis to hurt even more to type this, but go ahead and temporarily install a mechanical vent until you are ready to do some remodle work.

When you are ready to invest some money in your home to make it worth more and to make your mechanical systems work properly then make sure every fixture in your home is properly vented.