Getting your drains cleaned regularly helps prevent serious problems in the future. It can also help keep your home safe from unhealthy odors.
While chemical drain cleaners can be effective, many other ways to clear clogged drains exist. Here are some easy and affordable methods to use in your home. For more information, you can visit Drain Cleaning Tampa to proceed.
The drain system in your home or business connects to every sink, toilet, washing machine, and more via traps and pipelines. If something goes wrong in one of those connections, a clog could result, leading to serious problems for your home or business. You can prevent these problems by identifying telltale signs of a clog so you can have it taken care of right away.
The first sign of a clog is that water won’t drain through your pipes. You may notice this in your bathtub, shower, or sink, but it can also happen in the toilets. If a bathroom isn’t draining properly, it can overflow with dirty sewage. If this happens, you must call a plumber for emergency plumbing services.
Another telltale sign of a clog is a smell that wafts up through the drains and into the air. This is caused by organic matter that has built up in the pipes, which can be difficult to eliminate. Chemical drain cleaners often don’t work and can corrode your pipes over time.
A gurgling sound that comes from your drains can also indicate a problem. This is usually the result of a blockage in the sewer line, meaning that sewage is backing up into your home or business through the drains. This can be dangerous and must be fixed as soon as possible.
There’s a good chance you’ve heard of the snake, a long piece of flexible plastic with sharp barbs that will grab hair and other debris and pull it out of the pipe. It’s a fairly inexpensive gadget you can pick up at most hardware stores. You can use it to remove small clogs, but it’s not ideal for more severe blockages. You’ll still need to have the pipes professionally cleaned and inspected regularly to ensure they are working correctly and free of organic and mineral buildup. This is much better than letting a serious clog take hold and cause a backup in your home or business that could cause extensive damage.
Clogs happen to everyone, and they can be a major hassle. If you use the right tools and know-how, you can remove them before they cause more damage to your home. Try some of these tried and true methods rather than reaching for caustic chemical drain cleaners.
A few of these are safer for kids and pets than chemical products.
For a quick and simple drain cleaning solution, try pouring baking soda down the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar. This chemical reaction can break up a clog and flush it away, especially if there is a lot of grease in the pipe.
If a pipe is seriously clogged, switching to more serious methods may be time. If you have access to a wet/dry vacuum, this is one of the best ways to remove a stubborn clog. It can break up and remove debris like hair, food scraps, and other things stuck in the pipes or drains. You can rent these at most hardware and big box stores.
A flexible plastic drain cleaning tool is another good choice for removing a serious clog. These are 24-inch to 36-inch strips with barbs cut into them that can grab hold of a clog and pull it out of the pipe. They are inexpensive and easy to use, but this method can take patience to get a clog out.
An untwisted metal coat hanger can also clear a drain with a hook. Straighten the wire, stick it down the drain, and wiggle it around. If the hook catches on something, gently tug it to dislodge the clog and remove it from the drain. Then, wash the drain with hot water to flush out any remaining gunk.
If neither of these methods works, try a power auger or snake. These are longer and more powerful than household snakes, and they can help to dislodge even the most stubborn clogs. To use a power drill, plug it in and position it over the clogged drain. Turn on the motor and feed a few feet of cable down the pipe. When you feel resistance, back out a few feet of cable and switch to the other direction, then repeat this process until you remove the clog.
A few simple steps can help you keep your drains in good working order, preventing clogs from forming. Using drain covers to prevent hair, food scraps, and other debris from falling down the drains can go a long way toward keeping your pipes free of obstructions. Regularly using a wet/dry vacuum to remove hair and other gunk from the drains can also be very helpful in maintaining a clean, unclogged drain.
Regularly putting baking soda down the drain can help dislodge clogs and keep them from returning. Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) dissolves mineral deposits and has slight disinfectant properties that can help fight odor-causing bacteria. To use baking soda, heat some boiling water in a tea kettle or the microwave and pour it down the drain. The steam will loosen any food particles or oil that might be stuck inside the pipe, helping to break up the clog and clear the pipe.
When hot water doesn’t dislodge a clog, you can try a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. Vinegar is an acid that can dissolve some types of clogs. To use this method, first put down a drain stopper and plug the drain opening. Then, pour a half-cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar. Next, fill the drain and allow the reaction to occur for an hour or so. Then, rinse with plenty of hot water. If this doesn’t work, you may need a wire drain snake to break up and remove the clog.
Another way to reduce clogs is to regularly wash your drainpipes with a natural, liquid drain cleaner. These products are available in supermarkets and hardware stores and come in powder or liquid form. These products effectively dissolve the hair and grease that often clog bathroom drains and prevent the buildup of organic material, such as fungus and roots, that can clog kitchen sinks.
Remove a wet/dry vacuum or a wire drain snake from the pipe if a clog becomes especially stubborn. Be careful when using a wire, however. It’s important to create a seal over the drain opening with the nozzle and the end of the cable to avoid any damage from the drain vacuum’s suction or the rough edges of the pipe.
As hard as we try to keep hair, coffee grounds, and grease out of our drains, clogs are inevitable. Products like Drano may be able to dissolve some blockages, but they can also damage your pipes and septic system. Thankfully, there are safe and effective drain cleaning methods that you can use in the event of a clog.
If you’re facing a serious clog, call in the big guns. A professional plumber can use a drain snake (or a plumber’s snake) to clear out even the most stubborn clogs. A drain snake is a coiled metal wire with a broader gap at one end, which is fed down your pipe until it encounters the clog. The wire breaks apart the clog, and the incompatible pipe material is pushed through the wider opening of the pipe.
You can also unclog a drain using a homemade version of a chemical drain cleaner. This DIY solution uses ingredients you already have on hand. Pour a cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar. The fizzing action of these two household staples will often dislodge a light to medium clog and is much easier on your plumbing than caustic commercial drain cleaners.
You can also try many homemade drain cleaner recipes for severe or particularly stubborn clogs. Vinegar and baking soda, in particular, are both natural clog dissolvers. If you don’t have baking soda or vinegar, try squirting in grease-fighting dish soap to help break down greasy buildup. Boiling water can also be a great drain cleaner. Just be sure to heat the water slowly and carefully to prevent damage to your pipes and septic system.
If you don’t have a plunger, try hooking a wire hanger over the drain and fishing out any clumps of hair stuck in the trap. If you still can’t get rid of the clog, try running hot water down the drain for several minutes. If the clog persists, it might be time to call the Paschal Air, Plumbing & Electric professionals.