Advice From Whyalla Plumbers About Your Blocked Drains

Having your own house can be one of the best investments you could ever make. However, certain responsibilities come with it.  For instance, aspects such as repair, upkeep and maintenance of all areas of the house should be a priority. When things are sorted out in the house as soon as possible, you can avoid any foreseeable issues, however, not all owners may manage to do it themselves without any help from a professional.

When something is broken and needs to be repaired, the first option should be to hire an expert in the field to fix it for you. Thus, saving you time and money. In some cases, you could try and do it yourself as a DIY project, to create a temporary fix, until the expert arrives at the site and does a permanent job using a professional expert.

Things such as a blocked drain, are amongst some of the most common issues not only in residential properties but also in commercial ones. Others include electrical problems and possible property damage. The good news is there are ways to fix these issues yourself. However, when you have tried everything and nothing works, seek the help and advice of a professional plumbing service to resolve the situation.

 

Ways You Can Clear a Clogged Drain

A few ways that you can attempt to unblock your drain using existing items around your home include:

Using Baking Soda, Vinegar, & Other Pantry Ingredients

Vinegar and baking soda, have many uses in and around the house. From treating heartburn to using it as a natural laundry detergent and even neutralizing odors from the fridge, click here to find out more personal uses for baking soda and vinegar combinations or on their own. However, one of the most used solutions for these, when the two are mixed, you could use it to unblock a drain in the shower or sinks, as well.

The trick is to pour boiling water down the pipes, and then follow it up with these 2 ingredients in equal amounts. Let this solution sit inside the drain for at least 30 minutes, you will hear it working.

The chemical reaction created with a solution such as this forces a corrosive element to the area and help clear and obstruction caused by hair, food, grease, oils, and small items within the drain, and the boiling water aids in flushing down any loose debris stuck to the insides. Some people say it works, while others are not entirely sure about it, there is only one way to find out. The best thing to do is to try this solution and see how well it does in your situation. However, this may be a temporary solution that you may have to use repeatedly.

You could also use a mixture of salt and baking soda if you do not have vinegar around. This will be the same method, followed up with boiling water again. Salt, lemon and vinegar could also help and same with pure salt and hot water. Salt acts as an anti-bacterial as well, so not only will you be able to unclog it but also clean the pipes.

If, however anything such as kitchen waste like greases, fat and oils gets stuck inside, these ingredients above may not help, in which case calling an expert to open up the sink and removing the pipes to clean them thoroughly, may be your only option. This should be done immediately to avoid any future problems. A point to note is, if you have plastic pipes, never pour boiling water down them as they may melt.

Using a Clothes Hanger, or a Drain Snake

A drain snake, which is also known as an Auger or a Plumber’s snake, is sometimes used to clear blocked drainpipes in the kitchen, bathroom, shower and sinks throughout the home. If you’re not sure what it is or how to use it, this source could give you an idea: https://www.dummies.com/home-garden/plumbing/clogs/how-to-unclog-a-drain-with-a-snake/, they are designed to have a coiled metal wire on them. Once you push it down the drain and pull it back up again it is supposed to pull up and obstructions inside the drainpipe.

Sometimes this auger may break up any debris or materials however there is no guarantee it will work with everything that stuck. Another resort is to use a straightened-out clothes hanger and create a little hook at the end to pull up items such as hair or cloth from inside the pipe. However, keep in mind that when doing this always be careful not to cause any damage by exerting too much force inside the structure.

 

Try Using a Vacuum for Clogged Drains

Sometimes something as unconventional as a wet and dry vacuum could do the trick as well. You can try using the wet function on the vacuum to cup the mouth of the sink or shower and suck out the items causing the blockage, just like you would when using it on your floor corners.

There are many things you can try, including the ones mentioned above, however, if it is a relentless problem, there is only one way to sort it out, and to do it properly so it does not cause you bigger problems later on, and that is to call plumbers services. They always have the best and most efficient tools and technology to solve the issue on-site, there and then and may offer some additional services like checking the entirety of all other piping in the house just to make sure this issue does not extend to other areas of the home.

They also have powerful industry-standard solutions that can clean the inside of your drains, such as powerful chemicals and solvents that eat away at dirt and breakdown any oils and greases, as normal household items that you buy at the grocery stores are not as potent as the ones the plumbers use and can be a temporary fix to the issue.