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soupytwist · Oct 12, 2008, 01:07 PM

I travel often for month to six weeks at time, and when I return I find that my kitchen sink has flooded with some sludgy water at some point while I was away. This has happened a few times sometime one basin other times the opposite one and even both. I have had maintenance guys in to take care of when it is discovered. But what causes this in the first place. How could it be clogged when its hasn't been in use?

massplumber2008 · Oct 12, 2008, 01:49 PM

ST...

Need more info. Here... ok? Are there apartments/condominiums around you or is this a single family home?

Let us know

MARK

mygirlsdad77 · Oct 12, 2008, 02:02 PM

If you have had "maintenace guys" in to work on this, I'm going to assume you are in an apartment complex of some sort. Probably a clogged drain downstream of your ks, and your sink is backing up when someone on the floor above is draining their sink. Just a thouht. Like mark said, a little more info and we may be able to answer.

massplumber2008 · Oct 12, 2008, 04:29 PM

YUP! Missed that MGD...

Clearly this is an apartment or condominium complex and I wonder if you are the unit near the end of sewer main drain or if you are between units? Any units ABOVE you?

Let us know...

mygirlsdad77 · Oct 12, 2008, 05:37 PM

Balls in your court soupy.

soupytwist · Oct 13, 2008, 01:48 PM

Yes, thank you all for quick replies.

It is an apartment complex, corner unit on ground floor

Sounds like what you all are saying there isn't much I can do to prevent it happening again.

I just felt like if it was something I was doing I could fix it so it doesn't happen again, it's a most annoying thing to come home to.

massplumber2008 · Oct 13, 2008, 02:28 PM

Hi ST...

I would be concerned that one of these times you will be away... OR EVEN AT HOME and that sink will overflow and really begin to flood your place.

Sounds like there is a partial blockage in the drain line and it could become a full-fledged clog and that could be a problem if say you were gone for four weeks and every time someone drained sinks from above it would just keep coming up and out your sink and all over your place!

I would snake the drain line and see if you can clear any partial blockage that is happening... AND I guess I would think about installing a backflow preventer at the kitchen sink drain line. This backflow preventer would stop any water from coming back into the sink EVEN if the drain line clogged... 'course it would only go to the next level above and flood over that sink if enough water got used...

Anyway, depending on just how many apartments are above you, you may or may not want to install a backflow preventer. Let us know what you think here.

Another option would be to install a battery powered water alarm near the sink so that if it did overflow your neighbors would hear the alarm and could call maintenance to check on issue... just another thought is all..?

Back to you...

MARK