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Green Building Bible, Fourth Edition
Green Building Bible, fourth edition (both books)
These two books are the perfect starting place to help you get to grips with one of the most vitally important aspects of our society - our homes and living environment.

PLEASE NOTE: A download link for Volume 1 will be sent to you by email and Volume 2 will be sent to you by post as a book.

Buy individually or both books together. Delivery is free!


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    • CommentAuthorRex
    • CommentTimeNov 20th 2023 edited
     
    What ho one and all,

    In the greater scheme of building questions, a question about clearing the kitchen sink rates rather low.

    But I have just done it and not surprisingly, found it somewhat blocked with black algae and gunk. I have searched with Dr. Google on how to keep it clear but I really do not understand.

    Pouring bicarb of soda and vinegar will probably do the job, but that mixture will not get into the trap nor will it get further along the outlet pipes to clear them, which is where my blockage was.

    Other than dismantling and manually clearing the pipes, is there a 'best way' to do it?

    Should point out that the gunk is not really fat/oil based at all as we use virtually no oil for cooking.

    Thanks and toodle pip
    • CommentAuthorowlman
    • CommentTimeNov 20th 2023
     
    My dishwasher, as is fairly normal is tapped into the kitchen sink pipework and I regularly do a manual filter clean followed by a chemical clean on a very hot cycle. I think, but no proof, this also has the effect of keeping the standard sink trap and pipework clean too.
    You've reminded me that I need to do a de-gunge of the bathroom sink trap, this time I'm going to try one of the proprietary overnight unblockers. Washing machines need regular cleaning cycles too.
    • CommentAuthorrevor
    • CommentTimeNov 22nd 2023
     
    Presume you are talking about a 32 mm or 40 mm pipe. I would take trap off and give it a good clean. Get a bottle brush and clean the sink outlet whilst the trap is off. You can get a sink unblocker which is a wire coil the end of which you put it in a drill and it "drills" its way through the blockage. You may be able to fit a cloth (firmly attached) so that the pipe gets a proper clean.

    Seems to be a sink week I had to unblock a slow draining bathroom washbasin this week and it was surprising how much gunge was in there. The problem is in the type of outlet it has a mechanism where you can operate the plug with a lever. There are so many places to act as an obstruction there was no wonder it built up. Would never consider fitting one of these again. And old tooth brush came in handy to effect the cleaning.
    •  
      CommentAuthordjh
    • CommentTimeNov 22nd 2023
     
    We have click-clack popup wastes on the basins. They get some hair trapped on the mountings under where the stopper pushes into, but it's fairly easy to unscrew the stopper and fish the hair out with a piece of wire or whatever.

    Sinks have pull-out baskets at the top of the waste that catch most of the rubbish. Shower drains have removable tops and hair catches underneath and again is easily removed.

    Haven't had any problems with drains as yet. Well apart from improperly mounted manhole covers that had to be rebuilt. And this summer we discovered that the standpipe for the washing machine drain hasn't got a trap fitted, so when the wind is in a particular direction we get some whiffs in the utility room. Haven't decided whether it's worth doing something about that yet. Flushing the loo that's above it on the stack makes the smell go away for now.
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