A blocked drain is one situation that is bound to happen to every household. When this happens, you should take immediate action. There are several products available in your nearby hardware that can unclog drains. Most of these tools are generally easy to use, but could only address simple drainage problems. Another practical option is to call in your local plumber.

Blocked drains are caused by material such as hair, dust, and other particles that accumulate in the area between your drain and the attached pipes. Common household items such as shampoos, conditioners, and soap aggravate the blockage when they collect and build up on the accumulated solid objects. This mass will eventually become denser, thus inhibiting the flow of water through the drain. If you find yourself staring at a sink that is halfway full of water while you are brushing your teeth, or if water pools at your feet while you are in the shower, then you have a serious case of blocked drains.

Before calling a plumber, the first thing you must do is check the drain to see if the source of the block is near enough for you to pull out. Wear a pair of gloves and remove the accumulated dirt that you could get. If you are unable to reach the mass with your hands, use a wire or a bent hanger to help you do the task. If the blockage cannot be extracted even with the wire, a drainpipe plunger can be used to clear clogs that are too deep for you to reach.

The plunger is one of the most common tools that can unblock drains. It is used by moving it up and down repeatedly, making sure its rubber bell-shaped head fully encompasses the drain itself. When you remove the plunger from the drain, the water pooling around should flow freely down the drain if you have successfully unclogged the block.

Another product you could use is a chemical drainpipe cleaner. A chemical cleaner dissolves hair or grease that has accumulated in your pipes. This method should only be done as a last resort, because most of these chemicals are toxic and may result in your skin getting burned or even poisoning. Chemical cleaners are environmental hazards that can also damage your bathroom hardware if used in excess. If the blocked drain appears to be more complex than you can handle, and you would have to turn to a plumber, he will not be pleased to encounter harmful chemicals when he dismantles your drainage pipes.

An option that some plumbers have available for resolving blockages is the plumbing snake which is a flexible wire that is slowly pushed down the drain in an attempt to dislodge the blockage. This tool is available in sizes ranging from a tiny one to huge machine-operated power snakes used by a professional plumber.

Some plumbers even use a kinetic water ram, which is a pump that compresses air in a cylinder. It releases air in a bang and can blow out even distant clogs, provided that the right air pressure is applied. Using too much pressure may result extensive pipe damage or water being blown right into your face.

These methods have been proven to be effective if used properly to dislodge blocked drains. However, no product will be able to solve your drainage problem if the cause of the block is rust or mineral build. If this is the case, then the only possible solution might be replacing the pipes.

Dealing with blocked drains is a messy task. You could try to remedy this yourself by utilising simple tools intended for this purpose. When all else fails, hiring a plumber to do the dirty work would be the best course of action. A good plumber will find exactly where the block is and will resolve your predicament quickly, sparing you the discomfort of having to gamble on methods that you are not very familiar with and the possibility of you making a small task, for a plumber, into a big one.

Author Bio: This article was prepared by Wolfgang Hofbauer on behalf of Arscott Plumbing http://www.ArscottPlumbing.com.au. With the wide area around Melbourne that Arscott Plumbing services you can sleep soundly knowing that an Emergency Plumber is only a call away

Category: Real Estate
Keywords: blocked drains, emergency plumber, arscott plumbing, plumbing, plumber