Curing a Bathroom or Kitchen clog is one of the messy jobs that you will eventually have to do. Even if you would normally call a plumber or your Apartment Super there are times that fixing things yourself is just easier.
There are a few similarities of all clogs.
The first has to do with the type of pipe or fixture that is clogged.
Every plumbing appliance (Sink, Toilet, Bathtub) that is hooked to a Waste Line has a Trap of some type to restrict the back flow of sewer gases into the home.
If you look on this PTrap you can see that there is a bend in the pipe.
This P shaped bend allows a small amount of water to sit in the pipe that way the gases from your sewer can not exit out of your sink drain.
On Toilets the Trap is built into the base of the bowl. On some Toilets you can see the way the water flows.
For most common clogs the Trap area is the problem. Because water can sit in this area it also means that other materials like grease and soap scum can also build up in that area.
If it is not a problem of slow build up the bend in the pipe may cause instant restriction upon overload of the pipe. This happens with toilets. Too much paper is used or some other item is flushed down the toilet and it gets stuck in the Trap area.
The Second most common problem is buildup over a long period of time with in any location in any pipe in the home. This is often happens when the kitchen sink is used for disposing of fats and oils. A scum will build up on the sides and top of the pipe and reduce the amount of water that can flow through it.
So how do you cure these common problems?
Well many people that are not plumbers will suggest a chemical clog remover. This can work in some instances but often it will only improve the situation and not totally remove the clog.
For Toilet clogs I would never suggest that you resort to a Chemical.
Once you pour the chemical into the toilet you will have a toilet full of caustic water and that means if you try to use a plunger or a Toilet Snake later you will be splashing caustic chemicals all over your bathroom and yourself.
The first solution for a toilet clog is to let the toilet sit for a few minutes.
Often toilet clogs will work their way out from the pressure of the water still in the bowl working against the clog in the trap area.
If you come back in a few minutes and you see the water has gone down then you can slowly depress the toilet flush handel and see if a half a flush will clear the problem.
An even safer way of letting some water into the bowl would be reaching into the tank and lifting up the flapper. If you are brave enough or have gloves this is probably a better way to control exactly how much more water enters the bowl.
If the clog does not work its way out you can repeat the process a few times or you can use a Toilet Plunger.
A Toilet plunger has a special end that will fit into the base of the toilet bowl and allow a good seal. Plungers are made of rubber or a flexible plastic material and the air withing the plunger will be forced through the pipe as you press down on the handle.
This isn’t rocket science but the first few times you do it you may have a problem getting a good seal and water and air will leak out. Remember to re-extend the end of the toilet plunger mouth if it collapses back into the plunger. And press slow but firm. You are not playing in the pool like a little kid and less action means less splash back.
There are also special Sink plungers.
They are used in the same way as a toilet plunger but the mouth of the plunger is flat. This way the plunger lip can rest on the bottom of the sink to get a good seal.
If a plunger won’t do the job for you then you have one more thing you can try that may do the trick before you have to start taking things apart.
Snakes are made of flexible plastic or metal and can be sent into a pipe to loosen a clog.
If you are cleaning a toilet clog you must use a special Toilet snake that has a Guard at the end to prevent damage to the porcelain of the toilet bowl.
If you are cleaning a sink you will have the option to use a small snake that will enter though the pop-up. Unfortunately this usually means you will at least have to reach under the sink and detach the pop-up rod so you can remove the pop-up drain plug and rod.
It is not a big deal but you will want to stick a bucket under the sink to catch any water.
Just send the snake into the clogged pipe and once you hit resistance you have either reached the trap or the clog. Either way you will want to work your way past it. Sometimes twisting the snake cable as you press forward will help
You have to be gentle and firm with the snake especially when you know the end of it has past inside of your wall or floor. If you make a mistake and damage your PTrap you can replace it for only a few dollars but if you break a waste line that you can’t get to easily then you will have to rip the wall up or the ceiling under the floor.
Finally for tough situations you may end up removing your PTrap and cleaning it out and then reassembling it. Things like that often happen when there is grease and soap scum buildup. Just expect it to be a nasty job. You will want a couple buckets and and lots of paper towels or throw away rags.
If the clog is inside the wall you can purchase or rent snakes up to 100 feet at most supply centers.
You can also rent industrial sized pipe cleaners that can extend up to 300 feet or more and run on electric or gasoline motors.
Always be extremely careful when using these large augers because they can tare up a plastic or cast iron pipe that may have some deterioration. Often the price of renting is about the same price as having a professional plumber come out to the house. So for clogs in waste lines that run between your home and the street or out to your septic tank I would suggest you save yourself some hassle and call a professional.
If you do want to try the job yourself then you should make use of the proper head attachment. You will find a general clean out head and one that can cut through small roots in a pipe.
Often either from cracks in the wall of the pipe or at the joints that are lose a pipe can get filled with roots from trees and bushes growing above. If there is a crack in a Waste line you will probably need to repair or replace it. If you are cutting through roots that get into a perforated pipe used for a leach field or for water diversion from gutter down spouts then repairing the pipe is optional.
Waste lines in the ground outside of homes or in the street that have holes can cause thousands of gallons of water to leach into the soil. In some cases you may have seen pipes in city streets causing giant sink holes that eat cars.
Since the average home can use up to 20,000 gallons of water a month it is important that repairs be made when needed.
Again always take care and use the proper tool to do the job.
For the most part you will want to stay away from chemicals
and call a professional if you don’t feel you can do the job yourself.
Note Calling a professional is a good way to learn. When you call out any professional for any repair work watch how they perform the job and ask questions. This way you can do the job yourself next time or you at least have learned a little bit about how your home works.
Please see our other HowTos for specific plumbing repairs and other information.