OT - Gurgling Kitchen Sink Drain

npowell · Jan 30, 2020

Kitchen sink drains fine. But, most of the time, 30 or so seconds after the water is shut off and the sink is empty, the grain makes a gurgling/glugging sound. The other day it made the sound many hours after any water had been run through the drain. What should I look for as the cause?

Thanks!

Neil

led · Jan 30, 2020

Try baking soda & vinegar! A half-cup of each.
HTH
led

Frank A · Jan 30, 2020

Sounds like a clogged vent to me.

jeffcat · Jan 30, 2020

I agree with a plugged vent. The water is pulling a vacuum. Toilets can do the same. You might want to see if your vent line has a grease dam in it. Can also be a big wad of TP stuck somewhere. The other thing is a partially clogged soil line running to your cesspool. I had a tree root from a silver maple do that to me. You may need to have rotor rooter pay you a visit. They have those video head things they can go all of the way up into your house. Like 135 dollars but definitely worth it.

Steve@Advance · Jan 30, 2020

The vent typically extends up through the roof above the sink.

If there is no vent, that is probably the cause.

If there is a vent, try snaking down from the roof, it could be clogged up top from a bird nest, or down below with grease build up. If it's been really cold it might be frozen.

showcrop · Jan 30, 2020

As others have said, it is lack of venting, but it can be due to different causes. While any drains within 4 feet of the toilet will vent easily through the main stack vent, kitchen vents will often be further away and need a separate vent stack up through the roof. In order to allow for more flexibility of fixture placement "back vents" are often used. These will extend upward in the wall to a height above the fixture drain and then horizontally to a main "through-the-roof" vent stack. Vents have no water flowing through them so they are not subject to plugging except by rare situations like frost build-up or birds or wasps etc. Sometimes where a back vent is needed it is not installed. retrofitting can be difficult but there is an option in the form of a "closet vent" or "vent check" which is installed under the sink by teeing off from the drain pipe. It has a light spring which keeps t closed until there is water trying to go down the drain.

Russ from MN · Jan 30, 2020

We used to have that problem in cold weather, vents plugged up with frost, just part of winter! But I don't think it's been cold enough this winter for that to be happening, even N MN is well above 0 F.

Geo-TH,In · Jan 30, 2020

either a choked or no air vent.
don't call Bubba the plumber, he may have left out the trap.

teddy52food · Jan 30, 2020

I put all the plumbing in my house & did not put in a vent. Everything works fine. When the toilet is flushed it will suck air at the end. Nothing else unusual. Why is a vent needed? Just something to freeze in winter.

gregww · Jan 30, 2020

(quoted from post at 07:52:55 01/30/20) I put all the plumbing in my house & did not put in a vent. Everything works fine. When the toilet is flushed it will suck air at the end. Nothing else unusual. Why is a vent needed? Just something to freeze in winter.

he flow of draining water will (can) suck all the water out of a trap. That will (can) cause the gurgling sound. With no water in the trap, sewer gases can come up through the drain. You don't want that. If gases do not come up through your drain, I would guess you have a low spot in your sewer line after it leaves the house. The low spot holds water and prevents the sewer gas from backing up. Last year I had to have a camera put down through my sewer. It has a low spot like I mentioned. I can't explain why this low spot does not freeze, I am just glad it doesn't. The low spot must be below frost line I am guessing.

jacksun65 · Jan 30, 2020

When I bought this house the kitchen sink did that when new. Complained and the builder sent out a plumber. He said sink was to far away from vent. so he cut the drain pipe and put a one way check valve in top of a tee. It would let air in but not vent out. no more gurgling.

John in Mich · Jan 30, 2020

Looks like a consensus is for a lack of venting. I can't believe there is no vent unless a remodeling took place and put the sink too far from a vent or did not attach to one. Trace the venting and go to the roof. Birds or maybe a squirl has blocked it.
An older rental house I used to own had a 2" copper pipe vent through the roof for a laundry tub and toilet in a crude "added toilet" in the mechanical room. I found a couple hickory nuts had been dropped into the pipe.

Jeremy in DE · Jan 30, 2020

I'll second one other reply who said possibly a partially clogged sewer line somewhere.

I just had the same problem. The sink gurgled. It was a clog right where the main line entered the septic tank. Not a total clog, but one that allowed water to very slowly drain through. Everything "worked" but sinks would sometimes gurgle.

Not saying this is your problem, but if it's not a vent problem, at least consider the drain pipes while you are troubleshooting.

1948CaseVAI · Jan 30, 2020

(quoted from post at 09:52:55 01/30/20) I put all the plumbing in my house & did not put in a vent. Everything works fine. When the toilet is flushed it will suck air at the end. Nothing else unusual. Why is a vent needed? Just something to freeze in winter.

If you really did that you made your house unsalable. Even if you live there the rest of your life, someone, sometime, will need to try to sell it but if that plumbing horror is caught the house will not sell.

I just don't think I would brag, or even admit, that.

gregww · Jan 30, 2020

(quoted from post at 08:37:12 01/30/20) When I bought this house the kitchen sink did that when new. Complained and the builder sent out a plumber. He said sink was to far away from vent. so he cut the drain pipe and put a one way check valve in top of a tee. It would let air in but not vent out. no more gurgling.

f you live in the city, ANY city, I would guess that is a serious code violation. I would not be happy with my builder.

npowell · Jan 30, 2020

Thanks, those are good leads to follow!

Neil

Russ from MN · Jan 30, 2020

Camper trailers have vents like that, they have a little rubber flap in them. Probably OK to use in a house too, if a roof vent isn't an option.

4play · Jan 30, 2020

f you live in the city, ANY city, I would guess that is a serious code violation. I would not be happy with my builder.[/quote]

How do you think they vent kitchen island sinks? Studor vents is what they are called. My house has one vent through the roof on the very south end of house, septic is on north end. The kitchen island (sink and dishwasher) has a studor vent under the cabinet and behind the sink. There are also 2 bathrooms that have studor vents into the attic. These let air in but not out, there can be problems with that setup as I have found out, but the fix was super easy and very cheap.

gregww · Feb 1, 2020

You are right about the studor vents. From my understanding, those vents have to be approved by the inspector at the time of construction. Installing them after the fact may be a code violation.

OT - Gurgling Kitchen Sink Drain

npowell

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led

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Frank A

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jeffcat

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Steve@Advance

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showcrop

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Russ from MN

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4play

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