kitchen sink won't drain except when disposal runs?

[Homerboy]

A couple of months ago we did a "refresh" on our kitchen which included a new kitchen sink
Everything has been fine until yesterday when the sink (single basin) wouldn't drain except when you turned on the disposal.

I've tried plunging (but pressure just escapes into the high-loop dishwasher drain line from the disposal).
Tried snaking (15-20ft and I hit nothing that I could tell)
All other drains, drain fine so likley not a vent problem

One thing I noticed though is that the disposal outlet and the drain line in the wall are very close to the same height and it seems like gravity would be working against me here. Picture below, shows genral positioning, but measurements say they are almost dead on - disposal MAYBE a 1/4" higher.

It's weird though that this was working fine for months now all of a sudden it's acting up? Assuming it's the height issue, any resolution besides finding a shorter disposal, or lowering the drain pipe in the wall?

 

[Greenman]

If the drain is clear, I'd say the height is the issue. Drains don't work without slope or head pressure. When you run the disposal you're creating a little head pressure. Shorter disposal looks like the answer.
Lowering the drain is doable, but it's a pain in the ass. At least three bloody knuckles and half an hour of swearing if it goes well. If it goes poorly it's a half dozen stiches and a call to a local plumber.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

If the drain is clear, I'd say the height is the issue. Drains don't work without slope or head pressure. When you run the disposal you're creating a little head pressure. Shorter disposal looks like the answer.
Lowering the drain is doable, but it's a pain in the ass. At least three bloody knuckles and half an hour of swearing if it goes well. If it goes poorly it's a half dozen stiches and a call to a local plumber.

just going to say this it is a gravity thing.
Not sure what kind of disposal that is but I really like my Waste King and as of a few years ago they were mostly American made.
They are grinders and the sound is different. Think lower pitch and more violent sounding. I prefer that to a high pitched whine but you may not.

 

[Homerboy]

If the drain is clear, I'd say the height is the issue. Drains don't work without slope or head pressure. When you run the disposal you're creating a little head pressure. Shorter disposal looks like the answer.
Lowering the drain is doable, but it's a pain in the ass. At least three bloody knuckles and half an hour of swearing if it goes well. If it goes poorly it's a half dozen stiches and a call to a local plumber.

yeah - I agree on the height thing. Weird though that it worked for months and now nothing.
I actually looked around for a shorted disposal, but didn't find anything. The good news is that right below that drain pipe is another older drain pipe (you can see it in the picture) that is capped off. I actually have a plumber coming over tonight (side-job guy). So hopefully this is pretty quick and painless.

 

[Homerboy]

FWIW, it ended up being a clog further down than I went with snake
Lemon peels and carrots.... $100 later.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

FWIW, it ended up being a clog further down than I went with snake
Lemon peels and carrots.... $100 later.

Well, that's just great news. Just great!

We have an independent contractor come into the house and do repairs from time to time. He's no "PhD", but he does good work. We had him install a new garbage disposal in addition to other work he did for us in the kitchen. He described the clog in the drain fed by the disposal, and it's a wonder anything would drain properly. So I asked him how to avoid it with the new disposal and the ancillary parts of the drain.

He advised cutting up a fresh lemon, mixing it with ice cubes, depositing it in the disposal and running the disposal. Great. Lemon peels . . . .

Tell ya what, though. I keep a kitchen garbage can and a spare plastic bag. All the vegetable waste, cooked or raw, is food for my vast army of American red worms in the compost bin. Meat, bones and other stuff goes in the trash can. Anything with a significant amount of oil or butter in it goes in the trash can, or an old jar which periodically gets thrown in the trash. If I put anything down that garbage disposal, it may be broth, bad coffee, tomato soup, bits and pieces of rice or tomato. I did the lemon-ice thing once, a year after the contractor gave his advice.

The most recent thing I needed to do about the disposal: I had to replace the wall switch which turns the disposal on and off.

 

[Homerboy]

Well, that's just great news. Just great!

We have an independent contractor come into the house and do repairs from time to time. He's no "PhD", but he does good work. We had him install a new garbage disposal in addition to other work he did for us in the kitchen. He described the clog in the drain fed by the disposal, and it's a wonder anything would drain properly. So I asked him how to avoid it with the new disposal and the ancillary parts of the drain.

He advised cutting up a fresh lemon, mixing it with ice cubes, depositing it in the disposal and running the disposal. Great. Lemon peels . . . .

Tell ya what, though. I keep a kitchen garbage can and a spare plastic bag. All the vegetable waste, cooked or raw, is food for my vast army of American red worms in the compost bin. Meat, bones and other stuff goes in the trash can. Anything with a significant amount of oil or butter in it goes in the trash can, or an old jar which periodically gets thrown in the trash. If I put anything down that garbage disposal, it may be broth, bad coffee, tomato soup, bits and pieces of rice or tomato. I did the lemon-ice thing once, a year after the contractor gave his advice.

The most recent thing I needed to do about the disposal: I had to replace the wall switch which turns the disposal on and off.

I've heard countless times NOT to put lemons down the sink (regardless of what Martha Stewart says). My wife insists on doing it though... when she's done with her mixed drinks, she just dumps the glass out in the sink. I'm guessing if it were JUST peals and not a full chunk of lemon it might be different.

This plumber mentioned the ice cube "trick" as well.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Which plumber? Did you forget to insert a link? Or are YOU a plumber?

Is there some sort of product you can pour down the sink and disposal, parallel to Drano (which one should probably NOT pour down the sink and disposal . . )?? I don't like to screw around with a naive sense of security with appliances which can fail or get damaged. How much more trouble is it to keep a plastic bag for scraps headed for the compost bin, and keep oil and other solids out of the disposal and drain?

My guess is that my aging Moms probably poured everything down that sink, including butter, grease and oil. I DID try the lemon and ice trick once, and the vibration it caused was so unsettling I wouldn't do it again.

 

[sdifox]

Your waste management doesn't collect food waste? We have a green bin for food waste. Cooking oil goes in a bottle and you put it out next to the green bin.

 

[BonzaiDuck]

Your waste management doesn't collect food waste? We have a green bin for food waste. Cooking oil goes in a bottle and you put it out next to the green bin.

You mean MY waste management? I keep a plastic grocery bag next to the kitchen trash can -- I suppose you could call it a "green bin". It goes to the worms in the composting bin outdoors. Oil and grease of any sort goes in a large bottle next the the trash can, so when it's full, we cap it carefully and throw it out with the trash. Mostly what goes down my kitchen drain and garbage disposal are small bits of food from dish washing (after scraping plates into the compost bag) or liquid waste without oil.

So likely -- I do much the same as you. It's nice to have an electric garbage disposal connected to the kitchen drain, but it's nicer to have rich compost for the garden, happy worms and low repair bills.