Suddenly the side of my kitchen sink that contains the garbage disposal won't drain. The garbage disposal is empty, it seems to work just fine and the other side of the sink drains beautifully. Plunging doesn't work because of the dishwasher run-off vent.

Am I safe in assuming that the clog is in the horizontal pipe that links the two sinks? And if so, how do I get that pipe unhooked from the (a) garbage disposal and (b) the vertical sink pipe to clean it out? There is only one unscrewing mechanism on that particular pipe piece...

Help? Thanks so much!

Nancie Allen

Yes Nancy there is only one hex screw holding a metal clamp around the drain coming out of the disposal. Unscrew it and the clamp will fold out toward you. The pipe you just removed normally points down and leads to a trap. I would start my inspection with that trap. Be careful when you reinstall the pipe, there is a lipped washer inside the connection. It often stays in the disposal but could fall out.