Quick & easy non-chemical fix for an extremely slow-draining bathroom sink?
Bathroom sink drains are notorious for being slow running simply because of what gets put down the drain. If your drain is slow running it's probably clogged with hair. You have 2 non-chemical options: 1) with the sink bowl completely dry, take a piece of duct tape and completely cover the overflow drain holes that are near the top of the basin. Next run a fair amount of water into the sink and plunge it vigorously, you should see the gunk that's causing the problem being churned up from the drain. After you do that, run hot water down the drain for a couple minutes, that should do the trick. If it doesn't ... 2) Get a bucket and a rag, and if you have some rubber gloves (helpful items) get down on the floor and remove the P-trap from the sink. The nuts that hold it together are usually only hand tight, but snug. Keep the bucket handy because the trap is going to be filled with probably foul-smelling goo. Empty the trap into the bucket, then take it to another sink and run hot water through it. You may have to stick your fingers in it to dislodge a serious clog--this is where the rubber gloves come in real handy! After the trap seems clean dry it off and reassemble it in the bathroom. That should take care of the problem. Just a quick word of caution: Don't smoke while you do this. There is a chance that there might be highly flammable sewer gas present in the pipe that leads to the sewer, or septic tank, whichever you have. Better safe than sorry. Good luck! Mike
I would consider it to be very dangerous, which is why I never use it. The biggest danger is getting even a drop of a strong solution in your eye. Always wear eye protection. Use rubber gloves too because it is corrosive to skin. A lab coat or some other protection for you clothes is not a bad idea. If you get any in your eye, immediately flush your eye for 15 minutes with water and then get medical help.When I say I never use it, I mean I don’t use it under conditions that I can’t easily control—such as pouring it down a sink with no guarantee that it will clear the blockage. Now what do you do?You can try using a router. Gently try to release the block that way, being very careful not to create any splash.If that doesn’t work, the only option I see is to remove the trap, which is messy and creates a lot of splash. I don’t think it’s worth the risk of doing it yourself. I would call a plumber.
Sodium hydroxide, also known as lye and caustic soda, is an inorganic compound with formula NaOH. It is a white solid ionic compound consisting of sodium cations Na and hydroxide anions OH−Sodium hydroxide is a highly caustic base and alkali, that decomposes proteins at ordinary ambient temperatures and may cause severe chemical burns. It is highly soluble in water and readily absorbs moisture and carbon dioxide from the air. It forms a series of hydrates NaOH·nH2O.Thanks for reading…
How do I Clean out drain?
Is your drain sluggish or backed up? It's a good idea to clean your drainage pipes to keep them free of odors and clogs. Here are a few simple steps to keep your drains odor free and draining properly. •1 Every few days run very hot tap water through the drain. This is one way to keep a drain free of odors. Treat any partially clogged drains promptly. •2 Put a tablespoon of baking soda into the kitchen drain about once a week, then slowly pour in 1/4 cup of vinegar or lemon juice and let it stand for 30 minutes. Next run run hot water through the drain to eliminate minor buildups and odors. •3 Pouring a strong salt water (brine) solution down the kitchen sink drain will eliminate odors and keep grease from building up. •4 Consider buying a drain cleaner solution if you have drains you can't clear out naturally. Be sure to read the label regarding the product suitability safety for your drain pipes.(Some chemical drain cleaners will harm plastic drain pipes). Make sure the solution is safe for plastic pipes or a garbage disposal. Be sure to follow the drain cleaner instructions. •5 Alternatively, consider a natural drain cleaner even for blockages. Remove any standing water then pour 1/2 c. baking soda into your drain. Follow this with 1/2 c. white vinegar. The baking soda is basic and the vinegar is acidic, so they will react with a churning action should break up the blockage without using any chemicals. •6 Call a licensed plumber for anything beyond regular drain cleaning and simple unclogging of drains.
Blocked Kitchen Sink..........?!?!?!?!?
Without a plunger or and "Drano" or "Liquid Plumber" you could try vinegar, but I have never found it to work too well. Next try to straighten out a wire coat hanger and use that as a "snake". You try to push it down the drain and wiggle it around. The only other solution left to you might be a bit messy and you may think too difficult, but if you can give it a try. 9 time out of 10 the blockage is in the trap. Below the sink you have a trap this is the part of the pipe that is curved like a "C" on its back. You will need a large pan or three ready to place under the trap as the sink will dump into them when you take the trap off. The trap comes off by loosening the nuts on either side of it. This can be done with a pair of chanel locks (large pliers). If the sink is still not dumping into your buckets then use a snake (even a long knife) and poke it up from the bottom.
From a first aid perspective: water, lots of water. Wash that crap off and get the patient to a hospital.From a COSHH perspective, which encompasses hazard-specific antidotes, a squeezy bottle of vinegar is very useful as it rapidly neutralises any remaining alkali.Then get your patient to a hospital.Vinegar is good because it is non-toxic, not harmful and does not produce a harmful product when it reacts with caustic soda.Your best bet with caustic soda, which is evil stuff, is to avoid getting burned in the first place. First aid is your last line of defence and if your control measures are in place, you shouldn't need to muck about hosing corrosive liquids off anyone.Edited for anyone else thinking of telling me about the enormous amount of heat generated by vinegar reacting with sodium hydroxide: don’t waste your time. Here’s why. Vinegar is 95% water anyway. Almost all the heat generated as a result of pouring vinegar onto solid sodium hydroxide is going to be as a result of it dissolving, which will happen with water in any case. If you’ve ever made up a sodium hydroxide solution you’ll have seen this first hand.So assuming that most of the solution or granules have been washed off anyway, as it should have been, water being the first choice in any case, that leaves a small but highly tenacious amount of the stuff left over. This won’t result in any appreciable heating if it is flushed with vinegar but it will stop the ongoing corrosive effect by neutralising whatever is left over. Neither sodium acetate nor very dilute acetic acid is nearly as destructive as a good strong solution of caustic soda.
Here a few ways to help you remove drain clogs and prevent them from forming in the future.Boiling hot waterTry attacking your clog with boiling water. Hot water won't do it — boiling is the key to dissolving any organic matter in your sink.A few words of warning, however: Don't use boiling water if you have PVC pipes, as the heat could cause their joints to loosen. In addition, make sure to never pour boiling water directly onto a porcelain sink bowl, as it can crack. Always pour the water directly down the drain. