07 Apr. 22
Tips to clear your blocked drain
One of the most common reasons to call a plumber is when there is a clog in the drain. For everything from rotten smells to water that won’t go down, blocked sinks are to blame. Because of this, if these problems aren’t taken care of, life can quickly turn into a living hell.
A blocked drain may be easy to fix on your own. With our help, everything will run smoothly in no time.
Signs that your drain is blocked
This could cause damage to your home or make you sick. Blocked drains could also hurt you or your pet. Early signs of a blocked drain:
Foul Smell
This is the first thing you might notice. You might walk into your bathroom and think someone forgot to flush. Other signs of a blocked drain:
Overflowing
You might be used to everything going down your drain. So, it’s very scary to see water come back up. That means that your drain is overflowing, which means there is a blockage in the way of the water.
Gurgling is a sound
As water pools and pushes against the pipe, you will hear gurgling sounds. This is usually a sign that something is wrong.
Slow drain
Water may pool for a long time when you empty your sink or shower. Most of the time, the problem gets worse rather than better on its own, which means that the blockage is getting bigger.
Reasons why your drain is blocked
Even though most people use their drains correctly, it’s very easy to make a mistake. Every now and then, everyday use causes blocked drains, too. common reasons for this are:
Roots of trees
You won’t see tree roots clog your local drains, but they can cause problems with your main sewage system if they get in there. The root grows until it breaks through the pipe and causes a blockage.
Toiletries
Despite the fact that toiletries are important, some can clog up the drains. There are some things that should not be flushed down the toilet, like nappies, baby wipes, and sanitary goods.
Invading things
When you have kids, there’s always a chance they’ll flush something down the toilet that you don’t expect. You can’t get through the U-bend because toys and other things get stuck there.
Oil for cooking
No matter what, don’t put cooking oil in the sink. It’s too thick to move freely. People say that it doesn’t work that way. Instead, it gets stuck together with other debris from food and causes a blockage.
Food waste
Scraps of food aren’t like cooking oil. They don’t belong in your drain. There are a lot of different types of coffee grounds.
Buildup of minerals
When calcium and other minerals build up in your pipes, this causes them to become clogged. This can cause pain. If you have a blockage, this may not be the only thing that causes one. It makes it easier for other types of blockages to form, though.
Soap
Solid soap bars can get stuck in pipes until they break down. Liquid soap, on the other hand, may not cause problems with drains. If you don’t want this to happen, you can cover plug holes with a mesh wire guard.
Hair
Having long hair is both good and bad. During a bath or shower, some of it will fall out. A blocked drain is caused by a lot of things getting mixed together as it moves around.
Debris from nature
Even if you use gutter guards, natural debris can fall into your outdoor drains. This is true even if you don’t. This usually refers to leaves and twigs, but it can also be dirt and grit.
Cat litter
When cat litter is wet, it clumps together and then grows bigger. A blockage is likely to happen if cat litter goes down your drain, so this is why.
How to get a blocked drain out?
What caused your drain to become blocked in the first place will affect how you clear it. There are a lot of home remedies that you can use to help your body. Try them all before you call a plumber.
Boiled water
In order to get rid of blocked drains caused by grease, conditioner, and other types of bathroom products, you can use hot water. They have low melting points, and the extreme heat helps break them down. Boil a kettle of water and pour it down the drain to get rid of the block.
Natural Cleaners
There are natural cleaners you can use to make a fizzing sound that breaks up drain blockages. It might help if you pour hot water down the drain, then add a half cup of bicarbonate soda and a cup of vinegar. Leave it there for ten minutes, then flush it with more hot water to clean it up. A mixture of hot water and natural cleaner can break up clogs in the pipes.
Chemical Cleaners
Some stores sell caustic cleaners that do more to clear blocked drains. It breaks down grease, fat, and oil, which makes it good for hard-to-reach places. Always read the directions on the package and make sure the room is well-ventilated before you start.
Plungers
Plungers are a simple and effective tool that can be used to get rid of small blockages. They make a seal around the plug hole, which causes a vacuum that clears the blockage.
Drain snake: Do-it-yourself
Drain snakes can be made from any thin metal wire, like a coat hanger. You can make one yourself. There is a hook on one end of the snake. You can put it in the plughole. You can try using it to get rid of hair-made obstructions in your area, then. This method is best used in the shower.
CCTV
When snaking doesn’t work, we can use CCTV to figure out where the clog is and how big it is. This usually involves putting in a camera and a tool that looks a lot like a drain snake. We then figure out how bad the clog is and come up with a plan for getting rid of it.
Hydro-Jet
There are pipes that need to be cleaned out. Hydro jets use strong and quick water to get rid of debris and other things. Sometimes we need to follow this method with other drain blockage removal methods, but it’s a good way to get rid of the majority of the blockage quickly.
Excavation
It’s important to excavate when there is a lot of blockage in the drain. The drain needs to be dug up in order to fix or replace some of the pipework. Even though this isn’t always necessary, it can protect the rest of your pipes from a lot of damage.
Pipe Aligning
When your pipes are damaged because of a long-term blockage, pipe relining is a more efficient and effective way to fix them than replacing them all at once. We use flexible tools and resin to repair the pipe after we remove the blockage.
The reason why drains get blocked isn’t always clear. While some of them are obvious, others you may not even think of the first time you look at them. In the event that you see signs like gurgling noises and bad smells, try some of the home remedies that we’ve suggested. Call a plumber when they don’t work.
At Quintessential Plumbing, we’re experts in Sydney who know about blocked drains. We know that having to deal with a clogged drain can be a pain. As a good thing, you don’t have to go through this alone.
