What Is A Kitchen Stack?

What Is A Kitchen Stack?
  • Author: Amanda Arnold
  • Posted On: December 6, 2021
  • Updated On: September 13, 2023

Kitchen drains are the trickiest part of the household. They are constantly being fed as a waste water pipe for a more than a decade, it can clog up. When replacing kitchen sink drain or adjusting the faucet, or any other plumbing issue, kitchen stack can become an issue. Whatever you’ve rinsed in the past can clog and backup resulting in a messy case scenario. 

However, kitchen stack can be cleaned out every couple of years for a proper maintenance. 

It is critical that you grasp the value of kitchen stack cleaning, whether you are a property manager or a condo owner. With all of the filth, sludge, and even trash that people pour down their kitchen drains, failing to maintain kitchen stacks properly could result in pricey repairs down the road.

What is Kitchen Stack 

These are the pipes inside a building. They run from one kitchen to another also known as “kitchen drain stack” or sometimes refer to as “stack”. They can be easily found in condo building and two or three story home. 

Kitchen stack is highly efficient but if not maintained or cleaned in a timely manner cna lead to significant issues in the long run. Hence it can increase the kitchen renovation cost too. 

Why Is It Essential To Clean Out The Stack

There are couple of major reasons when clean the kitchen stack – maintenance of bathroom and kitchen stacks. 

For Bathroom 

When you have a clogged drain in your home, a plumber can detect the problem by running a special camera through the cleanouts and into the main sewer drain. This may be necessary if they are having difficulty clearing the blockage or if you are having frequent problems.

Other slab-based homes may have the main drain in the bathroom, usually on the floor near the toilet, or in the garage or utility area, usually near a floor drain.

Most homes have many toilets, and if they are located on the same side of the house, their waste lines may normally be connected to the same stack. However, if they are on separate sides, each may require its own stack. Because the stacks must be vented, this would necessitate two roof vent openings.

For Kitchen 

Cleaning the kitchen stacks entails flushing them with high-pressure water. Professional sewer contractors do this service, which is highly recommended for a yearly maintenance plan.

Because everyone in condos and high-rise flats uses the same main sewer line, trash such as oil, food particles, and cleaning chemicals accumulates when house owners flush the liquid waste down their kitchen drains.

Failure to maintain kitchen stacks properly can result in serious sewer backups and obstructions such as kitchen sink leaking at drain too. 

How To Keep The Kitchen’s Stack Clean

It might be impossible to monitor every tenant in your condo or apartment complex. There are things you can take to keep draining concerns to a minimum and instruct renters and owners about best way to clean garbage disposal. Grease and food particles should not be flushed down the drain since they accumulate over time. Follow these three simple steps to ensure a proper stack cleaning. 

Look Out for Clogging Symptoms 

Residents should be on the lookout for symptoms of sewage backup. If a homeowner observes that their kitchen sink is constantly backing up or clogged, they should immediately contact management for diagnostics and repair. Residents can keep condo association fees from rising due to excessive maintenance and repair costs by using drains appropriately.

Use Right Cleaning Equipments 

To clean the drain pipes from grease and other debris, you will be needing sewer cleaning equipment. It includes plumbing snakes, root cutting equipment, cameras, and water jet etc. 

Homemade Cleaning Materials 

Kitchen sink and drain pipes are usually cleaned using homemade solution. One can easily unclog sink with baking soda. Similarly, using the homemade solution allows tenants to clean their kitchen pipes with baking soda and vinegar regularly; this is an all-natural, safe cleanser. 

Benefits Of Cleaning Out The Kitchen Stack

Your plumbing stack can be reached through a clean-out. The plug is a Y or T-shaped fitting that quickly allows access to a primary drainpipe. This enables you to clear major blockages from your plumbing system. Grease and food particles should not be poured down the drain because they accumulate over time.

 Therefore some of the other benefits of kitchen stack cleaning includes: 

  • Prevention of grease from major build up 
  • Prevent the build ups, thus eliminating floods 
  • Ensuring free flowing drainage system 
  • Prolong the cast iron stacks lifespan 
  • Eliminate constant repair needs 

Evaluate Your Kitchen’s Drains Appropriately

If you want to prevent such high charges, it’s time to change the way you look at your kitchen drains. This necessitates a two-step strategy: Educating inhabitants on the dangers of pouring fats, oils, and greases down the drain.

  • Investing in lower maintenance expenses now to avoid costly repairs later. 
  • Residents should be notified regularly about steps to lessen the likelihood of drain stack rehabilitation being required.
  • Instead of pouring liquid grease down the drain, these steps involve dumping all cooking oil and grease into garbage cans. 
  • In terms of maintenance expenditures, having annual kitchen stack cleaning completed will help you avoid the need for full rehabilitation in the future, saving you thousands of dollars in re-piping.

Deal With Problematic Kitchen Stack

If your facility is already suffering from poor drainage and clogged pipes due to grease build-up, it’s time to consider other choices.

Professionals can restore structural drains in high-rise kitchen stacks and help you eliminate grease blockages by thoroughly cleaning any grease build-up. They cannot only clean and eliminate these obstructions, but they can also help you avoid them in the future.

Professionals can undertake clean out installation, providing convenient access points to your drain stack, in addition to applying best-in-class pipe lining technologies to rehabilitate your drain stack. As a result, removing blockages and inspecting pipes is easier in the future, making it easier to spot locations where repairs are needed.

FAQs

  • How Much a Plumber Costs for Kitchen Stack Cleaning?
    The average cost of hiring a plumber cna range between $360 - $498. If you have the entire kitchen stack to take care of, the rate can exponentially increase.
  • How Much it will Cost to Replace the Damaged Pipes?
    On a minimum level, it can cost you $739 to replace the damaged stacks. It also depends on the level of the damage. If extensive, it will increase the cost you thousands of dollars.
  • When Should Kitchen Stacks be Cleaned?
    Kitchen stack pipes should be cleaned every couple of years for consistent maintenance.
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Author: Amanda Arnold

Amanda has been working with ConstructionHow since 2021. Her experience spans over 5 years in the creative niche such as home decor and trends, landscaping, renovations, and custom architectural values. As a home designer expert, she has a keen eye for the latest home improvement trends with accurate facts that readers find impossible to ignore. Being invested in home-building trends is how she has gained her lucrative expertise exploring more to bring a positive ambiance for all homeowners (and even tenants!). Currently, she lives in a beautiful beach home, a source of fascination for her.

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