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When drains in the kitchen, bathroom or laundry room
become clogged, it's often with a combination of soap,
hair, lint and grease. In the kitchen, food particles
may combine with hardened grease to form a nearly
impenetrable barrier. Kitchen stop ups are often among
the worst to solve because grease from meats cools
before it gets all the way into the sewer line, trapping
little bits of food, coffee grounds and eggshells along
with it. The deposits can over time form a sort of
concrete that can't be removed with hot water. When
you've tried every possible home maneuver (running hot
water in the drain, removing the trap and cleaning it,
plunging, pouring in vinegar and baking soda, using
Drainbo), it's time to pull out the big guns of plumbing
know how. Take a break from your exertions, secure in
the knowledge that you've done all you can do. Then,
call the drain cleaning specialists and have them snake
the line.
A plumbing snake or auger is a long, flexible metal
tube that's pushed through the drain until it reaches
the clog, and then pushes through whatever is jamming
the pipe. You can buy or rent plumbing augurs for
do-it-yourself unclogging when the pipe close to the
fixture is plugged. Some snakes can be attached to
electric drills to give them more power; others are
manual, with the snake on one end and a handle and crank
on the other. The snake is pushed into the drain from
the sink, tub, toilet or other fixture, until it reaches
the clog. At that point, you can use the crank to
dislodge whatever is jammed into the pipe. The end of
the augur will either push through the obstruction, tear
it up with its twisting action, or become attached to it
so it can be pulled up through the drain.
If the snake gets stuck in a sink drain before
reaching the blockage, you may need to remove the trap
under the sink. When you remove the trap, put a bucket
of water underneath to catch the liquid in the sink and
the length of pipe that makes up the trap. If you've
been using any sort of chemical drain opener, you
shouldn't use a snake, and you shouldn't remove the trap
either, because the acids in the drain openers can give
you serious burns or blind you if they splash onto you.
If you have resorted to the usual course of pouring a
drain cleaner into the sink, tub or toilet, call a
professional and let that person know what you've used
to try to clear the clog so they can wear protective
apparel. (If you have used enzymatic or microbial drain
cleaners like Drainbo, you won't face the same dangers.
Just wash your hands when you're through. Drainbo will
remove most clogs, but there are some things that even
microbes can't handle: rubber duckies, leather shoes and
plastic toys are some of the things that parents find in
the drain when even Drainbo can't eat the clog!)
Once you have removed the trap, you may discover that
the clog is in the bend of that pipe, in which case you
can easily remove it with the snake. If the trap is
clear, you are that much closer to the clog—just insert
the augur into the pipe that runs after the trap and try
again. In bathtubs, you may find that the augur doesn't
want to go through the drain: in that case, you can
remove the overflow cover (be careful not to drop the
screws down the drain!) and push the snake in there
instead.
Large plumbing snakes aren't usually part of the
homeowner's tool kit, since they are expensive and
specialized pieces of equipment. Snakes can be used
inside the house for more localized blocks, or they can
be used outside the home when sewer or drain pipes are
choked with debris. Snakes are often the only way to
clear a drain when the clog has passed far enough down
the line that nothing else can reach it, and they can
even clear serious clogs that occur when your two year
old decides to flush a teddy bear, mom's pantyhose and a
pair of fuzzy slippers down the toilet.
When you're looking for a professional to snake a
line, start with your local phone book. There are
companies that specialize in unclogging stopped up
drains, and that's where you want to start. Plumbers are
much more expensive than companies like Roto-Rooter
because they are trained to do everything from
installing new plumbing to replacing pipes, to doing
technical repair work on leaks. The drain snaking
specialists are often not plumbers—they're people who
have been trained to use the snake—so you will end up
paying a lot less for their services. Hiring a plumber
to snake a line is like hiring a heart specialist to
check your pulse—overkill.
On the other hand, you don't want to hire just anyone
who claims to be a drain specialist: you do need someone
who understands the basics of plumbing, drains and
pipes. Plumbing can be tricky, and old pipes can be
punched through with a toothpick; you need someone who
understands what can go wrong with them. Also, running a
snake requires a certain amount of finesse, as drains
invariably contain turns and angles, weak spots, rises
and falls that determine which way the pipe goes as it
makes its way from your home to the sewer or septic
tank. Get a company that's licensed and has bonded
employees. Go with those who are well-known in the
community. Look up any company you're thinking of hiring
at the Better Business Bureau website to make sure they
don't have any consumer complaints outstanding, and that
any complaints from the past were rectified to the
customers' satisfaction.
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