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There are a few things that you can do before you call a plumber or sink drain specialist. These include trying to unblock the drainage with boiling water and hot water systems, a drain snake, and pipe relining, to mention a few.
If your drain is blocked, it could be difficult to know the best way to clear it. There are many different options for clearing a blocked drain that all have their pros and cons. The most vital thing when dealing with a clogged drain is to avoid damaging the pipes. This will cause further issues when trying to clear the blockage in your pipes.
This section discusses the different methods to clear a blocked drain.
The first step to clearing a blocked drain is to ensure that the water isn’t coming from a pipe under the sink. There are two ways you can do this: try turning off both your hot and cold water at the main valve, or turn on your hot water and then go into another room and turn off the cold water. If there is still a leak, you will need to call a plumber as soon as possible, as it is crucial to seek professional help if the problem persists.
What Causes A Blocked Sink?
There are many items that, when put down your piping, can block sinks and clog drains. The main thing that causes a blocked drain is that you have a clog in your drain. The easiest way is to start by using a plunger to push out as much debris as possible. After dealing with the clog, the pipe will usually drain through the hole without any issues.
The primary cause of a blockage is often a build-up of food. To stop this from happening, make sure that there is always a lid on the food bin when it is left empty.
How To Remove A Stuck Piece Of Plumbing?
The next time you have a clog that you cannot move, make sure you turn off both your hot and cold water at the main valve before starting. Then, if you have the clog pointed toward the main sink, you can either turn the water flow off or remove a pipe next to the drain.
Some of the causes of blocked sink drains are as follows:
- Extreme temperature change
- A high volume of water
- A lack of pressure
- Too much detergent
- Dirty or contaminated foods and liquids
- Rotten food
- Black and green mould
- Paint or other objects left in the drain
How To Clear A Blocked Drain
There are three primary approaches that you can use to remove a blocked drain. They are:
- Cleaning the plumbing, pouring boiling water down the drain
- Pouring baking soda down the drain
- Pulling a drain line out and then using a snake to clean the plumbing
NOTE: It is necessary to make sure that there isn’t a blockage inside the pipe itself.
Methods Of Prevention
The use of an “oil separator” is one of the best methods for removing oil from the pipes leading to your sink. You can also use “Super Scoopers”, a rubber “sucking” device. These products are available at home improvement stores.
If you go this route, check the drain cleaners you use to ensure they are environmentally safe and available only to consumers and/or commercial businesses. You can also check to see if you have a proper gasket to keep your pipes from coming together. Look at the pipes and make sure they are correctly sealed.
If you find that you have a blocked drain, the following methods may be helpful:
- Use a wire brush to loosen the blockage, making a pile of debris. Use your hands to remove any dirt and debris.
- Use a little bit of dish soap to wash out the sink gently.
Ways To Clear A Blocked Drain
A blocked drain can be a very frustrating and annoying situation. It often happens that we try everything to unclog the drain and it remains blocked. This will describe the most common methods for clearing a blocked drain which you can try at home.
- Pour Hot Water Down The Sink
Firstly, you need to turn off both the hot and cold water in your home. If you have an electric water heater, you should turn it off immediately and wait for the water to cool down. If you have gas, you should turn off the gas at the valve connected to your heater and wait a couple of minutes before turning it back on.
First, you should check for signs of a broken pipe. If you can’t see anything, turn the water to the pipe on to make sure the pipe isn’t leaking.
Boil a small amount of water and pour it down the drain. This will soften up food debris or hair that may clog your drain or any material blocking the drain, which can then be flushed away with hot water.
Using a hot water system like Jet’s Power Flush or a hot-water heater can effectively dislodge materials accumulated in your pipes. It will heat the pipe and dissolve any build-up, allowing them to run out of the open faucet or toilet.
Hot water helps to loosen and dissolve the greases and oils that accumulate in pipes, which usually clog them up. So, you can pour some hot water down the sink and wait for a few minutes before trying again to unblock it.
If this is not effective, you should try boiling some hot water first before pouring it down the sink because this might have more effect on loosening up any grease or fats in pipes before they harden again.
- Plunger
This is the most commonly used method to unblock a drain, and it’s also the easiest one. You will need to place the plunger over the drain, push it in and pull it out. The water will go down with it. There are a few issues with this method, though. You can’t use a plunger if there’s no water in the pipes or if there’s a kink where you’re trying to unblock your drain.
- Chemicals
This involves pouring some kind of chemical down the drain then waiting for it to start working. The first is caustic soda or sulphuric acid, depending on the type of drain you have. This must be poured down the pipe and left for a while before being flushed out with boiling water.
It’s also essential to wear protective clothing when using this method because the chemicals can cause burns if they splash onto your skin or eyes. Household products like baking soda and vinegar can help dissolve grease from inside your pipe, which causes blockages.
- Removing Clogs From Your Pipe
Removing clogs from your pipe is done by cutting off the chunk of pipes with the clogged drain, which can be a difficult task. Clogged drains can be time-consuming tasks.
The first thing you will need is a utility knife, a metal utility wrench, and a drain opener (if the sink has a drain opener). You will also need to take out the basin to access the pipe and use either the utility knife or the wrench to cut away the clog.
The main goal is to remove as much of the blockage as possible to install a larger drain auger. The other option for unclogging the drain is for water to trickle into the sink without the main pipe in place. This is where you can get another drain opener. You will need to take out the basin and then use the utility knife or the wrench to cut away the clog.
It is important to note that pipes and drains can be tricky to clear, but that doesn’t mean you should avoid those blocked sinks. When you have a blockage, the first thing you should do is turn off the water supply to the pipe.
Next, try to move the object or material blocking the pipe as far to the side of the drain as possible. You can use a stick, a broom, or a squeegee. Ideally, you want to remove it as far from the drain as possible.
After doing this, turn on your hot water and see if you can clear the blockage. Sometimes you can remove a clog just by running a hot tap over it. After your pipe has drained out, flush your toilet using a plunger. This is important if the pipe is not easily accessible.
- Plumber’s Snake
You can use a plumber’s snake to clear the blockage. If you don’t have a snake, then try using a store-bought snake. Sometimes, a plumber will clean out a blocked drain for you, but this is not a standard service and should only be done if you can’t get it done yourself.
Other options to clear a blockage if the drain is not under the sink may be to clean it out using the dishwasher or a utility sink. When using the dishwasher, be sure to turn it on empty and then drain the sink. Run garbage disposal by filling it with a cup of hot water and a tablespoon of dishwasher soap.
Run it until it stops working.
If you have a lot amount of material gathered in your pipes, like loo paper, build-up from clothes washing detergent, etc., you can use a drain snake for restoring a blocked drain.
- Drain Cleaner
If a blocked drain is coming from your tub, a drain cleaner can help you fix the problem. If the drain is coming from your shower, then you need to remove the shower grate and pour the drain cleaner directly into the drain. If your shower drain is only slightly blocked, you can clear it by letting it run for a few minutes, but it’s better to get it repaired right away.
- Sewer Stripping
Sewer stripping is perhaps the most well-known of the various ways to clean a drain. It also happens to be one of the most popular methods. Here is how it works. You will need to go to a home improvement store and purchase some dry drain stripping.
In a nutshell, the key to clearing a clogged drain is to create a slow-running sink.
A slow-running sink will allow a slow, steady flow of water into the drain, and the blockage will not allow the water to move quickly enough. If a slow sink is not present, simply clear the sink of any debris blocking the pipe and let it run. However, there are different ways to remove waste and prevent blockages in your pipes, depending on several factors.
Conclusion
Check and clean your sink drain periodically and make sure that it is clear of debris and leaks. Try to stop or at least limit any leaks with simple measures such as the ones listed above. The main idea is to keep your pipes from freezing and cracking as the temperatures drop.
If you notice water coming out from your drain, but the sink or anything else is not affected, then it’s possible that the hot water valve in your house isn’t working. The hot water valve is essentially a system for controlling the amount of hot water that can be released from a water heater, and to work, it must be set to a certain point.
The fastest way to check the water valve is to unscrew the valve cap on the hot water heater, remove the water heater’s hose, and pull the valve out of the wall. Then if you have a hot water valve, the water will come out if you turn it on or off. If not, then you will need to call a plumber.
