Calling the plumbers shouldn’t be your main tactic for maintaining efficient drains. As a responsible homeowner, you can do day-to-day drain cleaning yourself, while leaving emergencies and extraordinary issues to Saskatoon drain cleaning pros.

sink-strainer

Oftentimes, this simply means knowing how to properly use, install, and replace a very simple tool: the sink strainer.

Know your type

The sink strainer is the basket-like, catch-all apparatus plugged into a sink’s hole. It helps keep food particles, other waste, and even utensils and jewelry from going down the drain, preventing clogging, back-ups, and other problems. The proper use of kitchen sink strainers starts with recognizing which type you have – if you do have one installed (and you should!).

There are three common forms of sink strainers:

  • Wire mesh. This is the simplest strainer and perhaps the most straightforward to use. It sits on the basin and collects any solids that can’t pass through its tiny weaving. You can easily pop it in and out with just your fingertips, to throw collected waste when it’s full.
  • Back nut strainer. This kind of strainer is securely locked onto the basin and also connects the sink to the plumbing system. It comes with a mechanism for opening and closing its holes, which are larger than a wire mesh. This mechanism allows you to control the rate of water flowing down the drain, making this strainer a stopper as well as a catch-all basket.
  • Double cup strainer. As its name implies, this strainer has two “cups”, which can provide two levels of catching solids down the drain. Like the back nut, you can control the width of this strainer’s openings, determining how much water remains in the sink.

Corresponding care

As you can imagine, wire mesh kitchen sink strainers are less sturdy than their back nut and double cup counterparts. You’d have to keep an eye out for any chips or breakage in the mesh to make sure waste does not freely enter the drain.

You also need to be wary of staining, discoloration, and corrosion – a problem that might arise with some metal strainers. Rust not only compromises the strainer’s opening-and-closing mechanism, which is a special concern for back nuts and double cups. It can also damage but also the rest of the pipelines, plus the risk safety of the food you place in the sink.

Ironically, the best way to take care of strainers is also the best way to go about drain cleaning: You shouldn’t let waste and debris settle into them.

Sources:
7 Types of Sink Strainers to Consider. Do It Yourself Network.
How to Remove and Install a Kitchen Sink Strainer. Today’s Homeowner.
Sink Strainer Options. Networx.