Why would you need a plumber? Blocked drains are one of the most common reasons that people call plumbers in Wollongong.
From foreign objects getting flushed down the toilet (thanks Timmy, the two-year-old) to food or grease building up in the kitchen drain, there are many reasons that your drains can get clogged.
The good news is that there are also many ways to get your drains unclogged. Let’s take a closer look!
Boiling Water
The simplest method of unclogging a drain is as easy as boiling water. In fact, that’s all you have to do — boil a pot of water and pour it down the drain. The heat will work to unclog grease or food buildup, but won’t do much good with other types of blockages.
Caution: don’t use this method with PVC pipes because the heat can loosen the joints, try hot tap water instead.
Baking Soda and Vinegar Natural Cleaner
Another easy and inexpensive method is to pour baking soda and vinegar down your drain.
When mixed together, the two create a chemical reaction that fizzes and bubbles and can break up some types of pipe blockages.
Try it a few times as it may take a few fizzes before it finally breaks through. Follow up with hot water to clear out anything left over.
Chemical Cleaner
If the baking soda and vinegar didn’t work, you might have to get a bit more drastic.
Chemical cleaners are tougher on grease, hair, food and other similar types of blockages.
However, they’re also tougher on you and the environment, so avoid using this method as much as possible.
It also won’t remove solid objects, so don’t even bother if you know the blockage is being caused by a toy or household item.
Plunge It!
A good method for solid objects is to try plunging the drain. Cover up any overflow spouts to get a good seal. Then go to town on that drain with your plunger.
The pushing and pulling pressure caused by the plunger can be enough to dislodge objects and get your pipes flowing freely once more.
Call a Plumber
What if you have tried all of the above methods to no avail? Your pipe is still blocked and there doesn’t seem to be a way to get it clear. That’s when you call Curran Plumbing in Wollongong. Our friendly plumbers have the right tools and knowledge to get your drain clear in no time at all!
We’ll generally start with a drain snake, a tool that can delve deep into your pipes and requires specific knowledge to use. If that doesn’t work, we might send a CCTV camera down the drain to get a better idea of what we’re dealing with.
We also might use a hydro-jet, which sends sharp blasts of water into the pipes. The force from these blasts is often enough to break up and clear blockages.
Regardless of the method we use, rest assured that we have the knowledge and tools available to get your drain clear.
