The drains we have in our homes can easily get clogged, especially during the autumn when leaves and all sorts of branches can easily get into it. As we all know already, drains have a very important purpose and having one of them clogged can be a serious problem in your house. Thankfully, unclogging one is not such a big deal. In fact, anyone can do it with the right knowledge and some basic tools that can be found in most modern homes in the United States. Interested in learning more? Stick with us until the end of this article. Let’s take a look.
1. Identify the problem
Your drain can be blocked due to various reasons, so the first and most important step you need to do is to identify the source of the problem. This is very important for the second step, which is gathering the right tools for the job. Depending on the situation you’re facing, you’ll have to get different items for the task. Sometimes a regular drain pipe can be more than enough, while other times, you’ll have to use a leaf blower, an air compressor, or something even more heavy-duty.
Identifying the problem can be done in two different ways. You can either visually inspect the drain if you have the option for it, or you can try and think of all the actions you’ve done in the past, eventually guessing the right one that might be the cause of your problem. Then, based on that, you can continue working on the issue.
2. Gather the right tools for the job
Some people have a wide variety of tools in their garage, while others will have to purchase some of them from the nearest hardware store. We’re not sure what your case is, but sometimes you won’t need anything more than a regular pipe. However, we don’t want to promise anything before we actually know what the issue is. Here’s a list of some of the most widely used items when drain unblocking needs to be carried out:
– Rubber gloves for protection and hygiene measures
– A pressure hose that can clean the drain after you’re done unblocking it
– A screwdriver that can fit in blocked areas
– Eye goggles if there’s a potential danger of a pipe burst or anything similar
– A large version of the regular drain rod, or as some like to call it, a drain snake
These things are required to completely unblock a drain, but as we mentioned above, your situation might be a bit different, so we cannot guarantee that these particular tools will help you finish the task successfully.
3. Determine whether it’s worth doing it on your own
If you feel like you don’t know how to complete this task without getting injured or further damaging your drain, it may be a great time to call a professional. You can usually determine this upon starting to work on unblocking the drain and seeing how things will go from there on. Basically, if you are not making any progress after a few hours of work, or you notice that you’re making the situation worse, you probably require an extra helping hand. If you have any previous experience with drain unblocking, you can attempt doing it on your own in order to save some money. But, if budget is not an issue, here’s what we recommend.
4. Consider hiring a professional if it’s difficult
The most interesting fact about hiring drain-unblocking professionals is that people think it’s expensive and a “luxury” to hire a professional for this particular task, but that’s just a myth. Almost every house in the United States has a drain that can easily get blocked throughout the entire year, especially during autumn and winter. So, it’s a totally normal thing to face this issue once or twice in your life, even if you are trying to be as careful as possible with the disposal of materials. Also, every larger city or even the smaller ones have a professional drain unblocking service around every corner, so in case of an emergency, you won’t have to wait until the team arrives on the spot. You can learn more here.
5. Future-proof the drain
Future-proofing is when you modify the drain to prevent the same or other types of problems happening to it in the future. This can include modifying the entire shape of it, adding some extra materials on the inside for a better flow of water, and a lot more. It can sometimes mean completely reconstructing the outside part of it. Basically, anything that will prevent issues in the future that can cause a misbalance in your economy. Fixing these things on the regular will cost a lot of money, which is why performing one permanent quality fix is a lot better instead. Futureproofing will definitely contribute a lot to it.
6. Check for any additional debris inside of the drain
Simply “unclogging” your drain and making it run once more is not a permanent solution to the problem. You need to make sure that no additional debris is found inside so that the same thing doesn’t happen again in the future. Now there are many ways to do this, but we cannot really say which one is the best. You’ll have to improvise and adapt based on your circumstances. Usually, inserting a sticky rod and fiddling it around inside to see if anything attaches to it is a good way to note your progress. If you have clear access to the drain, you can even use a flashlight and look inside it with your own eyes or by using a small camera, but we only suggest this for more serious problems.
7.Consider completely replacing it
Last but not least, if you cannot find a permanent solution when it comes to unblocking your drain, and it’s something that constantly harms your economy, it’s probably the best option to completely replace it. This will cost more money initially, but in the long run, it will be a worthy investment.
