Clogged drains can happen at any time and may stick around. If you’ve been attempting to fix that slow-moving drain for a while now, it’s time to take care of it before it gets any worse, rendering the bathroom or kitchen sink completely unusable.
It might be tempting to try to clear a clogged drain yourself, but if it’s been slowly getting worse over time or if you have no plumbing experience, the job might be better left to the experts. Here are a couple of easy do-it-yourself plumbing tips you can try to clear a clogged drain, as well as some scenarios where you’ll be better served by calling in a plumber.
Zip-It May Help You Get Out of a Hairy Situation
One normal cause of clogged drains, and an easy issue to resolve is hair in the bathroom drains. Often this issue is easily resolved with a handy plastic tool, found at most hardware stores, called a Zip-It. Zip-It may go by another name at your store but look for a long, flat, slender plastic strip with curved teeth. Simply push the Zip-It down into the drain as far as it will go, and then pull it back out. It may remove most of the hair buildup that is clogging your drain.
A Plunger May Unclog Your Drain
If your blockage is further down in the drain where the Zip-It can’t get it, you might try plunging the drain. Run some water in the sink or tub, then put the plunger over the drain. Push the plunger to force the air out and pull it back out again to fill it with water, and then make sure it creates a seal around the drain. Next time you push on the plunger, it’ll push the water down the drain. In order to not bust any pipes or force water through any weak points, start gently at first. You may have to plunge the drain 15 or 20 times before the clog clears and the water starts to drain from the sink or tub.
Call the Pros
While the methods above may clear some of the clogs that most homeowners face, they won’t make a difference with the most stubborn clogs. Avoid pouring caustic products down the drain, as they can damage your pipes. Instead, if your attempts to unclog the drain don’t make a difference, it’s time to call a plumber.
There are many advantages to calling a plumber to clear a clogged drain.
- A plumbing technician can use his training and experience to diagnose the problem. Your plumber has been trained in his field and has the experience to help him make the call. What seems like a simple clogged drain to you may be a more serious mainline problem and identifying the true problem before you spend a lot of time chasing down the wrong drain can save you time and expenses.
- A plumbing technician can get the job done quickly. No time-consuming troubleshooting! The professionals come in, diagnose the problem, and fixed it. An hour or two of inconvenience and you’ll be back to life as normal, instead of spending hours or days trying to fix it yourself.
- A plumbing technician will save you time and money. You won’t have to buy products or rent equipment you may not need while you try to fix your drain problem. Professional drain clearing may seem like it costs a lot, but you’ll quickly pay more in expenses as you try to figure out where the problem is and how to fix it, and in the end, you may have to call in a plumber anyway.
Got a sink or a tub that’s draining slowly? Or does more than one drain seem to be affected? Stop worrying about what it could be! An experienced professional can take that worry off your plate by quickly diagnosing and fixing the problem. Call your neighborhood plumber today! Call Greenwell Plumbing!
