Having clogged drains can be extremely frustrating and inconvenient, but it doesn’t have to be difficult to fix or take up a lot of your time when you have the right tools and know what you’re doing. In this guide, you’ll learn about how drain cleaners work so that you can choose the best one for your home, how to properly use drain cleaners, and how to maintain your drains so that they don’t become clogged again. But remember the best way to keep drain cleaning is to call a professional local plumber. This is an important plumbing skill and one that everyone should know in order to keep their drains running smoothly!
What causes clogs?
Clogs occur when something is blocking or narrowing your drain or pipe. Most clogs are caused by hair, food, grease, and other objects that wash down your drains or toilet. While household plungers may seem like a good solution for clearing these clogs, they rarely provide complete resolution because they aren’t designed to dislodge large objects or remove debris. They can actually create new problems by exerting too much force and causing pipes to shift their positions. It’s better to let professionals take care of it since even if you manage to clean out all of the gunk by yourself, it could come back and cause more serious issues later on down the line. But what if you don’t have professional drain cleaning services available? Thankfully, there are some things you can do before calling in an expert. The most common way to get rid of most drains clogs is with a plunger (also called an elevator), which you place over your drain and push up and down repeatedly until pressure builds inside is—much like how an engine works. The pressure should loosen up whatever obstruction is making things difficult for water to flow through—but if not, read on! There are other methods besides plunging which should work in some cases: As long as there isn’t serious damage involved, try pouring boiling water down into your drain opening first—or use soap and hot water instead of plain water.
What are the symptoms of clogs?
There are two main types of clogs you can have in your drains. The first is a complete blockage, where no water at all can get through. If you have one of these, call an expert—you don’t want to attempt any DIY drain cleaning because you could cause structural damage by trying. The second type is called a partial clog, where the water starts draining slower and slower until it stops completely. You should always try to handle partial clogs yourself before they become full-blown problems; here are some things you can do that might help have plenty of hot water on hand to keep your drains clear with plunging action after you’ve added drain cleaner or boiling water (don’t burn yourself!) wait for a few minutes for chemicals to break down greases and solids if plunging doesn’t work, try snaking out the drain by attaching an auger or cable snake directly over top of the drain wait several hours before attempting another clearing method – sometimes buildup just needs time to settle be careful not to cause damage while cleaning out drains – respect your pipes! How else can I keep my drains clean?: If manual techniques didn’t work, there may be other reasons why your drain is slowing down.
Treatments for clogs
When treating clogs, there are basically two ways you can go: take care of them yourself or call a professional. With drain cleaning machines and products, as well as basic plumbing tools, DIY fixes are common and relatively easy. However, if you have an especially tough clog or don’t want to fool around with DIY fixes and snake-like devices that promise easy drain unclogging but typically only provide temporary relief before your pipes back up again—you should definitely get in touch with a plumber who specializes in drain cleaning. Instead of struggling with over-the-counter methods that may actually make things worse—getting in touch with professionals will ensure that you get your drains working correctly once and for all. What to do when you have a clogged drain: You might be tempted to give it a quick fix by pouring boiling water down your drain (don’t do it!). At best, that’ll push material further down into your pipe where it’ll sit until some poor sucker has to deal with removing it. You might also pour Drano into your sink or tub—I’ve seen several commenters suggest it on various internet forums and I wouldn’t try it myself. It’s very dangerous stuff and will potentially cause problems long after they seem gone. Just like using harsh chemicals isn’t recommended when taking care of dryer sheet buildup inside washer machine tubs, chemicals aren’t necessary for most sink blockages either.