Blocked drains are one of the most frustrating plumbing emergencies experienced by homeowners because they disrupt the usual bliss of having fully functioning home drains such as kitchen drains, bathroom drains, toilet drains and laundry room drains. Without prompt clog-clearing, blockages in residential plumbing drains can result in backups that can render the entire home a health hazard.
Luckily, there are effective DIY fixes for most blockages that occur in residential drains. Here is a look at some DIY-friendly methods of clearing clogs that may arise in your home drains.
Plunging with a plunger.
Here, clogs are unclogged using a plunger. A plunger is a simple plumbing tool that comprises a rubber cup with a handle attached to it. Plungers generally come in two types: common cup plungers and flange plungers. Cup plungers are basically used for unclogging clogs in kitchen sinks, bathroom sinks, bathtubs or any other plumbing fixture with a flat surface. Flange plungers, on the other hand, are specially designed for clearing toilet clogs. Unlike standard cup plungers, these plungers come with a cone protruding from the interior part of the rubber cup. The unique design of flange plungers helps ensure effective clearing of toilet clogs by creating an airtight seal is created over the toilet opening when plunging.
Knowing how to use a plunger properly is critical to ensuring quick unclogging of blockages in the home. Fortunately, using a plunger is easy — you just create an airtight seal around the drain opening and repeatedly push the tool up and down in quick succession.
Dissolving and flushing grease with vinegar and hot water.
Grease build-up is a common cause of clogging in kitchen drain pipes. Slow kitchen sink drains are an obvious sign of drain grease. Luckily, the problem can be fixed using some vinegar and hot water. You simply need to pour a little amount of vinegar into the kitchen sink and give it enough time to flow down the drain pipes. The vinegar will drip down the interior walls of your drain pipes and break down grease sticking on the pipes. Thereafter, pour hot water to melt and flush the grease out. This way, you won't have to use harsh chemical cleaners to deal with drain grease.
Clearing debris with a barbed drain cleaner.
Another simple yet effective way to clear drain debris is to insert a barbed drain cleaner into a clogged drain and then pulling it out. This drain-cleaning tool has back-angled barbs, which trap and remove hair and other debris that may be clogging your bathtub, bathroom sink or other drains in your home.
If your DIY clog fixes don't work, don't hesitate to call in a professional plumber. They can pick up from where you've left and provide an effective solution to your blocked drain repair issue.
