Blocked sinks

[keel beam]

Many flights I have recently looked after the cabin crew have complained of blocked sinks on the aircraft.
So who has been putting tea, coffee, orange juice, wine, fatty gravy etc. etc. down the sinks? CABIN CREW!:ugh:
A request to all you cabin crew out there whose aircraft often suffer from blocked sinks, (even those that don't) Pease please PLEASE do not pour the above liquids down the sink.
I have heard a story of an airline that if it suffered a blocked sink, the cabin crew were called back to un-block it! (QANTAS seems to spring to mind). Sounds like a good idea to me:ok:

[sukigirl]

However, i think its ridiculous that we dont have proper sinks on board, We are a food handling environment with no sink! Could you imagine going into a restauraunt kitchen with no sink? Its a real pain when you need to wait for ages to wait for a free toilet to pour stuff down the loo and it looks terrible to the pax.
I can understand why no oj and thick substances can be poured down sinks but i've never heard about tea and coffee not going down there as well surely its the same consistency as water as long as the tea bag hasnt burst in the pot.
I would just like to add that however frustrating i find it, im not the guilty one for pouring down oj and gravy.

[6chimes]

Why exactly were sinks put there in the first place, there are no taps for us to do any washing up so it can only be for pouring unwanted liquids down and what liquids do we have on an a/c........Tea and coffee.

Sorry but i pour it down there if it gets blocked then sort out the problem. (sorry engineers) I am not taking pots into a toilet and contaminating them. Or give us something that we can put down the drain that will clear any bits that will cause a blockage if left to build up.

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[capt.cynical]

A can of Coke works wonders.:hmm:

[Dan Winterland]

From a technical point of view, the sinks drain outside the cabin and not into the waste tank. They vent to the atmosphere by drain masts which are in an enironment which are typically about -40 degrees centigrade in the cruise. They have to be heated otherwise the water flowing through them will freeze. If the heating system (which in some aircraft extends to the pipes leading to the drain masts as well) has failed or isn't performing up to spec, then the system will block with ice. In my experience, this can often be the cause of a sink blockage.

Also, anything you pour down the sinks often ends up on the bottom of the aircraft. My airline recently had tech log entries for some aircraft which stated there was a red/brown stain along the underside of the aircraft, source unknown. If the engineers had run their finger along the stain and then licked it, I would suspect that they would discover that it tasted of a mix of red wine and coffee! As hydraullic fluid looks a bit like red wine, there had been some wasted engineering time discovering the source of the stains.

In addition, the radio altimeter aerials are on the bottom of the aircraft. These have to be kept clean for the very sensitive system to work. I have seen a radio altimeter fail, the cause was found to be an accumulation of coffee residue on it's aerial. In an Airbus, failure of all the radio altimeters causes the fly by wire control system to downgrade two steps when the undecarriage is lowered. This gives the flight deck crew a lot of problems and it is a relatively exciting condition!

[girtbar]

so 6 chimes will we still throw said liquids down the drain willy nilly now?

I dont understand people that when they are told not do something, they blindly continue to do so, without even trying to comtemplate the reasoning behind it. Its not my problem.......well no but think of the poor bu**er that has to sort it out because you cant follow SOP. Sure now we might as well keep phones on for the whole flight too.

How your supposed to contaminate a tea pot in the toilet i dont get. You lift lid with tissue or glove. Then aim spout down to the hole then release liquids into toilet flush. Job done????? Guys do it all the time with out getting our manly bits contaminated.............saying nothing about the aim though!!!!

[TightSlot]

My employer issues a small bottle of fluid on every second rotation: Pour down the sink on descent, and it is supposed to clear blockages. Since they are much less frequent nowadays, it appears to work.

I was told by an engineer that the issue with tea/coffee was to do with their interaction with other fluids (milk, Tomato Juice etc.) i.e. when combined they can cause blockages. Sounds a little odd, but since he cleans up the resultant, he should know, and clearly, anything we crew can do to help out our engineering colleagues is a good thing!

[SkySista]

Dan, that was really interesting and something I didn't know. Thanks!!! This is just the kind of trivia that crew should be told, so they know the reason they should not do certain things!! :}

Hmm a can of Coke on an aerial doesn't seem like it would do too much good!! :/

[vs69]

"Sorry but i pour it down there if it gets blocked then sort out the problem."

