Have you ever found yourself frustrated due to a clogged drain? A clogged bathroom drain is one of the most common plumbing problems that homeowners face. It often happens when you least expect it, and most people are entirely unaware until their bathroom floor is flooded with water. Our home’s plumbing system works best when water flows freely down the drain at all times; a clogged drain disrupts this process.
Clogged drains are certainly no fun. But they are not something you just have to suffer through. The good news is that there are many ways you can unclog a bathroom drain without calling for help! In this article, we will discuss various methods to unclog a bathroom drain that requires little effort on your part. Let me show you how.
1. Slow Draining Drains
Slow draining occurs when a sink, bathroom tub, or toilet does not drain well. Even though the water may ultimately drain away, it frequently takes a long time, leaving you with a sink or bathroom full of dirty water and a line of scum.
A combination of soap scum, sticky hair products, thick shaving foam, and hair that accumulates on the drain walls can cause the drain to become partially clogged, reducing the ability of water to drain away. Unclogging a slow draining drain is not tough, and you can easily get rid of the clog using one or more of the following methods.
1. A Plunger
Using a plunger is an easy way to unclog a bathroom drain. There are three types of plungers: cup plungers, flange plungers, and accordion plungers (see Figure 1). The cup plunger works for showers, tubs, and sinks.
Figure 1
Therefore, for a clogged bathroom drain, remove the drain stopper and fill the area where the drain is located with enough water to cover the plunger’s suction cup, then proceed to make even, up-and-down thrusts over the drain. If the water drains away after you remove the plunger, you have succeeded. Repeat the process if necessary. The abrupt changes in pressure will eventually get the blockage dislodged. Consider using drain cleaners if the plunger method is ineffective in clearing the clogged drain.
2. Boiling Water and Liquid Dish Soap
This option might work if your bathroom drain is clogged with grease. All you need to do is mix boiling water with a couple teaspoons of liquid dish soap and pour it carefully down the drain. This method may remove clogs caused by grease but is not useful if a serious clog has been built up over many years.
A word of caution: Never try this method if you have PVC pipes.
3. Baking Soda and Vinegar
Another natural drain cleaner can be made by mixing ⅓ cup baking soda and ⅓ cup vinegar and pouring it down the drain. Let it sit for an hour, and then flush it with hot water. If the problem has not been solved, you can repeat the process. This method works best for slow draining clogs, so if it does not work, you may have to try a stronger commercial drain cleaner.
4. Commercial Drain Cleaner
There are plenty of commercial drain cleaners that you can use to unclog a slow draining drain. One of them is Earthworm Drain Cleaner. It is a natural cleaner that is helpful for moderate clogs. This drain cleaner is made with natural enzymes rather than harsh chemicals, so it may dissolve mild clogs and break down buildup without damaging your pipes. It works great for breaking down organic things like toothpaste, soap scum, and hair.
Figure 2
To use this product, first shake the product. Then, pour 6-8 ounces down your drain on 3-5 consecutive nights after you are done using the drain for the evening. This will allow Earthworm to work overnight when the drain is not being used.
2. No Draining Drains
In cases where the clog is severe and completely blocks the drain, no water will drain at all. This is a more serious problem that usually happens when construction debris clogs the drain or when you do not pay enough attention to a slow draining drain. The good news is that there are solutions for solving this problem which we will discuss below.
1. Croc Crete Product
If your shower drain is clogged by stuff like concrete, tile grout, or mortar, the previous methods will not work. You might wonder how concrete and mortar clogged your drain? A build-up of these materials forms in your drain when you wash concrete or other building materials from clothes, bodies, and tools in the shower.
Croc Crete is an industrial concrete and mortar remover that you can use to unclog a bathroom drain blocked by building materials.
Figure 3
To use this product, you should first remove water from the drain using a wet vacuum, then do a Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) inspection to find the exact location and size of the clog.
Next, pour CROC CRETE into the drain, ensuring it remains in contact with the blockage for 12–24 hours (see Figure 4).
