How To Open A Clogged Sink Drain With A Plunger

December 20th, 2013 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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When your drains either partially or fully clog, your first course of action is to employ your bathroom plunger. You can tackle this chore if a clog isn’t severe, or your local plumber can be scheduled to do it for you.

Your best friend in regards to clogged drains is an old-fashioned bathroom plunger. A bathroom plunger works by using water pressure to dislodge whatever debris is clogging your drains causing a water to back up, unsanitary conditions and general bathroom frustration. To enhance the power of your bathroom plunger, it is helpful to create as tight of a seal as possible between your drain and the plunger itself. Applying a thick coating of petroleum jelly to the bottom lip of your plunger is a great way to accomplish this. Now you can place the plunger over your clogged drain and pour some water around the head of the plunger. This will further seal the plunger for maximum pressure.

Depending on the extent of your clog, you may need to work the plunger in an up and down motion for a several minutes. Modern plumbing is strong enough to withstand the pressure of this method, but with older pipes you may cause damage by plunging too enthusiastically. Contact your local plumber if the clog does not break free after your initial attempts with your bathroom plunger. This quick-fix can become a big mess, not to mention an expensive one, if your efforts contribute to pipe breakage. While a plunger may be the solution for a minor clog, any blockage that can’t be easily cleared is grounds for contacting a licensed professional.

Posted on behalf of Kiddco Plumbing

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Unclogging Your Bathtub Drain

December 18th, 2013 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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What should you do about your clogged bathtub drain? First a word about prevention. It is imperative that you are using a properly fitted drain cover. This will catch hair, dirt and soap residue before it enters your pipes. Ideally, after showering you can simply empty this preliminary safeguard in the garbage on a daily basis and prevent your bathtub from getting clogged in the first place.

When you notice your bathtub is beginning to drain slowly but water is not accumulating more than a couple inches, you can gently use a bathroom plunger to dislodge the clog that is on the verge of fully blocking your pipes. It is important that you do this in the very early stages of the clogging, as a fully blocked pipe can be seriously damaged from the effects of applying this pressure. This is also a good time to make a mixture of ⅓ cup baking soda and ⅓ cup vinegar and let it sit in the drain for 10 minutes to dissolve the clog. Harsh chemicals are generally not recommended by plumbing professionals, because of damage they can cause to pipes.

If your clog has graduated to the extent that you have many inches of standing water after a shower, you may have a serious blockage, and you’ll need to address the mess at the source: pulling the entire clog from the pipes with a snake or a hooked device. These can be purchased at your local hardware store.

If the clog is too far into the piping system to be reached or if you don’t want to take on this project on your own, call your local plumber who can be trusted to clear clogged drains quickly without damaging your drain pipes.

Posted on behalf of Shawn Bynum, Bynum Plumbing

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Making a Plumber’s Emergency Kit

March 13th, 2013 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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From clogged drains to burst water pipes, emergencies tend to strike unexpectedly – that’s what makes them an emergency. Why should plumbing be any different? But knowing what to do when the unexpected happens isn’t always enough. If you’re prepared for plumbing emergencies, then that makes handling them that much easier.

Consider using a bucket to hold your tools – you can find one of various sizes at any home improvement store. That way you’ll have plenty of room for everything you need to carry, and if a leak springs unexpected, you’ll be ready to catch the water and eliminate some of the mess. You can also buy something called a tool caddy, which can be attached to the bucket for extra space to hold things.

Necessary tools that you should have on hand are plungers, several wrenches of various sizes (either fixed or adjustable), a set of pliers, a multi-bit screwdriver, an Allen key set, along with several styles of tape like duct tape and teflon tape. You could also consider some heavy duty paper towels or rags for cleaning up any small messes.

Other tools you might consider are force plungers, which are used to apply extra force or blow compressed air or CO2 down a drain to break up extra tough clogs. These plungers are also best suited to unclog toilets.

Having an emergency kit is an important step to be prepared for plumbing emergencies, but the best tool you can get for your kit is the number for a trusted local plumber or professional plumbing service. They can give you other tips about what to add to your emergency kit, as well as when to contact them when you need some extra help.

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Preventing Drain Clogs

November 6th, 2012 Posted in Clearing Clogged Pipes
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Everyone has most likely at one time or another had to deal with a clogged drain. These messy nuisances can sometimes be an easy fix, but stubborn clogs require professional drain cleaning by a good plumber. The best way to avoid these aggravating and sometimes expensive clogs is to use some prevention measures to keep them from happening in the first place. 

Watch What Goes Down The Drain

The most common reason drains get clogged is from food, grease, hair and other particles that are allowed to go down the drain. Even small particles can get caught within the pipes and start attracting more and more debris until they clog the drain completely.

  • Food. Make sure to scrape as much food off plates as possible into the garbage. When rinsing them, put in the drain strainer to catch any excess food that comes off and empty the strainer into the garbage.
  • Grease. Never dump grease from a pan into the sink. Dispose of as much grease out of a pan as possible first, then, wipe it out with a paper towel. If possible, run the water until hot, put a small amount into the pan to rinse any greasy residue and dump the water outside.
  • Soap and hair. Bathroom drains are often clogged by small pieces of soap and hair that get into the pipes. Throw away soap once the bar gets too small and clean hair from outside of the drain after each bath or shower. 

By just keeping as many of these particles out of your plumbing as possible, you can prevent most drain clogs from ever happening. Make sure everyone in your household is watching what they allow to go down the drain and you wont have to deal with clogs as often.

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