You’ve finally done it.
You were able to herd your entire family into an RV and take a vacation.
But how long will it be a vacation?
It’s only a matter of time before something goes wrong.
One of those things that can go wrong is a clogged sink, which is every owner’s nightmare, especially when you have a family to worry about.
Thankfully, there are remedies for such a thing.
If you’re not a handy person or good with tools, you may have no clue as to any of those remedies.
Fear not, ye of the clogged sink, for we have gathered 5 great ways to deal with your RV’s clogged sink.
Fix Your Clogged Sink with These 5 Great Methods
When you have an RV, there a million different things that can go wrong. When you add that to being on a family vacation, which is notoriously disastrous, you should be prepared for any eventuality.
And few eventualities are more intimidating than a clogged sink. It’s most annoying and disgusting.
To fight back, here are 5 ways to deal with your RV’s clogged sink.
Use a Drain Cleaner
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This is one of the most hands-off methods for dealing with your RV’s clogged sink.
All you have to do is pour the suggested amount of drain cleaner down the drain and wait for about 15 minutes. During this time, the drain cleaner will get to business.
After the fifteen minutes is up, you’re not done yet. You will need to rinse the drain with hot water. It’s very important that you use hot water, as it will help drain the rest of the cleaner.
One caveat to using a drain cleaner is that RV pipes tend to be rather sensitive. For this reason, you should make sure that the drain cleaner is one of the safer brands. You might need to use more drain cleaner from these safer brands, but it will save your pipes from corroding.
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The plunger gets a bad rap because of its dirty business, but so often, it ends up being your saving grace.
Now is one of those times.
What you might not know is that the plunger can extend beyond the toilet and works wonders for the sink. Of course, you’ll want to wash it before putting it in the skin, or you might just want to buy a new one. In fact, they have small plungers that will work better for sinks.
As far as using the plunger to unclog the drain, simply put the plunger over the sink, make sure its seal is airtight and go to town. If you want to get the best results, run some hot water through the sink first. Hot air rises, which means it will help in the suction process.
Call Upon the Clog Tool
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Clog tools are most often used for hair, but they can essentially unclog a drain of anything, due to its long length.
Even if you’re bad with tools, a clog tool is extremely easy to use. All you have to do is extend the tool and drop it into the drain. Shimmy the tool around until it hits whatever is clogging the sink, then move the tool around until the clog is broken up.
When looking to purchase a clog tool, you’ll want to make sure you get a good one. Some of the best clog tools include hooks, ridges and small hairs. This allows them to better break down material that’s in the sink.
As with the other tools, you’ll want to run hot water through the sink before using the tool. This allows the hot water to soften up the clog before your tool goes in for the kill.
Remove the P-Trap
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This is one of the more handyman-esque techniques, as it requires some assembling and disassembling.
For this method, you’ll want to remove the P-Trap, which is the elbow-shaped pipe. Once you have removed this pipe, you can easily clean it out wherever you’d like and with whatever you’d like. For the best results, you can take the pipe outside and wash it out with a hose.
When you remove the P-Trap, be sure to put a bucket underneath in order to catch any water that might fall out. To actually remove the pipe, you need to unscrew any nuts with a pair of pliers.
While this is the most complicated measure to take, it’s also the most effective. It allows for the most thorough pipe cleaning, as you’re not working in the dark, as you are with clog tools, plungers and drain cleaners.
Call a Plumber
f you’ve tried all of the other techniques and nothing works, then you can fold and call a plumber. This is also a great option if you simply don’t trust yourself and are positive that you’ll only screw things up further, which is always a risk for those who aren’t professionals.
Even though you’re on an RV, you can contact the local plumber and someone will surely attend to your vehicle, as long as you’re in a town. Or, because you’re in an RV, you can turn the tables and give the plumber a visit.
If you’re on the interstate, you might have to wait until hitting a municipal area. Until then, you might try some of the above techniques while passing the time. By the time you reach a city, you might have already fixed the problem.
How to Prevent Your RV Sink From Becoming Clogged
If you’ve successfully unclogged your sink, you probably never want to have to do that again.
We understand, so here are some preventative measures.
One of the best ways to prevent your sink from becoming clogged is also one of the simplest and easiest to implement. Every time you use your sink, be sure to run hot water. The hot water will keep the remnants of food from becoming stuck, as it will both break them down and wash them away.
If you really want to add to the hot water, throw some baking soda down the drain, as well. As any homeowner knows, baking soda is a cure for a lot of different problems and a clogged drain is one of them.
Don’t put cooking grease down the drain. This is because cooking grease doesn’t act like other liquids. Instead of simply flowing down the drain, it will stick to the sides and harden. Therefore, you need to save any cooking grease in a container and dispose of it elsewhere, such as outside.
Just like grease, coffee grounds can cause all sorts of ruckus in a sink drain, because they don’t flow with water. Instead, they clump together and can easily result in a blockage. Be absolutely sure to collect any excess coffee grounds and dispose of them in the trash can.
All of these problems are multiplied tenfold with RV sinks, as their pipes aren’t as strong as home pipes.
You Should No Longer Fear the Clogged Sink
While juggling your GPS, you kids in the back and the jerk who keeps cutting you off, your RV trip can quickly begin to feel more like a punishment than a vacation
A clogged sink is the last thing you need. It could very well shatter your patience, once and for all.
That is why it is so important to know some techniques for fighting a clogged sink. Otherwise, you can hire a plumber, but you’re going to be limited to your location.
Whether you opt for the drain clearer, clog too, plunger or the more hands-on approach of removing the P-Trap, clogs will rue the day they invaded your sink.
Before it gets to this point, you’ll also want to take some preventative measures. This way, you never have to whip out your new abilities. Just as in war, it’s best to be prepared, but you would never wish for it, even with a clogged sink that has it coming.
Now that you’ve figured out the clogged sink, your RV trip can become the peaceful vacation it was designed to be.
Keyword: clogged sink
Last update on 2023-05-06 at 08:29 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API