Alternatives to Drain Cleaners

One of my favorite tools that I use when I am on the job is the plunger. You can get so much use out of a plunger it is ridiculous. I mean most people think of a plunger as a tool that can unclog their toilet, and this is true because it is what it’s used as most commonly. But the reason that I like it is the plunger is a very handy tool when it comes to unclogging anything that is water based and has pipes.

The reason that I am bringing this up, as soon as the average Joe that isn’t very handyman coordinated has a clog in either their bathroom sink or their tub/shower, they immediately run to the local home depot or whatever, and get buy some king of drain cleaner for about 10 bucks. Now drain cleaners do work in some cases but they can be expensive on your pocket, and they also wear down the piping of your drain system, which could eventually lead to a major pipe leak, then you will have to hire someone to tear down walls and repair the broken pipe, again, this will cost you major money out of your pocket.

So before you run to the store and buy the most expensive drain cleaner there is that guarantees it can unclog your plumbing pipes, try a plunger first. The plunger is a tool that creates extremely high water pressure to push blockage through the thin pipes into the main line, which is a lot thicker than the pipes under your sink, once the blockage is in the main piping system the flow of water will wash it away to its next destination, usually the city’s waste reservoir.

When you are plunging a sink or a bathtub, make sure that the water level is at least 6 inches above the water, this will account for maximum pressure that is shot through the pipes to unclog them. If you are trying to plunge a sink or bathtub with no water above the plunger, you are just wasting your time. So give the plunger a shot, fill the sink or tub up with water, give it about 3-10 half plunges to build up pressure within the pipes, then push all the way down with the plunger and lift up quickly, this will cause a huge blast of water pressure screaming through the plumbing pipes and will usually push the blockage further down the piping system into the main, where the blockage can float away by regular water pressure. You may have to do this multiple times, especially if there is a huge build up of hair.

If the plunger doesn’t work the next option would be a hand snake, the kind that I use is 25 feet long and is electric powered, kind of like a drill. This is how to unclog your drain if the plunger isnt working, whether it be a sink or bathtub. The hand snake works wonders, way better than any drain product that is out there, and it won’t damage your plumbing pipes either. As soon as I get a video camera I will be making many tutorials for you guys to actually show you how to fix stuff, the first ones are going to be related to plumbing, on how to use a hand snake, plunger, etc. Now I am not saying that drain cleaners don’t work, because sometimes they do, I have used them many times, but just recently I decided that there is no point, I can unclog any sink or tub with either a plunger or a snake, if the snake or plunger can’t unclog the blockage, I sure as hell know that no drain cleaner will.