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How To Clear A Blocked Drain | Chiswick Plumbing
How To Clear A Blocked Drain
Have you ever experienced a clogged drain in your home or place of work? If your answer is yes, then you know how inconvenient and potentially damaging it can be.
When you begin to see the signs of a drain blockage it's important that the problem gets rectified as soon as possible. If left untreated, the blockage can cause damage and flooding to your home or property, in turn, costing so much more than dealing with it then and there.
We have many different types of drains in our homes. PVC pipes & Terracotta pipes are the most common types when it comes to clogged drains but you may also have metal or ceramic pipes running throughout your plumbing system. Blockages can happen in indoor and outdoor drains and there is also no telling what time of the day a blocked drain might happen.
From your kitchen sink, shower drain, bathroom sink, blocked toilet or sewer & stormwater drain, they are all at risk of getting clogged from time to time. For some blockages you may be able to unblock yourself at home using DIY methods, however, for more severe blockages a plumber will need to intervene.
If you are unsure whether you have a clogged drain or not, read on!
How Do I Know If I Have Drain Blockages?
We all know the telling signs of a blocked drain... The most obvious being an overflow of sewer or gutters & stormwater. You may have also picked up on a foul-smelling odour coming from your drainage system.
To make it easier for you to know when to investigate the need to clear a blocked drain, we have put together a list of symptoms for you:
- Foul smell coming from your drainage
- Gurgling sounds coming from the plumbing
- Slow sewer and water flow
- Foreign objects appearing in the toilet
- Wet patches appearing in the yard
What Causes Drains In the Home To Block?
There are many factors and items that can clog drains in the home or workplace. from tipping coffee grounds and food waste down the sink, cooking oil build-up in the drain, wet wipes in the toilet to tree roots growing through cracks... It can all contribute to causing major issues.
Here is a list of our top 10 reasons that our plumbers attend to blocked drains:
- Tree roots growing in the pipework
- Sanitary products being flushed down the toilet
- Grease build up
- Food debris and food scraps being washed down the sink
- Hair & Soap that block sinks and drains
- The age of the drain
- Drains being damaged by building or earth movement
- Solid blockages causing burst pipes
- Other materials such as concrete or building materials found in the drain
- Toys being flushed down the toilet by children
Regardless of what made you notice your blocked drain, you may not need a blocked drain plumber in Sydney. Before you jump on a call with Chiswick for a professional plumber to fix your blocked drain, try a few of the methods below. Not every blocked drain in Sydney needs a plumber's skillset to fix, so give it a try yourself and see if you can become a DIY plumber.
Here Are Our 10 Tips To Clear Blocked Drains - DIY
1. Pouring boiling water down the drain
Some blocked drains can be fixed easily with some boiling hot water. A large number of blocked drains are caused by a buildup of grease, cooking oil, conditioner, or other bathroom products. These products, while common in causing blocked drains, can sometimes be fixed by using boiling hot water to loosen blockages. Due to the low melting point of some substances, the extreme heat from boiling water is effective in breaking down the blockage. Simply boil a kettle and pour the water down the drain opening to release the blockage.
2. Wet and dry vacuum
If you have a wet and dry vacuum, you can use this tool to unblock your drains. The first thing you should do is set your vacuum to the liquid setting and cover up the grid to prevent any potential mess. Following this, you should create as secure and tight a seal as possible across the drain. Make sure the vacuum is on its highest setting to ensure it is powerful enough to dislodge and draw out and remove blockages. While this method doesn't always work, it's worth a try.
3. Baking soda and white vinegar
There are lots of natural cleaners you can use to try unblocking drains. After pouring boiling hot water down a blocked drain hole, it's sometimes a good idea to pour one cup of bicarbonate of soda and a cup of vinegar down the drain or sink after the hot water. The baking soda and vinegar create a fizzy effect that helps add more punch to the hot water and breaks up the blockage. Leave this for around ten minutes and then follow it up with another load of boiling water.
4. Baking soda and salt
In addition to the vinegar and baking soda method, adding salt and soda down a drain can also be a good way to unblock a tricky drain or sink as a natural drain cleaner. Simply add half a cup of baking soda with 1/2 a cup of salt and pour the mixture down the pipe. Let the drain rest for around twenty minutes and then pour boiling hot water down the drain. The mixture and boiling water create a chemical reaction that dissolves and dislodges some troublesome drain blockages.
5 . The reliable toilet plunger
As cartoons have shown over the years, plungers are one of the best things for blocked pipes and are one of the most common methods. A plunger works by creating a seal around the plughole. This tight seal is then followed up with a vacuum effect that is effective in removing blockages.
6. Vinegar, baking soda, gravity, and pressure
A clogged bath drain can be a real pain, but it might be an easy fix. Try mixing up some vinegar and bakingsoda, then pour this mixture down the drain and plug up the hole. After around an hour, fill the bathtub with water and remove the plug. The force of the water rushing down the pipes may be sufficient to dislodge the blockage after the vinegar mixture has weakened it.
7. High-Alkaline cleaners (Caustic Cleaners) Or bacteria based enzyme cleaners
You may be able to find strong, alkaline or caustic cleaners that take powerful action against tricky drain blockages. The high alkaline makeup helps to dissolve fats, oils, and grease. This makes it an ideal solution for tough and resilient blockages. Always make sure you read the instructions on the bottle and ensure the room is well-ventilated before starting.
8. Drain snake - DIY
A plumber's snake doesn't have to be a plumber-exclusive drain tool. You can easily make a DIY drain snake from any piece of thin metal wire, such as a wire hanger. Make sure to leave a U bend at the end of the wire and insert the DIY drain snake into the plughole. This method is great for dislodging hair blockage or soap blockage, so it's perfect for dislodging tricky blockages in showers. If you have a wire hanger then there is no need for hardware stores!
9. Dish detergent
Regarding dish detergent, this trick is perfect for a blocked toilet. Simply pour a 1/4 of a cup of dish detergent into the toilet bowl, while also boiling some water. The detergent helps to break up any tough debris. After pouring the boiling water down, start plunging the toilet.
10. Cleaning the pipe
Cleaning a pipe doesn't have to be a special plumber job. Start by placing an empty bucket underneath the pipe below the sink. This bucket collects any water and sludge that might spill from the pipe. After the bucket is in place, take a wrench and loosen the nuts on the pipe. After releasing the trap, turn it upside down and empty all the contents into the bucket. Check inside for any lingering debris if necessary and then do the same for any pipes holding it. If needed, you can also use a toothbrush or soft wire brush to get the resilient material out of the pipe that may cause a future blockage.
When all else fails, or you aren't confident in trying any DIY methods, our team here at Chiswick Plumbing are on standby to come to the rescue! Don't be afraid to reach out and ask us for help as we deal with blocked pipes on a daily basis. Our team have the latest technology to investigate the blockage, as well as provide a solution.
If there is more damage to a pipe than simply unblocking it, our team may suggest pipe relining as a method of repair, or a pipe replacement. To learn more about pipe relining, click here or call our team on 1300508157.
