At some point or another, drains are destined to clog up and become blocked. You can stall this process with preventative measures, but ultimately there’s no escaping an eventual blockage.
Furthermore, plumbers can be expensive these days. And why pay loads for a simple call out to fix a blocked drain you could do it yourself for free?
If you have the right tools and know-how, you won’t need to call in any professionals to unblock your drain. And the tools we’re going to mention are easy to get hold of and inexpensive.
In this article, we’ll run you through six must-know tips for unclogging a drain. And you won’t need to be an expert plumber to carry out these techniques.
The Quickest Solution
If it works, pouring boiling water down your drain to unclog it has to be the quickest solution out there. It’s pretty much free to carry out and works well with sinks, bathtubs, and showers, as well as outdoor drains.
Boil up a few quarts of water on the stove, and then pour them down your clogged drain. The boiling water should dissolve any grease that may be causing the stoppage, which will then free up other residues in the process.
Get a Plunger
A plunger works great for unblocking toilets, yet you can use it for other drain types. They can buy them cheaply down at any local hardware store, and it will come in handy for future drain issues.
To begin with, Position over the drain hole, fill the toilet bowl with enough water to make a seal around the plunger’s rim. Then pump the plunger up and down until the clog is gone.
You shouldn’t have to use a lot of force to free up the stoppage. If the plunger does not work the first time, try pouring hot water into the drain and letting it settle for a few hours before your second attempt.
Snake Your Drain
If plunging and boiling water doesn’t work, the next step is to get a drain snake tool.
They are easy to catch and cheap. However, you might want to estimate how long your snake needs to be. And if you struggle to convert your measurements, here’s a handy cubic feet to yards calculator to make use of.
When you’ve got your snake, insert it into your problematic drain and feed it along however far it needs to go until it reaches the blocked area. Then just turn the crank handle to unclog your drain.
Baking Soda
Baking soda has many uses and benefits, including unblocking drains. You can pour baking soda down your blocked drain to try and free up all the gunk.
You can pour it down there on its own, or add it to boiling water and then pour it down. Alternatively, you could leave the baking soda to work its magic over a few hours, then come along with some boiling water to free up your drain.
Vinegar
Vinegar is known for its unblocking capabilities.
Ideally, you should mix it with boiling water for it to be most effective. You could also even add baking soda into the mix as well for a super-potent unblocking cocktail!
Check the Trap
Checking the trap is a way to unblock sinks. This is the curved section under the sink.
With a pipe wrench or pliers, unscrew the trap. Though, make sure to place a bucket underneath to catch any water. Once it’s free, you can poke the trap with a bendy plastic rod to free up any gunk. Then just reattach.
If the trap is too clogged up, then you might need to replace it.
Unclogging a Drain Made Easy
As you can now see, there a few nifty tricks that you can carry out with little expense for unclogging a drain. We recommend you try each one before calling in any help.
Of course, if none of these techniques work, it might be time to call in a plumber.
Thanks for stopping by, and good luck with your drain issue. For more helpful tips, please check out our blog.
