Blocked drain? Fret not! Before resolving to seek help from plumbers, follow these steps to ease your worries. It is inevitable that at certain period of time our drain might be clogged due to various reasons. However, many steps can be taken to prevent and tackle such problems, be it old-fashion or by using latest technology.
Prevention
Prevention is always better than cure. In order to keep a clear drain it is essential to keep the drain opening free from residue. For toilet sink or bathtub, remove hair frequently and clear the drain opening each time after you shower to avoid build-ups. It seems that body wash has become more popular nowadays as compared to soaps in previous days. It is advisable to use body wash as sometimes the soap residue might clogged the drain.
As for the kitchen drain care, avoid discarding food waste into the kitchen sink as this will result the drain to be blocked. It is ideal to have a drain filter in the kitchen because this prevents food waste from going down to the drain and also make cleaning an easy task.
A traditional method that can be used is by using a plunger to remove the blockage. Put a plunger into the drain hole and pump it up and down for a few times and that should solve your problem. However, the down side of this method is it can only remove minor problem. Other alternative has to be considered if this does not work.
One can also use hot water alone to clear a drain, simply by pouring hot water into the sink. The hot water may rinse the clog away. Something that one should bear in mind is that hot boiling water can only be poured into the kitchen sink but not bath tub or toilet sink. The reason behind this is that most toilet uses plastic pipe. By pouring hot water into the sink may soften the joint and caused leakage. However, it is important to check if what sort of materials were your pipe made off. This solution is only recommended for those with metal pipe.
Last Try
The final resort that one can seek is by using chemical to dissolve the residue in the drain. However, this is not advisable because it is harmful not environmental friendly. One of the cheapest and more environmental friendly alternatives that can be used is by using baking soda and hot boiling water to clean the drain. Furthermore, the ingredient is something that can be easily spotted in every household! Baking Soda has multipurpose as to unclogging the blocked drain. It serves as prevention, and also cure to blocked drain. However, it should be handled with due-diligence and instructions behind the package must be followed carefully.
If all the above mentioned method failed, remember to seek a plumber for assistance. Bear in mind that many other factors may cause a drain to be blocked. So, it is advisable to seek a plumber to tackle such problems.
Additional Reading:
http://www.ehow.com/video_383_unclog-toilet.html
Image Credit:
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