The 5 Best Tips to Unclog Your Home Pipes!
Something that every household has in common is plumbing and something that every plumbing has in common is clogging. Clogs always happen once in a while and are even normal at certain levels.
As this is normal and easy to happen, it is important to know how to deal with this problem. There are many tips for what to do, but not all of them work or are viable at the moment.
It’s always good to remember that the best tip to keep your home’s plumbing working properly is prevention.
Try to avoid throwing lots of waste through sinks, drains and especially the discharge. Another good prevention tip is to pour a little boiling water into the pipes at least every 15 days to melt accumulated fat. This procedure guarantees more peace of mind and reduces the time between one clogging and another.
There are several ways to unclog your plumbing depending on the problem. Some of them can be easy and uncomplicated while others may need a little ingenuity, but they can still be done in simple ways.
What NOT to do to unclog Pipes:
Before we give you tips to unclog your pipes, let’s start by talking about some things to avoid when trying to solve your sink or toilet clogging problem.
What we must always remember is that pipes and pipes are designed to withstand the action of weather and certain products, but they are not as resistant to human action and can easily break if forced or beaten.
When you encounter a blockage, do not try to stick broomsticks or other hard objects that can crack or break the pipes. A broken pipe requires a lot more work and money to fix than a simple clog.
Avoid throwing chemicals into the pipe, everything that is thrown into the sewer system will end up in the treatment plant and can harm the water quality and cause damage to the environment, not to mention that some chemicals can damage the pipes.
Although it is said to be a very effective and practical tip, also avoid using lye to resolve plumbing blockages.
Caustic soda is a very strong chemical that when not handled correctly can burn your hands and damage your eyes.
Caustic soda can also make the clogging problem worse as the saponification effect can occur further clogging the pipes and collection boxes.
Use baking soda and vinegar:
An excellent way to unclog your plumbing without requiring a lot of physical effort or having to dismantle the pipe or siphon is to use a mixture of baking soda and vinegar.
The mixture of the two elements causes a strong effervescence that is able to detach grease plaques and other debris that may be obstructing the pipe.
To unclog with these products, just put 2 tablespoons of baking soda into the clogged pipe and then pour vinegar. When the mixture starts to boil, cover the pipe with a hot cloth and let it act for 25 minutes. Soon after, pour boiling water to finish the job.
A good tip is to replace the boiling water with hot lemon juice, in addition to enhancing the unclogging effect, the lemon juice also leaves a pleasant smell in the drain.
Boiling water and other ingredients:
Hot water is a great ally not only in preventing clogging, but it is also efficient in unclogging pipes and drains when combined with the correct ingredients.
A good example of how to solve the problem of a clogged pipe with boiling water is to put in two tablespoons of baking powder and pour in the hot water right away, the effervescent effect will unclog the pipe and release the dirt stuck to the walls of the pipe.
Putting detergent into the pipe and then boiling water solves the clogging problem if the sink and siphon are out of water.
In some simpler cases only hot water is able to solve the problem.
A piece of wire can solve many problems.
Many clogs can be caused by the accumulation of objects inside the pipe, this happens mainly with drains that are easily clogged by hairs and other similar objects.
When the clogging is caused by this type of material, try to resolve it with a simple piece of wire.
Wire is an excellent tool to unclog pipes, especially in sewer pipes, whose blockage is almost always due to an object that gets stuck in the pipe, preventing the passage of water. Consult Here for Plumbing Services
The wire, in this case, removes the object and allows water to pass through again. One of the advantages of this method of unclogging is that the wire is flexible, so it is able to travel through the entire pipe, regardless of trajectory.
Make a hook with one end of the wire and stick it in the drain or bathroom sink (places that suffer most from this type of obstruction) and try to pull the object out with light and repeated movements.
It’s a simple and practical solution, but it doesn’t work in any case. You have to be patient if it doesn’t work out the first few times.
Always have a plunger at home:
Unclogs are practical and for the most part are cheap and easy to get. Plumbers are excellent tools for clearing any clogs without causing any damage to the plumbing and adjacent parts, not to mention being environmentally friendly and easy to use.
The plunger consists of a heavy rubber cup that is attached to a handle on the closed side. It is used by placing it over the blocked outlet tube opening and then pushing it up and down quickly over the hole. The suction caused by this action will help move the blockage.
Even so, there are still some things you can do if you don’t have a plunger and are in an emergency situation.
A great way to unclog a toilet or a pipe is to cut a PET bottle in half and place a broom handle in the mouth of the bottle.
In this simple way you build a homemade plunger. Now just put the bottle inside the pipe you want to unclog or into the toilet and “push” the bottle into the pipe. The air pressure made by the bottle through the movement will expel the object causing the clogging.
