A blocked drain, no matter where it is in the house, is a real pain for anyone. When you do a quick search online you are bombarded with thousands of responses on how to tackle your blocked drain. These answers often list hundreds of concoctions you can make from a wide range of household goods. Yet sometimes these potion recipes that have been passed down from generation to generation just aren’t enough and more drastic measures are needed.
Not many people know how to go about unclogging their drains. The wealth of information available to them about the best method to unblock a drain often leads to great confusion. But if your drain is blocked and you don’t have any idea about how to remove the blockage then you’re in luck. This guide will show you some great methods you can use to unblock any drain in your house.
The Good ole plunger
The plunger is a long serving veteran when it comes to unblocking drains. When you move into any house this is a item that you must ensure that you purchase, as I can assure you it will come in handy a number of times.
Plungers are best used when the blockage of a drain is very minor and when you know the blockage is just in the plug hole. For example when strands of hair or little bits of food are blocking up a the kitchen sink. Here are some easy steps you can follow to unblock a drain by using a plunger.
Firstly you should coat the edges of your plunger with any type of petroleum jelly. The reason behind this is that it will increase the amount of suction the plunger will generate.
Next you should add an inch or two of water to the sink as again this will increase the suction of the plunger. You should also try to cover any overflow holes (This applies mostly for baths and sinks) as this will increase the build up pressure, making the chances the plunger will unblock your drain much greater.
You should then position the plunger over the drain so that the drain is completely covered. The petroleum jelly should stick the plunger to the surrounding surface and you should feel that there is some suction.
Then you should push down on the plunger and keep doing this until the build up of pressure removes the blockage from the sink.
There you go – one unblocked drain.
Getting Technical
Although getting a plumber is sometimes needed you can unblock a kitchen sink yourself pretty easily. Getting technical is only necessary when you know the blockage is not at surface level and is somewhere in the pipes.
The first step is to clear out everything from beneath your kitchen sink, in order to create some room. Then you should get a bucket to place beneath the pipes, ready to catch any water.
Then you should remove the section of the pipe known as the ‘trap’. It is the curved section of the piping. Once you have done this you will be able to look up the straight section of piping to see if it is blocked. If the blockage is in the straight section you can simply use a coat hanger to remove it.
However if the blockage is not in the straight section then you should look into the trap. The trap is the most common place for blockages to occur just because it is curved.
If the blockage is in neither of these places then your best bet is to call a plumber as the blockage is likely to be in the wall, which if you attempted to remove yourself could leave you with a few problems you rather wouldn’t have.
Drains aren’t as hard to unblock as you may think at first. There are some measures you can take to reduce the chance of a blockage. You should always ensure not to wash fats down the kitchen sink as this will lead to a blockage. You should also remove any bits of food that may pass down the drain. When it comes to the plug in a bath you should just make sure that clumps of hair are removed after showering or taking a bath. Best to avoid the problem so you don’t have to deal with it again in the future.
Author Bio:
By author Richard Orban, writing on behalf of Fischer Plumbing. Fischer provides you with the best plumbers in Seattle.
