A clogged sink or toilet doesn’t have to bring your home to a grinding halt. Here are some simple tools to keep on-hand to fix a minor clog.
Toilet Trouble
With more time spent at home recently, your toilets are pulling extra duty (catch that?). There’s no time for a backup (there too?). The good news is oftentimes a clogged toilet is an easy fix with the right tool depending on the reason for the clog.
A plumbing auger or drain snake is an inexpensive tool that can be found at a local hardware store and is often times just what you need to dislodge that clog, snag it and bring it out of the drain. That means you can recover that favorite Lego or action figure. If you can see part of the object, you can also try creating a homemade auger by bending a hanger but be careful not to scratch your bowl with the metal wire.
A toilet plunger and some muscle may be enough to do the trick for a clogged toilet. A good one creates a tight seal around the toilet bowl drain. Remember to turn off the water first then using the plunger and a downward vigorous motion to plunge until the stoppage is released and the waste and water flows down. Flush to be sure it stays that way. Repeat if it does not. Unsure of which plunger is right for you? Check out our Exhaustive Guide to Plungers.
Natural cleaners made with a concentrated mix of bacteria can also break down the waste in your toilet without harming your pipes. Keeping a bottle on the shelf and using it periodically can help avoid a clog and clear a minor one. Be patient, the enzymes need hours to work.
It may be tempting to dump liquid drain cleaners for a quick fix, but chemicals found in those cleaners can actually damage your pipes. Acidic ingredients used in the cleaner to break up the clog you are facing may also eat at your pipes especially if you have an aging plumbing system.
Sunk Sink
Kitchen sinks are in the precarious position of being around a lot of products that have no business being put down the drain.
A blocked garbage disposal is often at the root of the problem when it comes to a clogged kitchen sink. First, check to see if there is an issue with your garbage disposal. A broken or overheated garbage disposal can block up your sink.
A household plunger can also help to dislodge a clog. It’s best to designate one plunger for the kitchen separate from the plungers you use in case of toilet clogs.
Sometimes the clog is in the curve under the sink. You can use a wrench to unfasten the P-trap and a bucket to catch the water and muck that falls out of it.
A clog can form in no-man’s land between the sink basin and the P-trap or farther down the system. This could be a good time to use that plumber’s snake or auger to break up the clog.
Minor clogs in your home are often times a simple DIY fix if you have the right tools. Drains that are repeatedly clogged or slow may be the sign of a bigger problem. Our experts at Len The Plumber are ready to respond to your plumbing issue with skilled same-day service from kitchen sinks to main line sewer stoppages.
Before your minor clog creates a major plumbing issue, call the experts at Len The Plumber at 800-950-4619 today.
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