What could be more bothersome than a clogged up sewer!.
What could be more bothersome than a clogged up sewer!.
You might notice the choked drains when you are in shower and suddenly the water level starts rising up. Is there anything as inconvenient and messy as a blocked drainpipe!. You are hurriedly brushing your teeth, and before you can even blink your eyes, the sink is brimming over with water. The prospect of sorting stopped drainage out is not a happy one; it can be messy and time consuming. However, most household bathrooms will experience a choked drain at some time and one time or another. Every householder must know how to fight that monster of a stopped drainpipe.
Why do drains get clogged?.
They get choked when dust, hair and other particles get entrapped between the pipes inside the bathroom drainpipe. Everyday products like soaps, shampoos, detergents and so on add to the problem by building up around the solid material. Finally the accumulation becomes too thick to allow any water to pass through and it is then that the drainage get completely clogged. So, if you are finding the water isn’t flowing freely through your drain pipe resulting in water rising quickly in your bath or sink chances are that you have a blockage in your plumbing system.
How to remove the drain pipe blockage.
Here are a few things that you can do to clean your plugged bathroom drain pipe and get the water running. Whether you are working with a sink or a bath drainpipe, the first step to take is to remove the plug. You can easily remove the plug by pulling it off from the bathroom sink, however if it’s fixed under the sink then you need to unscrew the nuts. In case of bath drain pipe, you can either remove the overflow plate or unscrew the plug.
You may be able to see the blockage clearly after the plug has been taken out. It is very likely to look like a small mass of hair and debris wrapped around the drain’s hardware. Try to get hold of the mass and pull it out. Use a wire from a clothes hangar or some other apparatus if you have difficulties reaching the blockage or grabbing the build up so that you can pull it out. Your drainpipe is likely to get unclogged if you remove the soap scum, hair and other particles from it that you can see.
However, there is a chance that you will not be able to reach the blockage with the wire so you will have to try something else. The most practical way to clean such deep-seated clogs is a drain plunger. Ensure that you have placed a wet rag on the overflow drainpipe – this will produce better suction pressure from the plunger. Then put the plunger over the drain mouth and press it up and down repeatedly. As soon as you release the plunger, the trapped water may drain pipe away immediately.
If the plunger also fails to clean your bathroom drain pipe, then you should take the help of chemical drain pipe cleaner. This method should only be used as a last resort because the chemicals used are dangerous and can be harmful to your bathroom fixtures.
Get skilled help if this is necessary, call in a drains contractor.
After taking all the steps that you can carry out yourself, if the clog still remains, it will be wise to call your neighborhood plumber or drainage services company for some assistance. A professional plumber should quickly solve your problem with his special tools and equipment. It may cost you, but you will find it is worth the money once you can use your sink and shower worry free.