Why is My Sink Gurgling?
Have you noticed a gurgling or glugging sound coming from the plumbing beneath your kitchen sink? While the noise may seem relatively harmless, albeit odd, this particular sound is not wise to ignore.
If there is a gurgling noise in the pipes underneath your sink, it’s very likely that your plumbing has one of these two problems:
A clog
A blocked vent pipe
Below we’ll discuss these two issues in more detail and explain the negative repercussions that can occur if these problems are not addressed.
LIKELY CAUSE #1: A CLOG
Kitchen sinks are particularly prone to clogs because of all the grease, oil, fat, and food remnants that go down the drain. Grease, especially, is notorious for causing clogs in homes’ drain-waste systems because of how it coats pipe walls, solidifies, and traps other objects as they travel through your plumbing.
There are several reasons why you don’t want to let a clog linger in your home’s plumbing.
Bad odors will rise out of your sink drain. Until the clog goes, the terrible smells won’t.
Bad drain odors tend to attract flies, cockroaches, and other pests, which can make your kitchen less sanitary.
If the clog gets bad enough, dirty wastewater might back up into your sink.
A severe obstruction can cause your pipes to start leaking, which can lead to water damage that you’ll have to repair.
What’s the Solution?
If there is a clog in the drain beneath your sink, a plumber should be able to clear it easily with a plunger or a drain snake (also called a plumber’s cable).
LIKELY CAUSE #2: A BLOCKED VENT PIPE
Unbeknownst to many homeowners, not all of the pipes in a home’s plumbing are meant for carrying water. Vent pipes help regulate air pressure in the drain-waste portion of your home’s plumbing by doing two things:
Removing gas and bad smells and releasing them outside
Letting fresh air into your drain pipes to keep the water and waste moving
Since this part of your plumbing opens up to the outdoors, usually through a vertical pipe that goes up through your roof, it can get blocked by numerous items, including bird nests, leaves, branches, and animal carcasses.
What’s the Solution?
Your plumber will need to locate your vent stack (the pipe that releases the gas from your plumbing system outdoors). Usually, this will be on your rooftop. Your plumber will clear away any debris from the vent stack. They might use a drain snake or other plumbing tool to go into the pipe and clear away an obstruction that’s deep inside.
Tired of your gurgling sink drain? For top-notch Baltimore plumbing services, don’t hesitate to contact Albright's Mechanical Services at (410) 834-0148.