Backed-up drains cause more than nasty messes. They’ve been linked to health and diseases, such as E.coli and encephalitis, resulting in avoidable health crises. Fortunately, Southern California homeowners don’t have to find themselves in messy situations when they know how to unclog a drain.
Knowing how to handle plumbing problems safely protects your family’s health and prevents expensive plumbing repairs. In this guide, you’ll learn more about the common causes of drainage issues, how to unclog a drain with household plumbing tools, and why it’s best to let a professional plumber handle most drain cleaning issues.
What Causes Clogged Drains?
Most household drainage issues happen when foreign objects fall into a drain pipe. For example, kitchen trash that accidentally falls in the sink and makes its way down the drain, or a curious toddler puts a toy in the toilet and flushes the toilet to see what happens.
Other items and substances that contribute to drain clogs include:
- Cleansing wipes
- Cooking fat
- Feminine hygiene products
- Grease
- Hair
- Soap
- Toothpaste
However, plumbing problems can cause clogs as well, and some drain pipes have a higher risk of clogging than others. If you have a damaged pipe with nicks or scratches inside the pipe, this damage can cause small bits of toilet paper, food, or other solid objects to catch as it moves through the pipe. Over time, the little bits build up and a clog forms. Small-diameter and curved pipes can also clog quickly when foreign matter is introduced.
If you have trees or bushes with large root bases planted near your home’s sewer line, the roots can grow into the pipe or around it. Water can’t move through the pipe and backs up into the house. Cracked and collapsed sewer pipes can also cause drainage issues.
How to Unclog a Household Drain
In this section, you’ll learn more about how to unclog simple drain clogs using common household drain cleaning tools. However, the methods listed below won’t work on complex drainage issues, such as damaged sewer pipes and poorly installed drains.
For these issues, you will need to call a residential plumber. Professional plumbers have state-of-the-art equipment that can identify the location of deep clogs and fix existing plumbing problems to get water flowing again. Hiring a plumber for a professional drain cleaning service like hydro-jet drain cleaning protects your pipes and helps you avoid further damage.
Step #1 – Clear Away Standing Water
You want to remove standing water to see what you’re doing and prevent further water damage. If the toilet or sink is overflowing, turn off the fixture’s water supply line.
Use a wet/dry vac to remove the water. Removing as much water as you can from the affected drain helps you create a tighter seal if you need to plunge the drain.
If it’s sewer water you’re dealing with, stop and call a plumber. You never want to mess around with raw sewage because there are too many health risks. Let a professional handle the situation.
Step #2 – Check for Visible Blockages
You can remedy many household clogs by checking for visible blockages, such as hair in shower drains, a child’s toy in the toilet, or kitchen objects that have fallen into a sink drain or the garbage disposal. If you don’t see any obvious reasons for the clogged drain, move on to the next step.
Step #3 – Plunge the Drain
A plunger is a simple drain cleaning tool every household should have. Actually, every household should have two plungers, a toilet plunger and a sink plunger.
Toilet plungers are made from a flexible material and have longer handles. Choose from a flange plunger or an accordion plunger. A flange plunger has the longest handle, and its flange design makes it easier to create a tight seal around the toilet’s drain hole. If you want a plunger that packs more punch with greater water pressure and less user effort, choose an accordion plunger.
Sink plungers don’t have a flange, and they have a shorter handle. The handle is typically eight to ten inches long, making it easier to store under the sink. It has a standard rubber head designed to push, pull, and shake loose sink clogs.
Plunging a toilet or other household drain can take time. You might have to plunge for several minutes, with a bit of force, to remove tough clogs.
Step #4 – Clean Out the P-Trap
If you have a sink clog and plunging doesn’t do the trick, disassemble the P-trap beneath the sink. First, place a bucket under the sink directly beneath the pipe to catch any water or debris that might fall out when it’s taken apart.
Next, locate the slip nut that holds the P-trap together. Unscrew the nut and wiggle it free to access the pipe’s interior. Look for visible obstructions and remove them, then replace the nut.
Step #5- Snake the Drain
Snaking the drain is the last DIY option. A drain snake is a plumbing tool you can purchase at any hardware or home improvement store. Most have a long, flexible wire you release using an attached hand crank.
The snake can reach much farther into the pipe than other tools and is more effective at dislodging large, deep clogs. After you snake the drain, run warm water through it to wash away any debris left behind.
Why You Need a Plumber
While plungers and household drain snakes can clear many clogs, why go through the hassle? Plumbers use the latest technology, like video camera inspection and hydro-jetting equipment, to locate and clear clogs more effectively. These tools also protect your home’s plumbing system.
The video camera equipment takes the guesswork out of drain cleaning because it shows the plumber what is happening inside the pipe. If you have a cracked sewer line, no amount of plunging will fix the problem. In a situation like this, you’d need pipe repair or replacement.
Hydro-jet drain cleaning, unlike household and even professional drain snaking, is gentler on your pipes. It’s essentially a power washing technique for pipes that clears away clogs completely, leaving no residue behind and restoring your pipes to like-new condition. Households that use hydro-jetting to unclog drains experience fewer recurrences and have peace of mind that bacteria is cleared away, too.
Schedule a Professional Drain Cleaning Today
What appears to be a simple drainage issue can often be a complex plumbing problem, requiring the skills, tools, and expertise provided by licensed plumbers. Failing to address underlying issues contributing to clogs will only cause the drainage issues to return and render your DIY drain cleaning attempts ineffective. At Bill Metzger Plumbing, we help homeowners in Orange County and the surrounding areas address all their household plumbing needs, including burst pipe repair, water heater installation, and water line repair. When you need the best drain cleaning in Orange County, put down the plunger and call a plumber. Contact Bill Metzger Plumbing today for professional drain cleaning services!
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