Few things will dampen your kitchen cleaning routine faster than a clogged garbage disposal. When standing water accumulates in your sink while washing dishes after a delicious meal, you might think you need a new garbage disposal entirely.
However, you may be able to remove the clog to address your drain’s standing water issue. If you’re wondering how to unclog a garbage disposal with standing water, then you’ve come to the right place! As Westerville’s professional plumbing repairs, our team at TropiCool explains the steps to get your garbage disposal back up and running.
Learn How to Unclog Your Drain
Your garbage disposal accumulates food waste over time, so clogging is often a question of “when” rather than “if.” Fortunately, with some caution and a few simple tools, you can effectively clear out your garbage disposal. Learn how to unclog a garbage disposal with standing water by following these simple steps.
Unplug Your Garbage Disposal
Before attempting to unclog the drain to your garbage disposal, turn off the power source to avoid any accidental injuries. You’ll usually do this by unplugging the garbage disposal from a power outlet underneath the sink or by switching it off from the breaker panel. From there, you can proceed with troubleshooting.
Remove the P-Trap
Removing your garbage disposal’s P-trap is one of the most effective steps when learning how to unclog a garbage disposal with standing water. The P-trap is a plastic pipe underneath the sink drain. The curved, U-shaped design traps sewer gases inside your wastewater system, preventing them from rising back up through the drain.
Unfortunately, this design also makes the P-trap susceptible to unwanted buildup from food, grease, or other substances. When this happens, your garbage disposal clogs up and leaves you with standing water.
To detach the P-trap from your sink drain, loosen the fasteners with a screwdriver, and use a wrench to remove the P-trap itself. This will let you remove any objects stuck within the P-trap, whether that’s food, soap scum, or foreign objects. Once you clear the buildup, attach the P-trap to your sink drain and refasten the screws.
Use a Sink Plunger
Plungers are popular tools for clearing clogs throughout your house, including garbage disposals. Sink plungers are smaller than toilet plungers, but they function identically. Place the plunger over the drain, ensuring an adequate seal, and push it up and down until the drain clears.
Use Tongs or Pliers
Sometimes the clog is reachable with the simplest tools. Tongs and pliers are an easy option for grabbing objects inside your drain and pulling them out.
Use a Drain Snake
Drain snakes are coiled tubes that you can put your drain and pull out whatever’s stuck. Since drain snakes are long and flexible, they can easily reach parts of your drain around curved pipes. Bend the snake while it’s in the drain and P-trap so it covers as much space as possible, then pull.
How You Can Prevent Future Clogs in Your Garbage Disposal
Knowing how to unclog a garbage disposal with standing water is a valuable skill. However, preventing your garbage disposal from clogging is just as important. After all, you don’t want to repeatedly deal with standing water in your garbage disposal. By following a few key steps, you can easily keep your garbage disposal clean and clear.
Avoid Dumping Grease and Food
Grease moves slowly and builds up quickly. It can also act like sticking glue for other substances within your garbage disposal, such as food. Remember to scrape food into the trash and pour grease into containers to throw away to avoid clogging your garbage disposal.
Use a Home Solution
One of the most popular methods for clearing sink drains is a home solution consisting of three ingredients: boiling water, vinegar, and baking soda. Start by sprinkling half a cup of baking soda into the garbage disposal, followed by a cup of vinegar. While that sits and bubbles, boil a large pot of water and carefully dump it into the garbage disposal to clear away debris.
Contact TropiCool To Unclog Your Garbage Disposal Today
If you haven’t made any progress after following the steps on how to unclog a garbage disposal with standing water, then you’ll want to contact your local experts and avoid unwanted plumbing system damage. At TropiCool, we’re an award-winning company offering plumbing services to improve the quality of your home.
Our team of trained and certified technicians consistently raises the bar for what you can expect from your local plumbing experts. Call TropiCool today at (614) 412-0750, and let us unclog your garbage disposal.
