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Down The Drain
One common plumbing problem that often occurs at the most
inconvenient of times is a clogged drain. Many home owners are
tempted to reach for a bottle of their favorite drain cleaner - they
are easy to use, supposed to be quick, and you don't have to get
your hands dirty. The problem with quick fixes - as with many things
in life - is that the quick fix may not be the best.
Most drain cleaners these days will not damage your plumbing when
properly used. The key is to make sure that you use them properly.
If your home has a septic system, make sure that any cleaner
specifies it is safe for use in septic systems. Different types of
drain clog removers may target different types of problems and have
different instructions, make sure you follow them to get the maximum
effectiveness.
Sometimes a liquid cleaner will not be enough to take care of the
problem. A number of years ago we received a lesson in what not to
put down your food disposal - cantaloupe rinds. The disposal had no
problem grinding them up, but a few feet down the drain they
re-assembled into am impassable clog.
The first attempts was the faithful old plunger. A plunger works on
the concept of hydraulic pressure (simply put, you cannot compress a
liquid) to move the blockage. The problem with this approach in a
kitchen or bathroom sink is that the drain may not be the only
outlet - there are often multiple drains and/or overflow connections
which make a plunger useless in these cases
The next step was to try and remove the sink trap. Once you get to
this phase, you need to make sure you have a bucket and a few towels
handy. If you had previously attempted to clear the clog using a
chemical drain cleaner you need to be careful here as there may
still be residue in the sink, pipes, or trap. Before removing the
trap, make sure to drain as much of the sink water as you can.
Place the bucket under the trap and loosen the connection to the
portion of the pipe leading down from the sink to the trap. By
opening the down facing segment of the pipe first you should be able
to confine the draining water to the bucket - if you remove the
horizontal portion first you are likely to make quite a mess as the
water drains in that direction. If the remainder of the water drains
from the sink, you know your clog if further down the line. If the
water does not drain, then you need to check the segment between the
trap and the sink for obstruction. Usually a screwdriver or length
of bent clothes hanger is sufficient to check and clear any
blockages found.
Next check to see if there are any obstructions in the removed trap.
Either take it to another sink and see if water flows through it
unobstructed or use a length of clothes hanger to probe for (and
remove) any blockage. If you found something blocking the trap, you
should be all set. Re-install the trap and run the water. If you
found no obstruction, it is time to search further.
So the sink and the trap are clear, what next?
This is where you may need tools that you might not have handy but
it is definitely a job for the correct tool. Don't try to explore
the pipe with anything that might potentially be dropped, break, or
otherwise become lodged in your plumbing - the idea is to correct
the problem, not cause bigger problems. The correct tool for the job
at this time is usually a plumbers auger (also called a snake). This
is a long, flexible, spring like contraption that is "snaked" down
into the pipe. You can purchase a small, basic plumbers snake at any
home superstore or plumbing supply store and they are fairly
inexpensive (another example of a tool that pays for itself the
first time you can use it instead of calling a plumber).
Push the auger into the pipe until you encounter a blockage. If you
are using a manual auger, you may need to twist it (they usually
have set screw and handle to help) to get around turns in the pipe.
Once it reaches the clog, you twist it to "auger into" the blocking
substance. If you have a fibrous clog, you will pull the auger back
along with a portion of the clog - repeating as many times as
necessary to remove it. For softer clogs (like grease) you may just
force the auger through the clog and rely on water pressure later to
help continue to remove the loosened clog.
If you are unsure that you have cleared the clog completely and you
want to check before you re-assemble everything use a hose to run
some water down the pipe. Run the water SLOWLY - you don't want to
find out the hard way that the clog is still there. Keep your bucket
underneath the pipe while testing. If it is cleared, re-assemble
your sink/trap and run your water for a while - make sure that your
drain is working normally - if it is slow, you may still have a
partial blockage.
One other potential solution is the "as seen on TV" water blaster
variety of drain clearers. These gadgets are usually very
inexpensive and typically consist of a small rubber nozzle with a
hose fitting on one end. The concept is simple, you stick the nozzle
into the drain, hook it up to a hose, and turn on the water. The
water pressure first makes the nozzle swell to fill the drain or
pipe opening and seal/hold it in place. Then the nozzle forces water
into the pipe hopefully clearing the block by building up pressure
behind it. If you listen, you will hear the clog clear and water
flow rapidly down the pipes.
A couple problems to be aware of with these systems: If you have PVC
drain fittings (as many sinks do), you better make sure you
connections are good - if there are any minor leaks or loose
fittings you are likely to end up with a sprinkler system under your
sink. From personal experience there is one other problem you may
run into. When you turn off the hose, the pressure that previously
swelled the nozzle to hold it in place is gone - however there is
still water and pressure in both the line and the nozzle. The
results similar to shaking up a soda bottle and removing the cap -
it makes a great funny story to tell you friends in hindsight, but
it's not quite so funny when you are mopping up the kitchen.
Finally, if none of the above have worked, it is time to call in the
professionals.
If you are interested in more, please
check out our
Clearview Service Agreement,
and you won't have to worry about at thing. |
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