5 Money-Saving Tips
on Clearing Drain Clogs
- Have you been experiencing drainage problems that seem to have no end? Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but your drainage is becoming a money pit. A clogged drain can be rather annoying and costly if you have to call in a plumber every time. If you want to stop flushing your hard-earned money down the drain, read these money-saving tips that will undeniably prove to be effective, both literally and financially.
- 1. Plunger – Plunger always comes in handy whether you are having trouble in your kitchen drains or the toilet. You will come across different sorts of this, but all of them work the same way. You place the plunger into the toilets and pump it up and down until you can feel that the clog has ejected. You can add petroleum jelly to the suction rim to get a more reliable seal while you are pumping. A plunger is an efficient tool, but it also turns out to have a low success rate as its reliability matters on the size and severity of the clog.
- 2. Boiling water – There is no secret to making boiling water, but if you do not want to wait long, adding salt can help make it boil faster. Make sure that it is boiling out from your pot before you pour it down your drains as this proves to effectively dislodge clogs when the cause is hardened fats, grease and oil elements.
- 3. Baking soda – For just pennies, you can make your drain clog-free with baking soda mixed with either vinegar or salt. Clear any standing water first and pour about 8 ounces of baking soda into the drain, followed by an equal amount of vinegar. If you wish to use baking soda and salt mixture, combine a cup of baking soda, and a half cup of salt poured down the drain. Whatever you feel like using or is available, the mixture effectively works when you let it sit for several hours first or overnight and flush with boiling water, then voila! Easy peasy.
- 4. Auger – Also known as a plumber’s snake is another money-saving tool for fixing clogged drains. Warning first, if you are not a professional DIYer, you might want to leave a plumber’s snakes as your option. While they are great at unclogging drains, when used wrong, it can damage your pipes and create havoc in your plumbing. You insert the auger end of the snake down the drain and start rotating the handle; As the snake spins, the auger moves farther down the drain until you can feel the resistance break.
- 5. Hanger – Another old school method for fixing clogged drains. Simple enough, but surprisingly efficient for weak clogs. It is a good alternative for an auger if you do not have one or if your clog is not that far down. Straighten out a metal type hanger with your hands or plier. Bend over to create a hook on the end until it is sturdy enough for fishing clogs. You would be surprised to get different sorts of nasty stuff with this method.
- These methods are a must-try solution when the clogs are simple enough to clear. But if you have done all of these and after many tries, you seem to have no luck at all, it would be best to contact a plumber right away to inspect your drains for more significant problems. While it is good to keep the plumbers away to cut the repair cost down, hiring an expert in drains, like the blocked drain Sydney professionals no doubt still proves to be the best way to go.
The Key Importance of Hiring Blocked Drain Repair Specialist?
A DIY remedy cannot clear the toughest clogs – Coat hangers, boiling water, and soda mixtures do not always work. The hanger wire may not be long enough to reach the clog that has made its way farther down the drain; This may clear some of the jammed hair but is unlikely to remove all of it. You will find yourself back at square one soon enough. Second, some types of pipes like PVC, are not built to withstand exceedingly hot water. The temperature of more than 140 degrees can damage the PVC pipe and the adhesion at the joints. Third, the mixture of baking soda and vinegar calls for boiling water to work effectively, but is not advisable for PVC piping. It may clear weak clogs, but it is unlikely to knock the stronger ones. At Revolution Pipe Relining, we have specialized tools to remove even the toughest clog.
Chemical drain cleaners do not always work – Many of the chemical drain cleaners are not powerful enough to make the magic happen in your drains, especially on deeper clogs sitting in your pipes. Even when they break through the clogs, they hardly can clear out all the clogs completely. You can use drain cleaning products that contain strong chemicals like hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid, but these may only work against the clog. They are so strong and can damage your pipes, and everything else it comes in contact. Porcelain toilets are especially vulnerable to strong chemicals.
You do not know what is down there – The type of clog determines the kind of tools we should use. DIYers do not have a way to distinguish this and a way to inspect if there are other issues down the line. Every clog is different, and we use specific tools for specific clogs. Other times it is caused by trapped hair, other times, it can be caused by tree roots that have grown inside the pipe or a sizable clog that requires the expertise of trained hands.
What type of clogs can Blocked Drain Sydney professionals repair?
- Blocked toilet drain
- Blocked sewer pipe
- Blocked sewer drain
- Blocked stormwater drains