Advice for Clearing Blocked Drains at Home
When you have blocked drains, the results can be very unpleasant indeed. Slowly draining toilets, for example, can soon become fully blocked if they are not dealt with, which may mean that bad smells or even sewage can flow back into your home. Always call a blocked toilet plumber to deal with such problems before you end up with a potential health hazard in your home if you cannot clear your drains for yourself. Bear in mind that domestic water pipes are only rated for a certain amount of pressure, so using a high-pressure jet to clear blockages is not advisable unless you are a professional. That said, what should you do when your drains are clogged up?
Inspect the Water Flow
The first thing you need to do is figure out where the blockage in your drain is located. You can do this by seeing where water continues to flow and where it does not. Lift your drain inspection pit covers up, and if you can see any water moving through the pipe, then the blockage must be elsewhere. As any blocked drain plumber will be able to tell you, the blockage will be located between two inspection pits where there is standing water. You should be able to rod your drains to clear the blockage from either side of it via these inspection pits.
Rod Your Drains
Whether you have a clogged wastewater pipe or a blocked sewer drain, rodding will help to shift the solid material that is causing the problem. Many people can rod their wastewater pipes without too much of a problem, but a sewer pipe running from your toilet may be better cleared by a professional blocked drain plumber. This is because you can experience noxious gas and fecal matter when dealing with sewage pipes. If you choose to rod your drains rather than hire a blocked drain plumber, you should remember to rotate your rods in a clockwise direction so that they do not unscrew from one another while they are being pushed back and forth in your drainage pipes.
Run Clean Water Through
When you have shifted the blockage in your drains, you should see the foul water beginning to flow once more. However, drainage may be quite slow if the water has become sludgy. It is, therefore, a good idea to turn your taps on a for a few minutes to sluice out the pipes. Many blocked drain plumbers recommend this because it helps to remove anything that may be causing unwanted foul odours to occur.
To learn more, contact a blocked drain plumber.