How to Unclog Your In-House Plumbing

In addition to our HVAC services here at Maichle’s Heating and Air Conditioning, we are proud to offer innovative plumbing tools and techniques that save our customers in New Castle, DE and the surrounding areas time, trouble and money. With a wide range of services including new plumbing installation and 24/7 plumbing repairs, we have a solution for you regardless of the nature of your problem. That said, there are plenty of things you can do on your own to maintain your in-home plumbing and address common issues without hiring a professional. To help you do so, we’ve put together a comprehensive guide to the most frequently encountered and easily fixable of said issues: how to unclog your in-house plumbing.

What Causes Clogs?

There are several common causes that can lead to the creation of clogs in your in-house plumbing. 

Things like soap scum, dirt and hair can accumulate in your drains over time and eventually cause clogs. This is more common in bathroom sinks and tubs, where these things will make their way into your drains on a daily basis. Accumulation occurs slowly in small increments, making it easy to miss. While problems in and of themselves, dirt, hair and soap scum often combine to cause triple the build-up. The more build-up occurs, the more restricted the diameter of your pipes will become, leading to slow drainage, backups and blockage. 

In your kitchen sink, pouring leftover grease, oil or fat down your drain can lead to blockage, as they will quickly solidify and stick to the inside of your pipes. While this solidification happens quickly, it may take a while before you notice any buildup depending on the amount. Solid food waste can also clog your kitchen sink both instantaneously or over time, though the former is more likely. While your garbage disposal takes care of it for the most part, too much food at the same time can cause it to jam. Additionally, certain foods may get past the garbage disposal only to accumulate further into your pipes. 

With toilets, flushing anything besides human waste and toilet paper can lead to clogs. Regardless, people often flush things they shouldn’t, such as diapers, non-flushable wipes, hygiene products, trash and small solid objects. Additionally, while it’s okay to flush toilet paper, it can still cause clogging if you try to flush too much of it at once. 

The drain hose on your washing machine may also be prone to clogging. Lint, bits of fabric, trash left in pants pockets and even the occasional small item of clothing can make its way into your hose and cause some major issues. 

If your home’s water is hard, mineral buildup may occur over time, which can lead to reduced water flow and back-ups. Offset pipes can also lead to clogging, as well as a myriad of other issues for your home’s plumbing. Both of these issues require slightly more intricate fixes and will likely require a professional. 

What You’ll Need

Plunger

Starting with the basics, a reliable plunger is a necessity for plumbing maintenance. If you’re a homeowner, chances are you already have a plunger. If you bought a plunger that matches the interior of your bathroom but hardly works, you may want to invest in something designed for performance rather than aesthetic.

Cable Auger

A cable auger, also commonly referred to as a plumber’s snake, consists of a long, flexible steel cable wound into a spool and fitted with a hand crank. They can run from 25 ft. up to 100 ft. in length, though the former should suffice for most in-home plumbing purposes. Cable augers are used to dislodge clogs and blockage from deep within your drain pipe.

Closet Auger

Closet augers are similar to cable augers, the only difference being that they are designed specifically for toilets. The cable on a closet auger is not wrapped around a spool but fixed on a rigid shaft, with the auger precisely angled so it can fit through the tight curves of a toilet trap.

Power Auger

If you are dealing with a clog that is too big, too tightly lodged or too far from the fixture it feeds into, you may need to rent yourself an electric power auger. Power augers serve the same purpose as a cable auger, but with far greater capabilities thanks to the power of their electric motors and the added reach of their extra long cables. 

Standard Tool Set

In addition to the plumbing-specific equipment listed above, you’ll also want to have a basic set of standard tools handy. You will more than likely need a screwdriver and/or wrench at some point to loosen a screw or tighten a bolt. 

How To Unclog Your Drains

Remove Trap & Drain Pipe

If your sink is clogged and neither your garbage disposal or a plunger seem to be doing the trick, you’ll want to proceed by removing your sink trap and draining your pipe. Under your sink, use a pipe wrench to unscrew and remove your. If your sink trap is made from PVC pipes, you may be able to unscrew the couplings by hand. Keep a bucket underneath to catch water from your trap and pipes. If your trap is clogged, removing the clog should take care of the problem. If there is nothing clogging the trap, proceed to the next step.

Cut Through the Clog

If removing your sink trap doesn’t fix the problem, your next course of action is to locate, cut through and remove the clog using a cable auger. To access the main line, remove the horizontal trap arm that connects to the wall. Then feed the auger end of your cable into your pipes via the stub-out until you feel resistance. Once you feel resistance, pull out 18 inches of cable and tighten the lock screw, then crank clockwise and simultaneously push in to drive the cable further down the pipe – repeat this step until you get through the blockage. If your cable catches and gets stuck, crank counterclockwise and pull back. Once the clog has been cut, remove the cable and re-attach your sink trap and arm. Finally, run hot water to test the flow of your drain and use a plunger to take care of any loose debris that remains.  

Unclogging Your Tub

Start with Tub Drain

If your bathtub is clogged, start by working on your tub drain. Remove the drain covering and use a bent wire to fish out any built-up hair and soap scum in the pipe entrance. If you have a pop-up stopper, remove it and clean it – this may be all you need to do, so test the drains by running hot water after doing so. If it’s still clogged, cover the drainage holes on your overflow plate with a wet rag and work the tub drain with a plunger. If plunging doesn’t do the trick, proceed by using your cable auger the same way you would for a sink.

