Drain Cleaning Done Your Way

Before you call a plumber to help you unclog your pipes, there are a number of drain cleaning methods you can use on your own. This can help you figure out if a particular problem is a simple, quick fix or a more complicated issue.

Drain cleaning can be a relatively simple and easy process or it can be extremely stubborn and frustrating - it all depends on how bad of a clog you really have. To help you determine the severity of the issue, and to potentially rectify the situation on your own, there are several different methods to try out.

Drain cleaning, like many other projects around the home, is something that has many different approaches and methods that have been developed by various individuals over the years, and not all of them are conventional.

While certain products and approaches have been known to work for many people, others may be things that various people have tried out on a whim and discovered to work, so they have been passed down through generations. These various approaches may be vastly different, and not all of them may work on every clog, but they are certainly worth trying.

In most drains, especially bathroom and kitchen sinks, the issue is various types of material building up in the pipes just below the sink. This could mean hair or bathroom products, or it might mean foods and cooking ingredients, but no matter what is down there, trying to fish it out is often the best method to try first.

To accomplish this, bending a wire coat hanger into a long, straight wire can allow it to be snaked down to the area of the clog. Once there, it can potentially break it up and force some of it down the pipes, or pull it back up to be removed and discarded. For those who feel this may be the best approach, a plumber's tool known as a snake can perform this same type of work and also features a claw on one end to help grasp onto whatever may be down there.

Another approach to drain cleaning that is more unconventional is to use a combination of baking soda and vinegar to help flush out your pipes. This mixture will cause a fizzing action that can help break up a blockage, and should be left to sit for at least an hour before flushing it out with hot water.

Of course, for relatively minor clogs, boiling water is an effective means of drain cleaning itself. Because of its extremely high temperature, it can immediately break down the material in some clogs and help release them on contact.

Finally, if none of these tools or mixtures are effective means of drain cleaning, it is worth attempting to use a wet and dry vacuum to attempt to suck out whatever may be down there. When set to vacuum liquids, it potentially has the power to suck up all types of different things that may be in your pipes.

Source: Free Articles from ArticlesFactory.com

ABOUT THE AUTHOR