Most homeowners have very limited knowledge when it comes to their home plumbing systems. You know how to handle a plunger for small clogs, and if a drain is giving you a particular amount of trouble, you know how to pick out a chemical drain clearing solution. But that’s where your knowledge and expertise ends. This is a wonderful basis and often the extent of what you need to know. But sometimes your trusty bottle of Drain-O isn’t working, or it’s all gone and you don’t have time to go and pick up another bottle because you’re dealing with a massively clogged drain. Here are our quick tips to clear your drain until your plumber can get there!
Plumbing snake
If a chemical drain cleaner isn’t taking care of the problem, pouring more of the solution down the drain isn’t going to do any good. What needs to be done, instead, to take care of the problem, is that the drain will need to be snaked. This is a method to remove whatever substance, often hair, is obstructing the pipe and creating a backup. For a clogged sink, try cleaning the trap, and then feeding the snake down the drain that way. You can also cover the overflow valve on your sink to help build pressure, which can make it easier to break through the clog.
DIY Drain cleaners and maintenance
Some drain cleaners will remove the substance causing the clog, and others won’t do anything. Often these drain cleaners treat the symptoms, rather than fixing the problem. They’re great for drain maintenance, but when it comes down to removing a clog, you’ll really need to have the drain snaked and remove the offensive clog.
Once you have the drain cleared out, it is a great idea to use a natural substance to keep your drain cleared and the need to have your drain snaked will be lower. Never mix drain cleaners together. Instead, you can make your own. A mixture of baking soda and boiling water, or baking soda and vinegar, will work effectively to clear your drain and keep it clear in between visits from your plumber. These are also often less toxic than the drain cleaners you can find at your home maintenance store, and since they’re natural, they do less damage than traditional chemical drain cleaners do.