Use Overflow Plate to Access Clog

Using a screwdriver or other tools if necessary, remove the overflow plate (typically located just beneath the water spout) and the attached stopper linkage. Using your cable auger, feed approximately 30 inches of cable down your overflow pipe, then turn the hand crank while pushing forward. You will hit resistance once you reach the P-trap beneath your tub, but keep cranking until the cable passes all the way through. Pull the cable auger out and replace the overflow pate, pop-up stopper and drain cover, then test once more to be sure. Run hot water down to test drainage and clear away any loose debris. 

Unclogging Your Tub

Use a Closet Auger

More often than not, toilet clogs will be located in the top of the fixture’s tightly curved trap. As with sinks and tubs, it’s best to start with a plunger and see if you can dislodge the clog that way. If your plunger isn’t quite cutting it, however, you’ll need to get a closet auger. With the bent tip facing upwards, place the auger end of your closet auger into the bowl.

Crank & Repeat

Auger in bowl with the bent tip up, push down on the handle as you crank until you feel the cable make its way up through the trap. Crank until you dispense the cable in its entirety, then reel it back in by pulling up and cranking at the same time. Once you’ve pulled out the auger, flush the toilet to clear the drain pipe. If it’s still not draining right, run the closet auger through two more times, making a point to work it up either side of the trap. This should take care of anything and everything still causing blockage.

Unclogging a Floor Drain

Look for Clean-Out Plug

Used to drain waste water from A/C systems, water heaters and washing machines, floor drains are typically located in basements, laundry rooms and garages. Clogs in floor drains are tougher to reach and hard to dislodge, which is why you’ll need to rent a power auger to get the job done right. Before you start up the auger, remove the drain cover and look for a clean-out plug, which your floor drain may or may not have. If you do have a clean-out plug, you will be able to bypass the drain trap by removing the plug for access. If you don’t have a clean-out plug, you’ll need to maneuver your way through the trap with your auger.  

Put Your Clean-Out Plug Back On!

You MUST put your cleaning plug back on once you’ve finished working on your floor drain. Failure to do so can allow dangerous sewer gases to seep out and into your home, which can quickly become a serious health and safety hazard. 

How To Prevent Future Clogs

Dispose of Grease & Solid Food Elsewhere

One of the biggest things you can do to prevent clogs in your kitchen sink is to be mindful of what goes into it. As much as possible, try to collect and dispose of grease, oil, fat and solid foods elsewhere and avoid dumping everything into your sink for the sake of convenience. In the long run, you’ll save yourself even more time by preventing clogs. 

Use Pop-Up Stoppers

Pop-up stoppers aren’t simply plugs for your sink. They also catch hair, dirt and other potential clogging hazards before they get into your pipes, so we definitely recommend using stoppers in your bathroom sinks and tub drains. Left unattended, stoppers can accumulate enough grime to eventually start causing issues instead of preventing them, so make sure you clean your stoppers on a regular basis to remove build-up and keep them working. 

Use Bacterial Drain Cleaners

Despite the variety, most causes of clogs can be classified as some sort of organic matter. Bacterial drain cleaners use special bacteria designed to eat away at this organic matter and break it down so it can pass. These cleaners won’t interfere with your septic system or damage your pipes, as they are non-corrosive. Simply follow the directions on the bacterial drain cleaner of your choice to use on your home’s plumbing. These cleaners will work best when your pipes are not in use, so try to use them either right before bed or when no one is home.

Flush Your Drains

Low-flow toilets and faucets are designed to conserve water, but the reduced water flow can struggle to properly clear your drains. To account for this, flush your pipes regularly with a large flow of water. For sinks and bathtubs, simply fill them with warm water and allow them to drain. For your toilet, fill a large bucket with around five gallons of water and pour it in while flushing to clear your main drain line.

Don’t Use Your Toilet as a Trash Can

As mentioned, flushing anything besides human waste and tissue paper can and will lead to clogging, so remember that toilets aren’t trash cans and treat them accordingly. That means no diapers, no trash, no hygiene products, no unflushable wipes, etc. If you don’t already, keeping a trash can or small waste basket beside your toilets can help. 

Install a Lint Catcher

The best way to prevent your washing machine drain from getting backed up is to install a lint catcher on the end of your machine’s drain hose. This will prevent clogging hazards like lint and dirt from getting into your drains. Lint catchers are inexpensive and can be purchased at most home and hardware stores. And buy a few backups, as you’ll need to change your lint catcher whenever it’s full.

When to Call a Pro

At the end of the day, there are some issues that will require extensive plumbing repairs from a trained plumber, so don’t blame yourself if nothing seems to be working. If you’ve tried the steps listed above and you’re still having issues, it may be time to call in the pros.  

At Meade HVAC, our certified specialists have been delivering service you can trust since 1984. In addition to the latest and most innovative home plumbing solutions, we also offer 24/7 emergency plumbing repairs and plumbing installation. Regardless of your plumbing needs, visit our plumbing installation & repair page or give us a call at (302) 328-HVAC, and let us help you address your repairs today.