How to Unclog Almost Anything…Without A Plumber!
Now the good news is that you don’t need to call a plumber when the clog happens. Once in a great while, you’ll get a blockage that you can’t clear out, but usually that’s when you’ve got a collapsed pipe or a decade’s worth of corrosion that, once shifted, springs a leak. But up to that level, you can clear almost any clog. And you don’t need to reach for the acids in the liquid plumbing materials either. All you need is a few simple tools, available at any hardware store.
Tools To Have
The most basic tool is the one you never think of: the plunger. Get a good sturdy one of rubber, not plastic. The plastic ones can degrade quickly and also run the risk of creating too much suction for the pipes, causing collapse. The plunger can clear most simple clogs and rarely runs more than $10.
Clogs located a bit further along the drain pipe require a cable auger, also known as a plumber’s snake. The snake is a flexible steel cable wound around (and through) a hand crank. They range in length from about ten feet to over 100 feet, but unless your house is unusually spacious, an auger of 25-30 feet should be sufficient; it should run about $15-$25. Another type of auger, known as a closet auger, is specifically made to fit into and remove clogs from toilets. The closet auger is shorter (6-10 feet), and about three feet is encased in a rigid, curved shaft. The shaft allows the auger to be directed into the trap of the toilet. You’ll need one of these too, and it will run about the same as the standard auger.
In the event that the clog you’re going after is either really nasty, or really far from the fixtures, check with your local DIY/rental store for an electric power auger. This machine is essentially an extra-long cable auger powered by a motor, but it mounts blades that can slice through any clog, even tree roots. It’ll run you $15 to $30 a day, and if you’ve never used one, be sure the rental agent shows you how to safely dispense and retrieve the cable.
At times you might need a pipe wrench (a large pairs of angle-nosed pliers), a bucket and occasionally a screwdriver. But armed with these tools, you are ready to face the clog…
Unclogging A Sink
Most sink clogs are in the trap, or just past it. A plunger does well for some of these; seal the plunger over the drain and vigorously work the plunger up and down several times before pulling it off the drain opening quickly. If the sink has an overflow hole (most bathroom sinks do), plug it with a wet rag; ditto if it’s a double-bowl kitchen sink.
If this fails, position a bucket under the trap and remove the pressure fitting from the point where the P-trap fits into the sink’s drain spout. You may find the problem right there; hair and gunk tends to build up in the P-trap and is the source of a lot of sink clogs. If that’s the issue, scrape/pull as much of the clog out as you can, then rinse the trap thoroughly and reassemble it. Test for drain effectiveness for at least three minutes.
If that’s not it, or there’s another clog down the way, removing the trap gives you access to the wall drain. Use your cable auger here. Feed the end of the auger into the wall “stub out” until you hit the clog. Pull an extra 15-18 inches of cable off the crank of the cable auger and tighten the locking screw. Crank the handle in a clockwise direction and push forward to drive the spiral tip through the clog and deeper into the drain. Repeat the steps until you either bog down or you make it all the way through the clog. Then, pull the cable auger back out of the wall; it should bring the majority of the clog with it.
Reassemble the trap and test the drain with hot water. If it doesn’t work right away, don’t panic; it’s pretty common for big clogs to have a lot of junk that builds up around the edges. When you pull the main clog, the buildup collapses, causing a smaller and more manageable clog. Partially fill the sink with hot water, plug the holes as needed, and use the plunger to clear out the debris. Repeat process until the drain is clear.
Unclogging The Tub
The bathtub clogs up with hair, mostly, and usually isn’t an instantaneous thing. Draining becomes slower over time before finally stopping, and snaking a tub drain doesn’t have to wait until the water’s not moving. Step one is to remove the screen or the pop-up drain cover from the drain; a screwdriver may be needed for the screen while the pop-up can simply be pulled out. Clear and clean away all the hair and scum from the immediate area under the screen/cover, then use either a bent wire or a coat hanger to rootle around for stuff that’s out of easy finger reach. Most hardware stores sell a little plastic device called a “tub zipper” that can also help here. It’s not necessary, but it is useful; it’ll run about three to five dollars.
If that’s not enough, remove the overflow cover from the tub wall (the stopper linkage will come out too if you have a pop-up drain cover) and plug the hole with a wet rag. Use the plunger on the drain as though you were plunging a sink (see above). If that isn’t enough, remove the rag and feed about 30 inches of cable snake down the overflow pipe. Once you hit bottom, turn the crank clockwise and continue to feed the snake until you have managed to put in 45-55 inches; this will ensure that you have passed all the way through the tub’s P-trap. Retrieve the snake and test for drain function with several gallons of hot water. Reassemble the overflow cover, drain cover and/or screen once the problem is resolved.
Unclogging The Toilet
The toilet is the most common point for a clog, and one of the easiest to fix. Toilets generally have a straight drop into the main drain lines once the waste leaves the toilet trap; it’s the trap that generally gets clogged. Most of the time, a closet auger will be needed; plungers simply don’t have quite the force needed.
Pull the spiral end of the auger snug against the shaft and insert it into the trap. Angle it upwards, and then crank clockwise and feed the snake through and into the trap until the snake is fully dispensed. Pull it out and repeat the procedure, crank counterclockwise this time. This will send the snake up the left side of the trap. Remove the snake and flush the toilet. If the drain is slow, resnake the trap twice (once right, once left) and then use a plunger to ensure that water is forced through the trap. This should clear everything.
Unclogging The Floor Drain
If you don’t have one of these, you’ll never know the irritation they can bring. Floor drains are common in basements, garages and laundry rooms; they’re designed to carry away water and other liquids from things like water heaters, air conditioners, and the occasional snow-covered vehicle. But over time, they build up soap scum, bacteria, hair, dirt and junk that coalesces into a clog of epic proportions. To take one of these on, you’ll need to bring the big guns: an electric power auger.
If there is a drain clean out plug in the side of the drain, unscrew it and feed the cable auger into the hole (this bypasses the trap). Otherwise, feed it through the trap. To use the electric power auger, set it up, plug it in, and feed several feet of cable into the drain. Switch the machine to spin clockwise and feed the cable in until the motor starts to bog down or the cable stops feeding. Stop the feed and the motor, switch to counterclockwise rotation and back out several inches. Reverse the motor to clockwise, and ram back into the clog. Continue with this back and forth procedure until the clog is cleared. Then remove the auger and test the drain with several gallons of hot water. Repeat until clear.
Once clear, replace the drain clean-out plug to prevent dangerous sewer gases from backing up in the house.
