It’s a Saturday morning and you’re just out of the shower when you hear a gurgling from your sink. You check under the sink to find that things have gotten worse, but there’s no clog visible in your drain. What do you do?
Just like any emergency drain service plumber in Toronto service would say, it entirely depends on the severity of the problem. But today Vlad Bartkov, CEO of Mister Plumber, talks about some DIY drain cleaning solutions before you have to call one or more Toronto plumbers to your home for a fix.
Common signs your drains need cleaning:
● Water doesn’t drain: If you hear a gurgling in your sink and notice that the water is pooling at your feet, chances are it’s time to look into Drain Cleaning in Toronto services.
● Bad smells: If it smells like sewage, drain cleaning is probably required. You should also check for excessive dirt or debris near clogged drains before calling drain service in Toronto.
● Drain smells bad after use: Drain odors, while not a major problem, can be a sign that something is wrong—more specifically something is stuck and spoiling.
Just going by these symptoms, Vlad says you can already do many DIY things to fix your drains before calling a plumber In Toronto. You’ll have to check under the sink and see what kind of pipes you have, as drain cleaning Toronto homes will largely depend on that, which can help determine whether or not a plumber is needed to clean them.
But without further ado, here are the best DIY drain cleaning you can do before having to call a plumber.
1) Drain Cleaning With Baking Soda and Vinegar
For minor problems like a slow shower drain, there are several things you can do yourself with products most plumbers In Toronto stations will have. The first one is baking soda and vinegar, which you can use to dissolve hair and soap scum, as well as other debris that may be clogging your drain.
Plumbers In Toronto like Vlad also recommend pouring a mixture of one-part vinegar, two parts water down the drain every couple of months to keep it from clogging up in general.
If this doesn’t work, or if vinegar and water simply aren’t cutting it, go for a drain cleaner from the store. Drain cleaners containing sodium hydroxide are strongest, though be sure to follow all instructions on the bottle very carefully.
Drain cleaners containing potassium hydroxide are also quite efficient, but you should be careful not to mix these with bleach or other products containing the chemical. Drain cleaners containing hydrochloric acid are less strong, though they’re still powerful enough to loosen mold and rust deposits, along with dissolving hair—in case if you have long or curly hair.
There are also Drain Cleaners with enzymes on the market. These drain cleaning chemicals work by breaking down organic matter that causes odors and clogs. Though it’s completely safe for septic tanks, they still should not be mixed with drain cleaners that contain bleach or drain cleaner containing sodium or potassium hydroxide.
2) Improvise Drain Cleaning With Drain Snake
If you have a sink drain clog, using Drain Snake to clear it is one of the easiest drain cleaning In Toronto techniques. For a clogged shower drain, you can use a drain snake to finesse any hair or gunk out and back into the tub where it belongs.
Just about every Drain Plumber in Toronto carries a drain snake, so procure yours and see if you can unclog your drain yourself before calling one or more plumbers In Toronto.
3) Using a Plunger
If you’ve already tried the previous methods and your slow drain is still not draining, it’s time to call plumbers In Toronto because this DIY method won’t work for everyone. But if you’re up to the challenge, there’s nothing like plunging a clogged drain to get it moving again.
To plunge a drain, first remove anything that’s stopping water from going down the drain—this includes any hair or debris stuck around the stopper or inside it. If you use Drain Cleaners to dissolve clogs, make sure they’re out of the way before using a plunger.
Before plunging your drain, Vlad advises running hot water over the plunger for a minute or so to get it warm. You don’t want plunging inside your drain to feel cold. He also recommends putting some petroleum jelly on the rim of the plunger, which helps form a seal with drain walls so that more force can be applied.
4) Using a Drain Rod
Though plumbers in Toronto don’t recommend this unless you’re 100 percent sure your drain is clogged, another DIY drain cleaning method is using a Drain Rod. Sometimes, there are blockages below the floor line that plumber’s rods literally fish out otherwise undetectable.
It’s pretty risky trying on your own as you may easily damage pipes, but if the drain cleaners didn’t work or aren’t strong enough—and plunging failed—you may have to pull it out.
Drain rods—sometimes called plumber’s snakes or plumbers wands—contain a cable with a hook at the end, which goes inside your drain and latches onto whatever is clogging it. These cables can be quite thick and strong—to swiftly hook out whatever may be clogging your drain.
But plumber’s rods are also designed to dislodge whatever is blocking them, which could be very bad if it’s something other than clog after all. Again, if you’re not certain what or who might come up the drain—better to use a plumber’s snake or drain cleaners instead.
Conclusion
As with any plumbers in Toronto emergency, it’s important to be safe when trying these DIY drain cleaning techniques. Be sure you understand how to properly use Drain Cleaners and pay attention to directions on bottles. If your drain is already sluggish or won’t drain at all, call plumbers for plumbing service instead of taking the risk yourself. While most homeowners know plumbers in Toronto exist, not everyone knows plumber’s methods for clearing drains and the safe practices. In which case, you have reliable emergency drain cleaning services like Mister Plumber, at your beck and call.
