Proving we care with every repair
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A clogged sink drain is a big problem which often leaves us feeling powerless, at home.
While you may want to call the Plumber at once to solve such issue, there are a variety of ways you could try to unclog your sink drain based on your home plumbing. Even so, before jumping into vigorous measures, we recommend trying the gentle remedies to avoid any irreparable damages.
Using boiling water to clean your sink drain does not cost you a penny, and it is the easiest. All you need to do is boil a pot or kettle filled with water on a stove. When, the water reaches the boiling point, pour all the water in the sink. Remember to get rid of the standing water before you do this.
In case the water does not go through the sink, wait for it to cool. Try again after removing it. Repeat the process of boiling water, and pour it. Note that you might have to pour hot water many times to get rid of the sink drain. Boiling water method is useful for different stoppage issues. This method is one of the ten easy ways you can try to unclog the sink drain.
Often, the stoppage in garden disposal causes the sink drain to come to a halt. You should turn on the disposal to find out if that is the problem. If it clears the clog, you are good to go. But, you need to inspect it to see if it is working correctly.
When there is overheating in the disposal, turn around the switch on the side or beneath the sink.
First, remove the standing water at the sink. Pour a half cup of table salt into the drain. Then, dispense the hot, boiling water. Wait for it to sit for some time and use hot water to clear whatever remains of the previous mixture.
Did boiling water not work? Do not worry; you may use baking soda with vinegar. It is an excellent remedy that is available at home.
This method is similar to that of using boiling water with salt. After the removal of standing water, dispense a cup of baking soda down the drain and pour apple cider vinegar or plain vinegar. You will see bubbles for some time, and they will vanish. Later, flush the mixture with just hot, boiling water. And, wait for five to seven minutes. This way, the blockages will disappear. Repeat the process as per requirement.
The salt and baking soda approach are among the ten easy ways you can try to unclog the sink drain. Prepare a mixture of salt (Half-cup) with baking soda (full cup).
Flush it down the sink drain. Make sure to pour hot water to clear the clog. You must repeat the process if it does not work at first try.
Another one of the ten easy ways you can try to unclog the sink drain is using plungers. You should unclog your drain manually with the help of the plunger. Please remember that there is a right plunger for different sink drains. For instance, we cannot unclog the small sink drains in the kitchen with a toilet plunger. A small plunger can only do the work.
There are cup plungers for tiny sink drains.
If the above methods appear futile, use a plunger to unclog your sink drain. Find a plunger in the house. You must seal off the other side of the sink if you have a double sink.
Use a stopper for this. You may use wet cloth too.
First, make a tight seal on the plunger. Apply petroleum jelly to the plunger’s rim to tighten the seal. Pour an adequate amount of water on the side of the sink that you want to plunge. Remember to cover the plunger’s bell while doing the job. Now, put the plunger’s mouth over the sink drain and plunge powerfully.
If you hear the sound of suction that signals the clearing of a clog, you may remove the plunger. At last, dispense hot water down the drain. You should repeat the process as per necessity.
Cleaning the P-Trap is among the ten easy ways you can try to unclog the sink drain. In case the soda and vinegar did not help you in unclogging sink drain, clean the P-Trap. You do not have to call a professional for this job.
Many times, there is some debris or water trapped in the P-Trap of the drain. The P-Trap lies on the curve of the piper underneath the sink. It is pretty easy to clean it. You will find it in a cabinet. Remove the contents in the P-trap and begin your work.
Put a bucket or bowl to collect any debris/ water before you unfasten it. After you clear out the stuck items, use water to clean it. Make the replacement and see if the clog is over.
We call the Plumber’s snake as auger too. It is one of the ten easy ways you can try to unclog the sink drain. They are available at all the hardware stores so you may get one. This handy tool helps to clean the things stuck down the drain system. For this, you need to first disassemble the sink’s drainpipe along with the P-Trap. Carefully separate the two parts.
The P-trap is the curved pipe beneath the kitchen sink. It collects the debris that comes to the pan. After this, you find the stub out piper, empty it, and the work begins. You insert the Plumber’s snake inside the pipe and start the job.
You shall feel a pressure to disband the clog. You could puncture the plumbing pipes, so do it gently.
If there is no plumber’s snake at your home, you should make use of a coat hanger similarly. This tool is among the ten easy ways you can try to unclog the drain. First, straighten up the wire coat hanger. It is shorter than Plumber’s snake, so it might not reach as deeper as the other tool. However, it helps clean some of the clogs.
Put the hanger inside the kitchen drain. Or, use the stub-out pipe to get rid of the clog by pushing or pulling. Do it gently and avoid scratching the sink.
To get rid of odour, use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar regularly. Use equal parts of both items and use them for daily cleaning.
Before you flush it with water, wait for some time. If you do not have baking soda or vinegar at home, you can use lemon juice as a substitute.
Another method that falls in the list of ten easy ways you can try to unclog sink drain is pouring dish detergent through it. The dish detergent helps to lubricate the pipe, and it is excellent at tarnishing the residual items. You may use the plunger to remove what remains later. Or, use rubber gloves and remove the clog with your hands. Check to see if the method worked. Wait for a few minutes and repeat it.
Older homes with older pipes are more susceptible to leakage and clogging. Slime attaches to the frail walls inside, and it remains in the surface.
What you could do is find out which pipes face the most blockages at home. This way, you do not have to get the re-plumb the whole house.
Piping in certain spots will suffice.
You could get an installation system to supervise the flow of water and leakages.
If your drain plumbing does not receive proper ventilation, there will be clogs. When you find that there is slow drain most of the times and waters come up via the plughole, the plumbing vents may have some blockage.
Like they say prevention is better than cure, why not avoid the situation of getting sink drain clog on the first place. Do not overload the garbage disposal in your kitchen.
Put food items gradually, and only a small amount at a time. Make sure they grind well and pass through before making any addition.
Avoid putting coffee residues, fat and oil through the sink drain.
And, flush the items with plenty of water after using it. Maintenance is essential for the health of the sink drain.
You may establish a routine to use a dry/ wet vacuum every week or month. The dry/ wet vacuum cleans dry dirt and liquid waste too. These tools are excellent for throwing out the blockage at the top. Make sure you use the most vigorous suction for this.
Always try these simple methods before calling for a professional. It will save you money and time.
While they let you save your money, DIY methods may not be a hundred per cent effective. It is always great to have a challenging project at home, but we need to make sure that we cause no permanent damage.
If the problem persists even after using all these methods, you must consult a professional.
At iCare plumbing, we offer you prompt hassle-free services at affordable prices. Call us now.