Instant relief for your dwellings plugged drains
Instant relief for your dwellings plugged drains
Do you know what the best way to unblock drains is? Using a plunger is the most effective and fastest way to solve this common household problem. Using a plunger is very simple if you know how. The plunger will not work if you vigorously push it up and down very but not like a pneumatic drill. The most effective procedure to adopt is to cover the drainpipe completely with the bell-shaped head of the plunger and push down gently, then come up quickly and forcefully creating suction. A minor clog can be pulled up and out of the sink or drainage through the sucking action of the plunger. It should be noted here that some bath tubs and sinks have overspill outlets that must be plugged with a sponge or wet towel before using your plunger if this approach is to work.
Chemical unblocking agents can also be used to dislodge or dissolve obstructed matter. But it would only be recommended to resort to using chemicals after you have tried fixing the problem with a drainage plunger. Leave the chemical for a few minutes so that it loosens the blockage, and then use hot water to rinse out the drainpipe, taking care not to splash yourself. Use rough clothes that cover your body fully as things could get a bit mucky and some of the strong chemicals may spill on you and burn exposed skin. If you plan to use the plunger after the application of chemical to remove the remaining debris, then eye protection is essential because the chemical laden water may back-splash on you and burn. Just be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions to avoid any unnecessary issues.
The next thing you can attempt to use if your plunger is ineffective is to loosen the nuts holding the P-trap in place with pliers or a pipe wrench. Keep a bucket and towel to deal with the mess that will follow. Use an electrical tape to encircle the jaws of your wrench so that you can get a better grip on the pipes and also maintain their chrome finish without scratching them. After disassembling the P-trap, examine the trap for anything blocking the mouth of the pipe. If the plunger, the chemical or trap removal does not help, then the blockage could be much deeper in the pipework.
In case of a clogged up toilet, you can apply a toilet auger. With a bathtub or sink, however a drainage snake should be used. The instrument is designed in a way that it can travel deep down into your pipes. By turning the handle to dig into the blockage, you can bring the blockage up and away from the drainage. After you have successfully removed the the blockage you should put the P-trap back into place and check if water can flow through freely. Make sure that everything is tight and sealed properly and test the P-trap for leaks.
If the drain is still plugged after all these measures, or if the problem reoccurs chronically, employ a competent plumber or waste pipes contractor to fix it. There are some incidents that cannot be resolved by the common householder such as clogs in the soil stack or the sewer service near tree roots or even a broken pipe caused by age or pipe corrosion brought upon by nature or some “mysterious reason”, at these times contact a good drains pipes engineer.
