A clogged drain can happen at the least convenient time. While you may have your favorite Rancho Cucamonga plumber on speed dial, it might be easier if you can deal with the issue yourself, at least until professional help can arrive. Of course, there will be issues that require professional drain cleaning from a licensed plumber, but it doesn’t hurt to have a few tricks up your sleeve.
Here are a few tips to help deal with clogged drains.
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Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaners
It’s tempting to grab a bottle of chemical drain cleaner from your local store as a solution to a clogged drain. Professional plumbers in Rancho Cucamonga know that chemical drain cleaners are likely to damage your pipes.
Most of these chemical products are more trouble than they are worth. In some cases, the chemicals can be dangerous or cause additional damage. There are some bio-clean products on the market. Most of these cleaners aren’t very effective at clearing out a clog but can help keep pipes clean once the clog is removed.
Bathroom Drains
Probably the number one cause of bathroom clogs come from long hair and toothpaste. If your bathroom sink or tub becomes clogged, fill the basin with hot water before releasing the drain. With luck, the hot water will drain and clean out the clog. If this doesn’t work, it’s going to take a snake to remove the clog.
To help ensure you don’t experience clogs in the bathroom, run hot water after taking a shower or brushing your teeth. The hot water helps dissolve the water-soluble materials in your toothpaste and shampoo. Those who have long hair may benefit from purchasing a drain saver that helps keep hair from going down the drain.
Toilets
The best way to prevent toilet clogs is only to flush things that are supposed to go in there. Toilets aren’t made to handle trash. Toilets should only be used for human waste and toilet paper; everything else has high potential to get stuck in the pipes on the way down. Typically, the first step to unclogging a toilet us to use a plunger.
The next option is to use a snake. If you’ve exhausted these two methods, you’ll definitely want to call a professional Rancho Cucamonga plumber. In the meantime, make sure that hair, nail clippings, dental floss, cotton-tipped swabs, and feminine hygiene products are thrown way in a waste receptacle and not the toilet.
Kitchen Drains
One of the worst things for your pipes is grease. Even if fat goes into your pipe hot and in a liquid state, it eventually cools and solidifies. These clumps of grease are one of the most significant contributors to clogs. Food scraps are also a pretty big culprit, especially foods that expand with water. Make sure you run extra water when using your garbage disposal to ensure everything is washed down.
If you do have a clog in your kitchen drain, your first step is to use hot water and dish soap to loosen and break down the clog. You want to run extremely hot water down the drain as hot water is better at softening clogs.
Grease-dissolving dish soap should help finish the job. If the clog hasn’t come loose, use a kitchen plunger and another round of water and dish soap. In some cases, it might be worth mixing equal parts baking soda and vinegar into the pipes. This mixture serves as a natural way to break down clogs without damage your pipes
Call for Help
Some clogs are going to just stubborn enough that some of these simple tricks won’t do the job. You may also find yourself in a situation where your pipes are clogging almost every day. In these situations, you don’t have to feel hopeless. When it comes time to call for help, make sure you are working with an experienced, licensed, and insured plumber.
You might have a neighbor or a friend of a friend who does small handyman jobs, but this may cause more problems than it produces. If something happens, is this friend or neighbor going to be responsible for the issues? For example, a broken water pipe can not only require costly repairs but can result in water damage around your home. A friend or neighbor may disappear when it comes time to pay for their mistakes.
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