OK... So I have a sink that will not drain normally. Turn on the water and the sink fills right up.



Looking closer at the drain, I saw something shiny moving around beneath the drain cover. It's a bubble!



I tried to pop it with a piece of wire but no luck. Seemed strange...



Next I grabbed a syringe to see if I could find out what was inside the bubble...



The syringe filled up with just air... Twice! Once the bubble was deflated, the sink immediately drained quite fast.




Turn the water back on and the sink will fill up again. I don't have a clue. I know the last guy in the unit had been using a liquid drain cleaner. I also gave it a try. I really don't think there is anything blocking the drain because the water flows freely once the bubble was removed. I can't figure out how the bubble forms in the first place and why the weight of the water can't displace it naturally because the sink is so much higher then the trap. I know removing the drain cover would allow the bubble to clear the drain, but I don't want to have an open drain that a customer could loose a ring in.

Anyone seen this before?



Edited 2 times.

is there an overflow hole/s in that sink? does it work? air can come and go thru a functioning overflow..

Thanks for the reply! The overflow fills up and spills onto the floor through a port in the bottom of the sink.





Edited 1 times.

You need a strainer with larger openings so the "air bubble" can escape while the water is flowing.

A sink with a grid strainer, should not be serviced thru the grid, but rather at the p-trap. Using acids will ruin the chrome strainer as you can see, faster than any patient using the sink.

Pull the trap assembly and have a look see, after all these years.

Best Wishes