Figure 4
Following that, use the CCTV inspection to check and inspect the blockage to ensure that all materials have been dissolved. Finally, remove softened sludge from the drain using a wet vacuum or by flushing the drain with high-pressure water, and your drain will be clean (see Figure 5).
Figure 5
2. Speedy Clean Concrete Dissolver
Another product for removing concrete is the Speedy Clean Concrete Dissolver.
Figure 6
To use this product, follow the instructions below:
Pour the product into the clogged drain line and leave it overnight. Next, snake the drain using a plumber’s snake. Then check if the drain has been unclogged by powering water through it or doing a CCTV inspection. Depending on the thickness of the block, you might need to repeat the process one more time. When you are sure that the concrete has dissolved, you need to wash away the softened sludge with high-pressure water. You can use a Sewer Jetter Machine for this job. This machine looks like a pressure washer with a flexible hose and various nozzles. It pumps high-speed and high-pressure water through a hose and jet nozzle to clean the drain. All you need to do is push the hose down the drain line and let the water wash it.
Figure 7
3. Bio-Clean Drain Septic Bacteria
This product is an ideal option for removing tough clogs from a no draining drain. Despite the former products we introduced for no draining drains that were chemical drain cleaners, this one is a natural enzymatic drain cleaner. Grease, hair, soap scum, food particles, paper, and cotton that are clogging your drain pipes will be eliminated by Bio-Clean.
Figure 8
This product is a powder that you should mix with warm water. For a sink, tub, or shower drain, mix one tablespoon of the powder with one pint of water. Then, pour it down the drain. It is better to apply the Bio-Clean at bedtime when you will not use the drain for 6 to 8 hours. You should use Bio-Clean for 5 consecutive days to unclog the drain. In some cases, you should repeat the process for more than 5 days to make sure that the drain is completely unclogged.
4. Gorlitz Self-Feeding Machine
Our last suggestion is to use a Gorlitz Self-Feeding Machine. It is a drain cleaning machine that makes cleaning a clogged drain easier than using a plumber’s snakes.
Figure 9
For this method, you do not need to use any chemicals. When you want to unclog a bathroom drain using this machine, you take the cable rod, insert it into the drain, and turn the machine on. There is a foot pedal that you can use to rotate the cable, allowing it to spin the cable round and round in a circle, going down slowly until it hits the blockage and opens it.
Remember to fill the area over the drain with water before starting the unclogging process. As we know, a clogged drain does not let water pass through, so when the cable rod hits the blockage and opens it up, you will notice the water start to drain. Continue passing the cable down after hitting the blockage to make sure there is not another clog. Then bring the cable out and clean it. We recommend snaking out the drain one more time to ensure it is completely unclogged. Next, you can clean the drain with high-pressure water to check if water passes through the drain easily.
A word of caution: you should always wear protective gloves made specifically for this task whenever you try to snake out anything. Otherwise, you might get injured.
How to Avoid a Bathroom Drain Clog?
After you have unclogged your bathroom drain, you want to keep it from clogging again. All your drains need are some routine maintenance and cleaning.
First, you can cover your drain with a mesh screen; it collects hair, soap scum, and other debris while letting water pass through. It is very helpful if you clean the screen regularly.
Second, you can use bacterial drain cleaners every month. The best way to keep drains clear is to prevent clogs in the drain before they happen.
Last, never flush concrete, grout, mortar mix, or setting compound down the drain. These materials harden in your drain and build a rock-hard clog over time.
Final Thoughts
The drainage system of your bathroom can be clogged with hair, soap scum, and debris. This can totally disrupt your everyday life. But now you know how to take care of this problem. Depending on how severe the blockage is, you can employ one of the methods mentioned above. It is not always a difficult job, but sometimes you need to use a combination of unclogging methods to clear the clog.
As a last point, if you have been living with a clogged drain for a while, unclogging methods have not helped, and the problem seems to be worsening with each passing day, you should consider calling an expert to unclog your drain.
We hope you enjoyed reading this article, and do not forget to share your thoughts with us about Unclog a Bathroom Drain in the comment section!
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