Fixing Drain Clogs

There is nothing more annoying than a clogged drain and sadly the only way to discover that you have a clogged drain is by suffering through the consequences of that problem. Thankfully there are a number of different techniques that you can try to quickly solve your clogging problem without a great deal of effort. Before you grab for your tools and start ripping apart your plumbing you should always try one of the many liquid solutions that are readily available.

Liquid Plumbing

Thanks to modern technology there are now hundreds of different gels, liquids, and powders that all can attack a clogged drain and stand a good chance of being able to fix the problem. Before you attempt one of these methods however you need to carefully read the label on the bottle to make sure the mixture you are using is compatible with your plumbing. Once you have chosen your preferred liquid plumbing you should follow the direction and allow the product to run its course. You should make sure that you never mix different chemical products together and you should also avoid opening the pipes of your plumbing while the chemicals are doing their work.

Manual Drain Cleaning

The first step when you are going to manual clean a clogged drain is to ensure that the water to that pipe has been turned off. Once you have turned off the water you are going to need to remove the trap inside of the pipe. You will need to use a bucket to catch the water that is stuck in the drain and it isn't a bad idea to wear safety glasses when you are performing this step. In order to get the trap free you need to loosen the end nuts that are located on the coupling of the pipe. Once you have removed the nuts you should be able to slide the trap out of the pipe.

Now that you have removed the trap you should thoroughly clean the trap using a stiff brush to remove all the items and particles that are trapped in the wire mesh. Once the trap is completely clean you should inspect the washers on the trap for any visible damage when you are replacing the trap into the pipe. This type of damage can cause leaks which can lead to expensive moisture problems so a quick check never hurts.