Teaching You All About Unclogging Drains
Everything you need to know to tackle that slow or blocked drain today!
This is the place to learn what’s required to clear any clogged drain in the house.
Whether it is a troublesome toilet, a backed-up basement, or a stagnant shower, help is here to get things flowing again. Clogged or slowly flowing drains are among the most common home maintenance chores.
The fact is we all depend on several drains functioning properly every day, so when a drain does begin to act up, it doesn’t take long to get to the top of the list. Not to mention most clogged drains are easily cleared with the proper tools, making this top-priority task one that is quickly crossed off.
Proper equipment is essential for maintaining and clearing household drains. Homes should own at least one plunger for that rainy day, and active families will find a drain auger of some size of great help as well. These tools are easy to use and dependable for getting the job done, and all of them cost far less than a single service call from a drain professional.
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Drain Cleaning Equipment
Learn about the tools used by the pros and homeowners alike for solving clogged drains quickly.
Drain cleaning has stayed as up to date as any home improvement area in terms of new tools on the market and in improvements made to old standbys.
Your modern drain servicing professional has a remarkably high-tech selection of tools at their disposal. Examples include remote operated video cameras for inspection of plumbing, and precision-machined high-pressure sprayers used in jet-washing of sewers.
But a homeowner can handle most household clogs on their own if they have just one or two inexpensive tools. A plunger
and / or a handheld drain auger appropriate for the troublesome drain(s) makes up its cost in the first saved service call to a pro. But with such a wide variety of plungers and drain snakes available, consumers must be informed about their proper use to make the right purchase decisions.
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How to Unclog a Toilet
Tips & Tricks for Clearing Plugged Commodes
Diagnosing a Clogged Toilet
Clogged toilets are a common household problem, although with a bit of family or roomie education and some common sense, many times they could have been avoided.
A clogged toilet or commode does not drain when flushed. Water held in the tank of the toilet flows into the bowl, but does not wash away the contents down the drain. Instead the toilet bowl and drain become backed up behind a clog of waste, and the water stays in the bowl. When this happens, do not flush again! Most toilets can hold the contents of a single tank or flush of water without overflowing, but flushing an already backed up toilet is sure to cause a disgusting mess as the sewage flows over the rim of the bowl onto the bathroom floor.
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How to Unclog a Laundry Sink
Narrow drains without a disposal or stopper can be easily cleared with a plunger, a drain auger, or anything handy!
Utility sinks are the deep basins found in garages and laundry rooms.
Often the drain will be narrow with a screen to catch debris. If this area has been cleared, but the drain remains slow or stopped, then a clog has formed in the U-trap or even farther down the pipes. In these cases a plunger or handheld drain auger is the proper tool for the job, but some clogs can be cleared without the need for either.
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Using Plungers for Success
Pick up hints & tips for proper plunging technique
Forming Airtight Seals
Plungers work in both directions. They move water back and forth inside the pipes, breaking up the blocking material into smaller bits until the clog can no longer hold itself together.
To do this, an airtight seal must be formed where the plunger meets the plumbing. Any leaks will mean at best an ineffective & noisy plunging and at worst a squirt of sewage back towards the user.
Maintaining this seal while the plunger is worked up and down, for as many as a dozen strokes or for as long as thirty seconds, is the most important consideration, and is why there are so many differently shaped plungers on the market. Hopefully you have the right plunger for your drain. If you don’t maybe you can still make it work.