A clogged drain is a virtual certainty for any home. You might have excessive hair buildup inside the drain of a bathroom sink – especially if one or more males use it to shave every day or two. A kitchen sink might have greaser buildup or other items that restrict water flow and eventually block it off altogether.

Most people can unclog a drain line with some basic tools and possibly the help of some drain cleaner that is available at your local grocery store. You also can call a professional drain cleaning service that is certain to determine what the problem might be and take care of it. Doing so will cost you significantly more than it would for you to handle the job yourself, but the cost often is worth it if you are dealing with an especially stubborn clog.

Fortunately, there are three general tools that you can use to clear a clogged drain. The most common is a plunger, which has been around for nearly as long as plumbing has existed. You also might try a drain snake, which can be more difficult to use and often requires some practice to get it to work as intended. The third tool is your phone, which you can use to call for help.

Using a Plunger to Clear Drain Clogs

A drain plunger is an absolute necessity for any home or apartment. You should keep one conveniently located next to the toilet to help stubborn flushes finish their work when something is getting in the way. A drain plunger works in two ways. One is to create a suction that pulls the clogged material toward the drain. The other is to create pressure that pushes the clogged material down the drain.

The repeated action of pushing and pulling the clog as you raise and lower the plunger will help to manipulate the blockage and free it. Once it is free, it can continue through the drainage system. Unfortunately, the clog might return if there is more material clinging to the sides of the pipe. Soap residue, cooking grease, and other items commonly create solids that cling to the sides of drain lines and can repeatedly cause the drain to clog.

Using a Drain Snake to Clear Stubborn Clogs

A plunger is terrific for stubborn clogs, but it might not be enough. Especially tough clogs might require the use of a drain snake, which also is called an auger. The drain snake has a coiled and very stiff wire located on the business end that you can use to auger through the clog and remove some or all of it.

A drain snake has a long line that is rolled up inside a drum that holds several feet of cable. You insert the business end of the drain snake into the clogged drain and turn a handle that extends the drain snake down into the drain pipe. Once it contacts the clogged material, you can use the drain snake to punch it loose or bore a hole through the clogged material. Using a combination of a drain snake and a plunger could help to fully clear the clog.

Using the Phone to Call for Help

When all else fails, you should contact a licensed plumbing service to cure your clogging problems. A plumber has the tools and knowledge needed to determine the best way to clear a clogged drain. The plumber might even have to take apart some of the drain lines to clear it or replace it if some sort of damage makes the clog especially bad or causes it to happen over and over again.

Once the plumber has fixed your clogging problem, you should do your best to prevent it from happening again. It is important to know what kinds of items commonly cause clogging problems. Pouring used cooking grease into a kitchen drain is a good example. The grease coagulates, clings to the drain pipe, and causes other materials to collect and restrict the water flow until a drain exists.