All very well but when there are more flight critical things to worry about like wheels to change etc then we cant really waste time and effort on spilling a combination of cream, orange juice, red wine, bacon fat, cheesecake all over our legs when we pull a full sink strainer out of its housing trying to clear the problem (true story) so the sink will just get cleaned up and placarded as inop for the next sector thus making life harder for the next crew.....we are all on the same team and i know its a bit anal and im beginning to rant here but please please please spread the word and stop people putting lumpy stuff down sinks.
ps i know its only a few who do it so hats off to those who ive seen bothering to make the journey to the bog to flush it away!

Rant over.................

[keel beam]

6chimes
Sorry but i pour it down there if it gets blocked then sort out the problem. (sorry engineers)

It is not just only the engineer’s problem, your fellow crew members that have to take the aircraft on the next sector suffer because the engineer usually does not have the time to clear the blockage.

The interaction of fluids tend to be between wines /juices and milk. Blockages by tea and coffee are by tealeaves and coffee granules. I had one incident where I had difficulty in removing the galley strainer (first line of defence to a blocked drain). Once the strainer was removed there was evidence of caked on tea leaves/coffeegranules. After a good scrape (and cleaning out of the strainer) I was able to fit the strainer with ease – sadly this was a case of a chronic sink blockage that will require a longer down time to cure.

Tightslot – Your company seems to be proactive in minimising blocked sinks, BA’s proactiveness is send a memo to the head of cabin crew with engineering’s concerns, cabin crew are notified then after a short memory lapse blocked sinks are here again.
Suki girl – you are an angel, if cabin crew could look ahead for their collegues then all this fustration would be history.
If it is any help to you I would happily leave the contents of a blocked sink, for your viewing, in a container in the galley.:E It won’t be a pretty sight (the smell is not too good either) but it might help get the message across. 15 cabin crew down 10000 to go.

[flyblue]

We have a rule not to pour fruit juice (except apple) in the sink. It must work since they seldom are blocked.

[Denzil]

CX A340-600's have a waste disposal sink in the galleys that uses vac lav system to take away "lumpy" items. Close the lid, press the button & waste gone away.

Funny how all the crew deny it, recently had an aircraft arrive on stand & saw the evidence of wine/coffee etc on the ground from the drain mast. Many crews mistakenly put it down the sink in the toilets, not the toilet pan.

It's not rocket science, but really does make you wonder how lazy (or stupid) some crew can be!!!!!

[Sandy Toad]

Not Rocket Science for aircraft manufacturers and companies who spec galleys to give the crew what they need to do the job either. Install proper waste disposal sinks and don't put sensitive antenna immediately behind sink drains. Problem solved.:ok:

[max autobrakes]

And don't put toothpaste tube caps down the sinkhole because they are a bugger to remove and cause all sorts of grief with sink's blocking.

[ozangel]

Maybe the bottle they give her is like antifreeze or something? (I dont even know what that is, beyond the fact they put it in your car if its cold?)

Some of the aircraft we had, there were little acess panels below the sink, at floor level (right next to the door), where you could reach right in, around some pipes, and pull a little ring, and it would suck out all the gunk. It was a very awkward thing to do, as you had to be on your hands and knees on the galley floor. But, if someone made the mistake of putting something in there they shouldnt have, it worked very well.

[capt.cynical]

Skysista,
You pour the contents of the can down the sink.:ugh: :hmm: :mad:

[TopBunk]

I would agree with those of you who say that the manufacturers should maybe be more receptive to the needs of the crew wrt galley waste design, maybe even routing the waste to onboard tanks as for the toilet waste. Indeed that would solve the problem of contaminating antennae on the underside. [Note: not many other places to put antenna that need to point down at the grouns in order to work!]

But to those of you who, despite being well aware of company requirements, continue to pour prohibited things into the sinks, shame on you, you should be forced to work with an engineer to rectify your sins and then you'd maybe stop.

[SkySista]

You pour the contents of the can down the sink.

Well duh....

I was thinking from the engo's comments, if fruit juice and coffee aren't good, how about an acidic can of coca cola...? That's what I meant....

(looks in mirror to see if she looks as dumb as some people seem to think she is) :E

[vs69]

fair point skysista but from the point of view of breaking down all the cr@p that builds up in the strainers it has been known to work, something to do with enzyme action and the like.......

[Captain Rat]

Unfortunately however much the Cabin Crew are asked in memos etc not to do it they will....I suppose the extensive few weeks training they get doesn't cover this...only way is to get them to assist in clearing the sink blockage....as a previous post said, believe it was QF that used to make the crew stay at the end of a flight and help clear any blocked sinks.....soon sorted that problem out....yes I know its not the ideal situation having to put the waste down a toilet pan but that is how the aircraft are.....if you don't like it then get another job or join CX as they appear to have a proer disposal system in the galley......crap down the galley sinks doesn't just cause the inconvinience of a blocked sink it also causes problems with the aerials etc as has been mentioned earlier....personally, if I am on a turnround and the sink is blocked, it is the last thing I attend to...it is the least important, if the cabin crew complain then I have great pleasure in pointing out why it is blocked......if I get time I will try and clear it...

