Toilet, Sink and Tub Clogged Oh My!

At some point in all everyone’s lives they have or will encounter a clogged toilet, sink or tub. If you are one of those people who have never have do deal with a clogged toilet, sink or tub before we can help. There are some basic ways in which to clear up a clogged drain and there are some creative ones that you may have never thought of. Some new homeowners or even renters first instinct when they get a clog is to call the plumber. Why spend hundreds of dollars for them just to come out and do the same thing that you can do for less money or no money at all.

Toilet, Sink and Tub clogs are very common and everyone who rents or owns a home will encounter these problems at least once. How do handle them can be the difference in $10 or $100 dollars. Let’s take a look at how each one of these fixtures can possibly unclogged before you feel the need to call a plumber. Keep in mind that none of these methods require any damage to the fixtures at all.

How To Unclog A Toilet

This is the most dreaded clog of them all and for reasons we are all too aware of. The worst-case scenario is that the toilet has overflowed; the best case is that it has filled up and won’t flush. The first thing you are going to need to do is to clear out any excess toilet paper and waste that has filled the toilet. It would make it easy to unclog the toilet by getting rid of some of the excess water too. Now that you have done that you have an easier work area to work with. The first method you can try is plunging. Buy a strong, heavy-duty plunger from your local home improvement store.

Simply take the plunger and place the mouth over the mouth of the toilet. This should be a secure suction. If you allow air to get in the process will take longer. Once you have the plunger covered over the mouth of the toilet, with a firm grip on the handle start pumping the plunger, try three times and remove the plunger and see if it worked. In most cases the first set is the best set and will unclog the toilet in seconds. Sometimes you will need to do that more than once. If this method doesn’t work you may have to go to plan B.

Plan B includes a wire hanger, unravel the hanger and feed the hanger down into the toilet. If the clog is down further than you thought this will help loosen up the clog. If you have pulled up any toilet paper then you can try the plunger again to loosen up any excess paper. If these methods don’t work then you may need some additional help. It is always best to try what you can before attempting to call a plumber. If you don’t not have any plumbing skills, it would be best that you do not try to remove the toilet from the floor.

How To Unclog A Sink

Unclogging a sink can be just as frustrating as unclogging a toilet. The difference is that there would be a number or things that is clogging up your sink. Whether it is the bathroom sink or the kitchen sink the process of unclogging the sink is the same. The first thing you want to do is to remove any food particles that may be left in the sink. Now, just like the toilet, a bathroom plunger is a great way to unclog your sink. Place the mouth of the plunger over the sink drain and firmly pump 3 times, usually this will do the trick. If it doesn’t them try again, if this still doesn’t work then you may want to use the end of a wooden spoon or a long handled piece of silverware and try to push down anything that could be stuck.

Try this and apply the plunger again. If this still doesn’t work then you may want to try Liquid PLUMR. This stuff works great and if the clog isn’t too severe this method will clear up your clog with an hours time. You may need more than one bottle. Sometimes the problem isn’t food but hair. Hair especially from women with long hair can be the culprit. By using Liquid PLUMR it will cause the hair to loosen and free up the clog. If Liquid Plumber still doesn’t do the trick, try the wire hanger and see if you can pull up any hair or any larger food particles that are stuck in the drain. If these methods do not work then try calling a plumber.

How To Unclog A Tub

Unclogging a bathtub drain can be the most frustrating. The reason being that you know the clog is caused by either soap pieces or hair. In this case you could try to use the plunger. If the clog is not too severe the plunger will work. If not you can try using a wire hanger. The first think you will have to do is remove the drain plate from the tub. If you don’t have a snake then a wire hanger will come in handy. Simply lower the snake or the hanger into the drain, if you are using the snake, follow the direction carefully and lower the snake as far as you can until you hit the clog. Then recoil the snake and see if that did the trick.

Not all homes have snakes, so a wire hanger will do the trick. Unravel the hanger and create your own snake. Lower the hanger into the drain move the hanger in a circular motion so you can start to unravel the hair. Then pull up, if you are making some headway keep trying and add some liquid plumber to the drain. If nothing else seems to work then chances are you are going to need some professional help, calling a licensed plumber might be the best idea.