Gregory Walker
While sometimes a clogged drain requires a plumber to clear you should always attempt to fix the problem yourself with a plunger. However, if you are using it wrong, you may compact the debris and make the clog harder to remove. If you keep pushing and plunging and are not getting any results at all, read these tips to be sure you are plunging the most effective way.
Pull, Don't Push
The biggest mistake people make when trying to clear a clog in a toilet or bathtub is to push down hard and fast on the plunger. They are trying to push the whole clog through the pipes. In most cases this is not going to work. Before you can push a clog down the drain, you need to loosen it and break it up a bit.
The idea is to use the vacuum to pull more of the clogged debris away so the pushing action can force everything down the drain.
Block Any Open Drains
Sometimes, such as in the case of a two or three-well sink, there are more open drains between the one you are plunging and the clog. This keeps you from forming a vacuum in the pipes. If you notice that water is spraying up out of a second well, the bathtub, or even rushing back into the toilet when you push on the plunger, you need to block it.
In a multi-well sink, simply put the stopper in the other drains and hold it in place as you plunge. If you cannot reach the other drain, have someone else hold the stopper in place. If a toilet is preventing the vacuum, use the plunger on the toilet and put the stopper in the other drain.
If proper plunging of the drain does not work, it is time to consider calling a plumber for drain services. It could be a bigger problem than you think. Trying to fix a big problem on your own may cause damage to the pipes that would require the plumber anyway.
Hi, I'm Caroline. Welding has always been really fascinating to me. One day, when I was at work in my office, we had a leaky pipe in the ceiling. After calling a plumber, he called a welder who came to repair the large, open pipe. As we were all sitting there trying to work, the welder just came in and started repairing the pipe! I had never worked on a construction site before, and I probably never will. But I started thinking about what it would actually be like to work on a construction site, which led to me exploring construction themes and writing this blog!