Before the Plumber Arrives, Here’s How to Deal with a Clogged Drain

Clogged drains are just a fact of life. No matter how careful you are about preventing clogging substances from entering the drains of your home, a certain amount of food waste, soap, hair, and other gunk is eventually going to make its way into the drains and cause a clog. But there’s no need to panic. Often, you can deal with a clogged drain before calling the plumber.

Unclogging a Drain

1. One of the easiest remedies is pouring hot water down the drain. Sometimes boiling water will loosen the clog and send it through the drain.
2. If hot water alone isn’t sufficient, try pouring a half cup of baking soda, followed by a cup of vinegar into the drain. Cover the drain with a drain plug and allow it to foam for 10 minutes. Uncover it, then flush the drain with boiling water.
3. A wire hanger can be an effective tool for unclogging drains. Unwind the hanger, leaving the hook on the end to snag the clog. Holding tightly to the hanger, insert it into the drain until you encounter the clog. Push it into the clog several times until you loosen whatever is stuck there, or until you catch the clog and can yank it out.
4. Some homeowners use a plunger to loosen clogs in toilets and sinks. If you have a sink clog, be sure to use a plunger specifically designed for sinks, with a flange that creates a tight seal when you insert it into the drain. Stop up any connected drains. Fill the sink partially with water if there isn’t already water in it and insert the plunger. With short, strong movements, plunge forcefully about 10 times. Break the seal quickly to see if anything comes up. If not, try again, mini plungers with a bellows design are also effective at loosening clogs.

Avoid using chemical drain cleaners, which can harm your pipes.

For more on how to deal with a clogged drain, call Mowery Heating, Cooling and Plumbing. We’ve provided top service to our Brownsburg area customers for more than 40 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in Brownsburg, Indiana and surrounding areas about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). 

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