My kitchen sink is blocked. If I run the tap for about 15 secs, the water bacsks up into the sink and then slowly drains away over the course of a few minutes. I am interpreting this to mean that there’s a partial blockage below the sink, but before the main drainpipe – does that make sense?

As a ham-fisted amateur, is there anything I can do apart from pouring chemical stuff in, and then calling a plumber?

I got one of these;

which worked better than the really cheap ones you can buy and reached the P Trap in the main drain.

It did clear out a lot of crud from the pipes but in the end I had to get the main drain hosed out by a pro as the P Trap was full of crap.

Check the u bend first – should simply unscrew

Stick a piece of a metal coat hanger (or similar) down the plug hole and agitate – might clear the blockage without undoing the u bend and a lot less messy.

Simple plunger (Dalek type), close off the air outlet with a cloth possibly, get some hot water down there first.

Probably bits of food gunk or congealed fat.

Get some of that Mr Muscle sink unblocker stuff that you pour in, leave for 10 mins and then rinse away.

The U-bend is clear and unfortunately the pipe immediately below the plug has inlets from dishwasher and washing machine, so plunger probably won’t work. Such a hassle for a small thing 🙁