Stopped sewers can be flushed away
Stopped sewers can be flushed away
What comes to mind quickly when faced with blocked drains pipes in your bathroom? The simplest one is to use the good old plunger. Using a plunger is very simple if you know how. But the last thing you want to do is be too aggressive and pulse to quickly. To ensure that the plunger works effectively, wholly cover the drain pipe with its bell-shaped head, and gently push it down once, and immediately come up, so that suction is created. In theory the suction created by pulling up quickly will dislodge the material that is clogging your bathtub, toilet or sink. Some washbasins and bathtubs are provided with overspill openings that have to be blocked temporarily with a wet cloth for the plunger to develop effective suction.
Instead of using your plunger you can apply commercial products containing chemicals that can dissolve the blockage, for instance concentrated drains pipes cleaner. The chemicals are normally applied only after an unsuccessful attempt to remove the blockage using a plunger. The chemicals must sit for a while as it eats away at the blockage, then you must run hot water down the drain pipe to flush it out. Use rough clothes that cover your body fully as things could get a bit mucky and some of the strong chemicals may spill on you and burn exposed skin. And since plunging can throw water in any direction you might want to consider eye-wear in order to protect you from any chemicals. Make sure to follow the supplier’s guide so that you won’t come across any problems.
If both the plunger and chemicals fail to alleviate the clogging problem you have, then you can try unscrewing the nuts on the P-trap with pliers or a pipe wrench to gain access to the pipe. This will create quite a mess so be ready with a towel and pail. In order to avoid scratching the chrome surface of your pipes while at the same time getting a tight hold up them, you can cover the metal jaws of your wrench with electrical tape. With the trap opened, insert gloved hands to remove any debris that may be blocking the bends. Unfortunately if you can’t find anything, the problem probably runs a lot deeper and could be anywhere between the trap and the soil stack.
In case of a clogged toilet, you can apply a toilet auger. However a plumbers drainage snake is more suitable for bath tub or kitchen sink drainage. Because of their size and length, drain snakes are well designed for getting at stoppages in small spaces in difficult to reach places. Once you have pushed deep enough, rotate the handle to screw and hook into the blockage and slowly draw it out, this should pull the blockage with it. When you are sure that all the clogging material is cleared, replace the P-trap and test the drainage with hot water. Make certain the whole thing is tightly closed and check for any leakage in the P-trap and ensure that the water flows well.
If all the above enlisted methods fail to unclog your bathroom drainpipe, then you should call a professional waste pipes contractor. It is possible that (due to acts of nature or general wear and tear) clogs in the soil stack or sewer service by vegetation or collapsed pipes will be too big a job and too specialised for the homeowner to do by themselves, you should then call in a company with no call out fee like Dynorod.