Teaching You All About Unclogging Drains

With any home improvement or maintenance, you want the right tool for the job to get things done properly.

Most plungers are designed to work with a certain type of drain. The standard issue plunger, with a suction cup shaped rubber bell on the end of a stick, is designed for plunging flat drains, like you might find in showers, floors, and utility sinks. That design is a poor choice for plunging clogged toilets or bathroom sinks though—the shapes of these drains and their basins require a differently shaped plunger.

Another common problem is something solid has been lost down the drain, and must be recovered before it is lost.

In situations like these, professionals, homeowners, and handymen will typically look to some form of handheld drain augers as the tool for the job. A clogged toilet should be cleared using a plunger or closet auger specially designed for the task. When the trouble has formed in the service lateral drain (the pipes running away from the home to the main utility or septic tank line) a motorized rooter or plumber’s snake will be used, which has the power to deal with dense clumps of roots and other solid obstructions.

Learn how to deal with bathroom sink clogs, how to clean bathtub drains, and how to clear shower drains.

No other room in the home has as many different drains and plumbing connections than the bathroom. Each drain will clog in a different way, and will have to be cleared using the proper tools and techniques. Both plungers and drain augers have very different designs for use with toilets or sinks, just as one example.

It often goes unconsidered until a problem arises just how many different drains there are in the home, and how dependent we are on them all functioning properly. Whether you’ve put up with a slow shower drain for long enough, or are here on more pressing matters, you’ll find help here to get things back in order.