Being in a situation where the sink is clogged can be stressful.
You will want to start using the sink but the water will continue rising. This is when it becomes important to try a wide array of situations including a drain snake, drain cleaner, or any other similar solution.
However, what if the sink won’t drain after cleaning the p-trap?
If a sink won’t drain after cleaning the p-trap, the clog is likely past the trap. To fix the issue, go under the sink and access the drain in the wall. Use a drain snake and push into this hole to unclog it.
It’s common for a clog to be located past the p-trap.
It’s always best to work your way through by starting on the sink and then working to the p-trap. If nothing works, this means the clogged area is somewhere deeper in the plumbing.
This guide will show you a step-by-step breakdown of what to do if your sink won’t drain after cleaning the p-trap.
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How To Fix Sink that Won’t Drain After Cleaning P-Trap
1. Inspect Drain Under The Sink
With a clogged drain deep in the pipe, it’s important to find an access point to get to the clog.
How are you going to do this?
You have to stop looking at the drain from the top. It’s time to go deeper and see what’s going on inside the pipe.
To do this, you have to start by inspecting the drain under the sink. This will let you figure out what’s going on and how to unclog the drain safely.
Make sure everything is tightened before opening it. This will ensure the issue isn’t something to do with the connecting points in the setup.
2. Turn Off Water Supply
Now you are going to turn off the water supply to the sink.
This will ensure you don’t have a situation where the water starts spraying as soon as it’s time to clean up.
While the water should not spray out, it is still important to be careful while doing this. You don’t want a situation where the wrong connector is opened and water sprays everywhere.
Be methodical and only access the drain in the wall while doing this.
You will see good results and it’s going to work out in your favor.

3. Access Drain In The Wall
This is the most important step in the process.
You are going to have to access the drain in the wall.
The goal is to access the drain by removing the plumbing going to that spot. By doing this, you are going to have uninterrupted access to that part of the drain without anything getting in the way.
This is why trying to unclog a sink drain from the top doesn’t work if the clog is deeper in the plumbing.
By removing the fixture, you can then begin to look at what’s going on inside that part of the pipe.
Once you access the drain, you will see impressive results. Most people can fix the issue in minutes once they get to that part of the plumbing.
4. Use Snake To Unclog Drain From There
The last step is to now unclog the sink.
The goal here is to use a drain snake for the task at hand.
You will want to grab the snake and push it deep into the hole. This is going to allow you to go deeper into the drain to see what’s going on.
The clog should be nearby if it is only impacting this sink.
Continue pushing the drain snake and it will eventually get through. Once you do this, you can put everything back together and see if the water goes through now.
Final Thoughts
These are the steps to follow if your sink won’t drain after cleaning the p-trap.
If a sink won’t drain after cleaning the p-trap, the most common issue has to do with the placement of the clog. It’s likely deeper in the plumbing. To fix this issue, go under the sink and remove the fixture to access the drain hole on the wall. Once it’s removed, use a drain sink to unclog the pipe.
This should be effective and take care of the problem in minutes.
Continue to push deeper until the drain is unclogged and you have full access to the pipe. Test the drain to make sure water does go through after you put everything back together.
Read More On Kitchens:
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- Reasons Sink Is Still Clogged After Snaking
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- Reasons The Kitchen Sink Refuses To Drain
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