How To? - "Unblock" a Kitchen Island Drain

In this article I describe the steps that I took to "unblock" a kitchen island drain.

Issue

When we went away for a vacation, we left our cats with a cat sitter and when we returned back home our sinks (2" ABS drain) in our kitchen island was blocked/plugged. Yes - even 2" ABS drain pipe can clog!

Island Drains

Island drains do not have an accessible trap under the sinks. Instead the trap is usually located in the floor joists. In my case, my island has a 2" drain system running thru the floor to the furnace room - runs past the vent (island drains are typically vented along the line) and to a 3" drain. I have a dishwasher in the island as well as 2 sinks - all connected in the cabinet below the sinks and there is a "Y" connector with a "plug" that permits access to the ABS drain pipes.

What Not to Do!

Do not use a plunger to try to push out the blockage. This is exactly what I did. Since the drain was sitting idle for the time that we were away, there likely was a build up in the trap and when the water drained it created a rather solid blockage. By using a plunger, I likely simply pushed a "bullet" of material down the drain past the trap - but it simply stopped further down the drain possibly at an elbow or where the 2" drain goes into the 3" drain which is harder to get to.

What Did I Do

Step 1 - Clean out the drain at the "Y":

I tried to clean out the drain via the "Y" connector entry (removed the "plug") under the sinks. Some material was located and cleaned out. However, I did not snake any further. 

Step 2 - Plunger the Drain (do not do this!):

The drain was not cleared, so this is where I used a plunger to try to free up the blockage. This is where I went wrong!! I should have snaked the drain at this point. Not used the plunger.

Step 3 - Snake out the Drain:

Realizing my mistake, I then grabbed my electric snake (Rigid 30' snake) and tried to snake out the drain. But it could no longer reach the blockage as I had likely pushed it down the drain a distance beyond the limit of the snake (past 30 feet).

Step 4 - Adding Liquid Plummer:

I waited until the drain recessed (it drained slowly over night) and then hit the drain with a couple bottles of Extra Strength Liquid Plummer. I waited and tried to clear / rinse the drain. Still no luck - so I re-used the plunger in an attempt to free up the drain (which eventually disintegrated the rubber plunger due to the caustic nature of the chemicals).

Step 5 - Now What - Full on Panic Mode - Time to Cut the Pipe:

So now I have a 2" ABS pipe filled with caustic Liquid Plumber and no way to clear the drain. It was Christmas Day - so getting a plumber was going to be very hard to find. Luckily, my drain pipe runs thru the floor joists into the furnace room along the ceiling. So I decided to cut the pipe about 15' (within the limit of my electric snake) from where the 2" ABS connects to the main 3" drain. The intent was to see if I could snake out the pipe in both directions to try to clear the pipe from the basement. With the cut done, I could clear any blockage at the pinch point where the 2" pipe elbows into the 3" drain as well as go back towards the island. At this point, I am still feeling that the blockage is somewhere in the 2" pipe and hopefully near where I cut the pipe.

I ran out and grabbed a "Y" connector from the local Home Depot along with a plug to be installed when I re-joined the pipe where I cut it so that I could leave an "entry or cleanout port" in case this ever happens again.

I then dressed in disposable clothes, wore goggles, and rubber gloves as I recognized that I would not be able to control the water once I cut the pipe. I climbed up on a ladder and started cutting. Sure enough when I cut the pipe using a Sawzall - the Liquid Plumber water went everywhere, including soaking my clothes! This is dangerous as Liquid Plumber is very caustic (so I do not recommend this!!). My skin and eyes were burning and my clothes started to stain from the caustic water. I quickly snaked in both directions trying to get as much material out of the pipe as fast as I could. Once I felt that I had removed everything I could, I put the "Y" connector in place (without gluing) and had my wife test the drain by running water at the island sink.

SUCESS!! - the water from the island sink was now draining freely. I had cleared to blockage!

I then quickly cleaned up the pipes and glued in the "Y" connector using fast acting ABS glue. Here is the finished product.

Now I focused on cleanup. I used towels to clean up the furnace room, the walls, the floor, the ladder, the snake, the Sawzall, etc. - Cleaning as fast as I could as breathing was even challenged due to the fumes from the Liquid Plumber. Once all cleaned up I literally stripped and threw out my clothes, gloves, towels, etc. I then ran and took a LOOONG shower to remove all the Liquid Plumber and rinse out my eyes.

Update

The drain has been working perfectly for a few weeks now with no issues.