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Thursday, 6 August 2009

Drain Cleaners

By Scott Rodgers

Whether you own your home or are just renting, everyone ends up with a clogged drain on occasion. Calling in a plumber to take care of a job can be costly. There are several tried and true methods you can use before you call in a professional.

You should always have a drain cleaner at home. These are chemical substances which if used regularly will avoid clogging of drains.

Whether it is a completely clogged drain or just a partial clog, your first resort should be a plunger. These are easily found in any hardware store and should be a part of your household tools. A plunger uses suction and pressure to loosen a clog.

Using a plunger is not a rocket science. Position it over the clogged drain. The sink should be filled with some water. Move the plunger up and down several times. When you notice that the water starts flowing easily out of the sink, this indicates that the drain has been cleared.

As mentioned above, having a chemical drain cleaner can be very helpful in such a situation. But be sure that you use these substances very carefully, otherwise they can be very harmful. Do follow all the instructions mentioned on the bottle. Put the cleaner in the drain and leave it over night. Then rinse it. If you still find blockage in the drain, pour good amount amount of very hot water in to it and repeat the process.

If using a plunger or a drain cleaner does not work, check the U-trap. U-trap is a part of the pipe which is located under the sink. There might be a blockage there also. You can unscrew it using a wrench. Clean the inside of the trap using a piece of wire and screw it tightly again.

Another tool that can be used to unclog a drain is an auger. It is also sometimes called a snake. It can be used to unclog drains, toilet etc. It is affordable and is available in any hardware store. These can easily catch the clog blocking the water flow.

If none of the above methods work for you, it's time to call a professional plumber as there might be some complicated issue and is better to leave it for the experts.

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