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A garbage disposal blockage is very common. When the kitchen sink backs up only on the side with the garbage disposal, you can investigate that side only. If it was a drain clog, both sides of the sink would be full of water, as both sinks tie into the same drain line. Since only one side is backed up, the problem is isolated to that side only.
The problem I see most often, is that someone threw something down the garbage disposal they shouldn’t have. Most recently it was potato peels. You would think people would use common sense and at least consider the possibility that these types of items can cause a backup.
Usually the disposal will grind up the pieces small enough to exit the disposal, but maybe not get past the restrictor pipe. Some, but not all garbage disposals have a pipe that reduces the inside diameter. This is by design and will cause a backup at the location of the pipe where it connects to the drain.
The fix here is to clear the pipe of the debris. Set a bucket below the area to catch the water as it runs out of the pipe and let the water drain out. After the water has drained, remove the section of pipe and dump out the debris. Reconnect the piping and run water to test for leaks.
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