[Turroncin]

We just bung everything down the loo. At least that's what we're told to do. I do it and it looks reaaaaaaaaally nice for pax seeing crew gashing ice cubes, tomato juice and old tea down the loo. Still I am but a humble employee and do what I'm told.

[pinkus]

I don't understand why you pour things in the sink anyway?

If you are getting rid of a few bottles of wine and a few pots of coffee it takes ages to wait for each pour to drain.

I am not taking pots into a toilet and contaminating them. \
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What a load of rubbish. What the germs are going to leap three feet into the air and contamintate them are they? In that case they must leap up inside your bum every time you use the toilet. If you are that worried wipe them with a soapy cloth afterwards. ( The pots not your bum)

[aintsaying]

The stuff we use is called 'Novasan'. its a enzime, blue colured water. Put 500ml into a blocked sink and you will see the drain on the aircraft belly start to unblock in about 30mins. A bit longer if you use a upper deck drain.

[Dash Of Soda]

I don't understand why you pour things in the sink anyway?
If you are getting rid of a few bottles of wine and a few pots of coffee it takes ages to wait for each pour to drain.
What a load of rubbish. What the germs are going to leap three feet into the air and contamintate them are they? In that case they must leap up inside your bum every time you use the toilet. If you are that worried wipe them with a soapy cloth afterwards. ( The pots not your bum)
As ex-CC I read the forums from time to time. PINKUS...what you just said is a "classic"...well said :ok: That just cracked me up! :D

[keel beam]

In BA we use an enzyme type "sink un-blocker" but is not much use in a totally blocked sink.
I must say, I was pleased to see a label in the rear galley in one B767 saying to pour hot water down the sink.
As for the design of sink drains, they could be better! The B767 for example has sharp angles in the drain line, which doesn't help the flow of liquids. Aircraft are still a long way from being maintenance friendly:{
Though I am being paid a vast wage to work these unfriendly aircraft. LOL

[tiggerific_69]

Why exactly were sinks put there in the first place, there are no taps for us to do any washing up so it can only be for pouring unwanted liquids down and what liquids do we have on an a/c........Tea and coffee.
Sorry but i pour it down there if it gets blocked then sort out the problem. (sorry engineers) I am not taking pots into a toilet and contaminating them. Or give us something that we can put down the drain that will clear any bits that will cause a blockage if left to build up.
6

On the one aircraft type i work on,we dont have sinks in the galley,therefore our only choice is the toilet,and id much rather chuck coffee/tea etc down the toilet than down the sink.just rinse the pot and wipe it afterwards,or ask catering to replace the pots.

[6chimes]

Whilst i agree that germs dont jump 3 ft in the air (however; scientific advice states that you should not keep your toothbrush within 6ft of your toilet), would you do it at home? Also, I can count on one hand the amount of times I have seen crew pour T & C from 3 ft as it splatters all over the toilet floor/walls etc, mainly crew pour from just above the rim or below it and when its bumpy yes the pots do touch the toilet. Thats my experience and what I have seen from the vast majority of my colleagues, so thats all I can comment on. As said, provide us with the right products to stop any blockages.

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[fourplay]

We pour all liquid waste with exception of water down the toilets.
My pet hate is the lav sinks constantly blocking.
I am the only one who seems brave enough to dismantle the plug and get to the mesh filter and rinse it in boiling water several times (older 330/340)
You want to heave in doing so with what is attached to that insert
However, I will not block off a lav if I can fix a blocked toilet or sink.

Most crew will not attempt to do so which is understandable... Why should we have to!

[keel beam]

We pour all liquid waste with exception of water down the toilets.
My pet hate is the lav sinks constantly blocking.
I am the only one who seems brave enough to dismantle the plug and get to the mesh filter and rinse it in boiling water several times (older 330/340)
You want to heave in doing so with what is attached to that insert
However, I will not block off a lav if I can fix a blocked toilet or sink.
Most crew will not attempt to do so which is understandable... Why should we have to!

I to have had experience of blocked sinks in the A330! The blockage is usually caused by vomit. (the passenger always forgets the sick bag).

[6chimes]

The mesh filters on the airbus are not designed to be used with conventional soap bars which are made up of flakes and block the mesh, the gel type of soap is the only soap that should be used. hope that helps.

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