Nothing is more frustrating than a blocked drain or shower at home. So why are the drains blocked and how can they be fixed? Below are 3 main types of drain cleaning and unblocking methods:
Method 1: Manually Unclogging a Drain
1. Take the drain stopper out. With your hand, a wire, or a clothes hanger, you can usually clear clogged drains. You must first find out how to remove the stopper, however. The majority of drains have push-lock or drop stoppers.
Lift a drop stopper up a little bit before releasing it. It needs to have a screw that slightly protrudes. Simply loosen the screw a little before raising the stopper.
Push the push/lock drain stopper down once to simulate stopping the drain before locking it. To unlock it, press it one more. You need to be able to remove the whole stopper after it has been unlocked in order to take it out.
You may just need to raise the strainer at the bottom of the shower. The grating may also need to be unscrewed.
2. Build the tool you need. Even while you can sometimes clear blockages by hand, using a tool will be simpler, more efficient, and less nasty. Either a wire coat hanger or a piece of rigid wire can work as a starting point, although both need some preliminary work.
Straighten it out into a long wire for the coat hanger. With pliers, bend the end of it to form a smaller hook that fits down your drain.
Simply bend the wire’s end into a little hook to grab the hair.
3. Clear the drain of the obstruction. Hook the jammed hair by forcing the bent wire through the obstruction. Use it to remove the obstruction from the drain, then discard the hair. To obtain all the hair, you may need to dive down more than once.
You may need to use a utility knife to chop the hair if it’s very difficult to remove.
Slice through the centre of the hair as you draw it up to avoid having to untangle it.
4.Reinsert the stopper. Check to see whether the shower is draining correctly once again when you are certain all the hair has been removed. Put the stopper back in the drain if it is. The whole push/lock stopper has to be reinstalled with screws, while the central shaft of the drop stopper just requires that. You’ll have to look at several solutions if it’s not draining correctly.
Method 2 Using the help of chemicals
1. Using drain cleaners with chemicals
You may clear obstructions from your drain with the use of products like gel cleansers and other kinds of professional drain cleaners. Although these items are powerful, you do need to use them carefully since if you don’t, they might damage your pipes or otherwise create issues.
Always check the bottle to ensure that the product can be used with the system and pipe types you have. For a septic system, for instance, you may need a particular product. Additionally, be sure to get one that is suitable for showers and baths.
Never combine different drain cleaners. You wouldn’t want to pour another kind of substance on top, for example, if the blockage doesn’t move. This might result in poisonous gases that could harm your health.
2. Comply with the manufacturer’s guidelines. It’s essential to read the directions before using a drain cleaner since they vary somewhat from one another in operation. Because drain cleaners are strong chemicals with the potential to be hazardous, be sure you are strictly according to the directions.
3. Begin with what you need. Often, you use half of the bottle at first to attempt to clear the obstruction before waiting the predetermined amount of time, which is typically 15 minutes. If it isn’t draining at all, use the whole bottle; if it is, use half. Usually, but not usually, you may pour the cleaner through standing water.
4. After that, pour hot water down the drain. You must use hot water to flush the chemicals and the blockage after waiting the necessary amount of time. If it’s draining correctly, keep an eye on it. If not, you may need to give it another go using more of the same drain cleaning. Don’t try a different cleaner, please.
Method 3 Using Common Objects or find a plumber
1. Use a detergent with enzymes. Any liquid dish soap with an enzyme basis, such as Dawn, should be poured down the shower drain at a rate of 1 cup. After letting it rest for at least an hour, run hot water from the faucet to clear the drain.
Be cautious, since this solution may produce a lot of suds.
2. Boiling water is one all-natural way to unclog certain sluggish drains. Let the water drain out of your shower if it is still standing. Some small obstructions may be cleared up by carefully pouring boiled water down the drain. Boiling water may harm PVC pipes if you have standard PVC pipes. However, using boiling water should be okay if you have metal or CPVC pipes (which can withstand greater temperatures).
However, most local rules mandate that you use metal or CVPC rather than PVC.
If you have tried some of the methods above but still have a blocked drain issue, you can find a professional North Shore plumber for blocked drains.
