A typical day at home can quickly turn into a day filled with disaster with clogged drains. Since some clogged drains result in wider damage throughout the plumbing systems, a simple clogged drain could inflict permanent damage when not dealt with properly.
Although most issues don't result in a total overhaul, it doesn't change that a blocked drain is a nuisance and can ruin a perfect weekend at home. Thus, it's essential to arm yourself with enough knowledge to deal with clogged drains or, at the very least, prevent these clogs from happening.
Here are some great tips and tricks to help you through the disaster or stop it from happening:
1. Hire A Plumber
Doing things by yourself can help you save a few bucks, but with limited time, you might not be able to fix it before your weekend ends. Not to mention, you may not have the right information and skill to work through complicated tools. Furthermore, you may not properly do it since it may be your first time trying out a professional's job.
You can always look online and watch videos that claim sure-fire ways to unclog a drain. However, nothing beats the experience and expertise of a professional plumber. Although it may initially cost you more money, you gain the peace of mind that a professional works on your plumbing. Moreover, if you did it on your own and did a poor job, it could end up ruining your plumbing system and might even cost you more.
Additionally, plumbers also have the proper training and expertise that allows them to operate complex plumbing tools. While some may seem mundane, there are other equipment you won't be familiar with.
Thus, to help you understand what your plumber can do, here's a shortlist of the professional tools plumbers use.
- Snake Tools: Snake tools refer to all devices that can go down the drain and maneuver through it. Additionally, it comes with a specific tip that allows it to pull out materials that are clogging the drain.
- Water Jets: Water pressure is one of the most effective ways to clear clogs. Although most jobs will not require a water jet, it's used to clear out clogs that need an extra push. Moreover, some plumbers prefer this to any chemical solution as it will not damage the plumbing system.
- Endoscopic "Snake" Camera: It's a snake tool, but its purpose is not to pull out the clog. Instead, plumbers use it to see the clog through the camera attached to the tip. Thus, allowing your plumber to strategize the best way to remove the clog.
- Plungers: This is the most common tool in the list, designed to provide a suction effect on a train or a hole. Thus, allowing the plumber to pull out stuck or rooted materials within the drain. However, it's important to note that professional plumbers have various plungers for specific holes and drains. That way, they can efficiently pull out the materials that may be blocking your drains.
- Sink Auger: The sink auger is one of the tools that clear your clogged drains. Specifically, it uses a corkscrew tip to move around the bends and corners of a plumbing system. Moreover, the corkscrew tip allows the sink auger to penetrate clogs and loosen whatever is clogging the drain.
2. Be Careful What You Throw
One of the best ways to avoid spending on plumbing solutions is to prevent drain clogs. As they say, prevention will always be better than finding a solution for the problem.
With that said, you should never put items that easily clog your pipes. Mainly, you'll avoid the obvious culprits such as hair, tissues, or cloth. However, there are less known culprits you might be shoving down your kitchen drain, such as coffee grounds, eggshells, vegetable peels, and even cooking oil.
When you throw these into your drain, they'll cause clogs over time.
Avoiding it might not be enough, as mistakes do tend to happen when you least expect it. Thus, to help you, it would be best to install a drain gait to stop the regular culprits like eggshells and vegetable peels from going down the drain.
3. Pour Boiling Water Down The Drain
Over time your drain will gather enough grime and grease from your soaps, food waste, and oils. Thus, to avoid creating large problems over time, you can do preventive measures by clearing your drain regularly.
One simple solution is pouring boiling water down your drain. As a result of pouring boiling water, hardened oils and grease will liquefy due to the heat.
However, it's essential to note the type of pipes you have since boiling water may damage low-quality pipes.
Moreover, it's also important to remember that simply pouring building water should only be used for partial clogs. For more complicated clogged drains, it's best to use boiling water with other methods in clearing pipes.
4. Use Sodium Hydroxide
One method you can use in tandem with boiling water is the use of sodium hydroxide. This is a chemical that is explicitly used for cleaning drains.
Since it may cause burns, you should use this with care. Thus, you may want to use safety equipment like rubber gloves and goggles when using this chemical. That way, you can prevent any accidents while using such a chemical.
When using it, follow the instructions written on the container and leave it for an ample amount of time. Then, pour boiling water into the drain to complete the process.
5. Use Of Cream Of Tartar Drain Fix
This method in clearing up your drain doesn't only involve your cream of tartar from your local grocery store. Essentially, it's a mix of a few ingredients.
To be exact, mix 1/8th cup of cream of tartar, half a cup of salt, and two cups of baking soda in a small container. After, pour in your boiling water followed by your cream of tartar mix. Then, it's a small matter of waiting for an hour or two.
The idea of this mix is simple, the salt and baking soda work to clear the clog while the cream cleans the metals in the pipe. However, it might not work immediately; you might need to pour an additional cup of baking soda with a cup of vinegar, then wait overnight to see the results.
Conclusion
Cleaning your clogged drain might be a simple matter of using your trusted plunger to pull out some unruly hair. However, in some cases, it could be the result of months or years of zero maintenance and preventive measures.
Thus, hiring a professional plumber to do the job for you might be necessary.
But when it's a simple clog, you can use the other methods. You can even use them to prevent the clogs from worsening.