If the water in the sink no longer runs properly, quick help is needed. You do not need to call a plumber right away. With a few simple steps you can unblock a clogged drain or sink yourself.
At some point it can happen to anyone: The drain at the sink is blocked, nothing flows away anymore. Many then resort to chemical means to rid the siphon of hair and debris. But that does not necessarily have to be the case, especially as the chemistry used pollutes the environment. In extreme cases, this makes it even worse: The heat produced by the chemical helpers can harden the lumps of hair, fat and soap even more.
Unblock a clogged drain: what really helps?
Home remedies advertised on the Internet, such as hot water and vinegar, often fail to produce the desired effect, especially in severe blockage. But if the blockage is not too serious, they are often worth trying to unblock a clogged drain.
Soda vinegar and salt
Basically, you’ll need 1 cup of baking soda, 1 cup of table salt, and one cup of the white vinegar. First, make sure there is no water in the sink. Pour one cup of baking soda followed by one cup of table salt and then pour a cup of white vinegar. Wait for ten minutes and flush it with boiling water. You can also try mixing them together first (they will start to fizz immediately) and pouring them down.
Bent Wire Hanger
Take a regular wire coat hanger and straighten it out as best you can. Then, bend one end over to create a small hook. Push that past the drain cover and start fishing. You should be able to get all sorts of hair and nasty stuff out of the drain. Remember, you always want to be pulling gunk out, not pushing it further. When you’ve got as much out as you can, run the hot water, and it should clear things up nicely.
Caustic Soda (Sodium Hydroxide)
Nasty stuff if you get it on you, and nasty for the environment as well. But it’s easy to find at hardware stores, and certainly burns its way through most blockages. Make sure to use rubber gloves and eye protection. Into a bucket with 3/4 gallon of cold water, add 3 cups of caustic soda. Stir well with an old wooden spoon – never use a metal one. It will begin to fizz and heat up. Pour it into the clogged drain and leave for 20-30 minutes, then flush the drain with boiling water. Repeat if necessary.
Manual unblocking a clogged drain or sink
But if the methods don’t work, the call to the plumber is still not necessary, because in most cases, the clogged drain with a few simple steps again permeable. The most thorough way with the clogged drainpipe: Unscrew the siphon and mechanically clean the pipe. Here we explain how to proceed.
Step by step to manually unblock a blocked drain or sink
Remove dirt from the drain: First, clean the clogged sink drain with an elongated brush as much as possible.
Disassemble the siphon: Below the washbasin is the siphon. First put a bucket under it to catch water. Now use a pipe wrench to screw on the two locking rings. Now you can remove the bent piece of pipe.
Clean the siphon and replace the seals: remove the blockage by hand, optionally you can use rubber gloves. With the brush you clean the inside of the pipe thoroughly. On this occasion, you can also use new seals. These are available at the hardware store. Then screw the pipe tight again. You can also consult the QLD Coastal
Plumbing team for some expert advice.
How to unblock a clogged shower or bathtub
When dealing with the shower or bath, it is more difficult to free the pipe from blockages, since in this case the pipe is poorly accessible. Then the good old rubber plunger helps. For this, plug the overflow airtight with insulating tape or plug it with a cloth. Put some soapy water in the drain, press the suction cup and move the stem of the plunger up and down strongly until the blockage dissolves.
Gerhardt Richter is a writer and a trainer at trade technical colleges, specializing in carpentry, plumbing, mechanics and construction.
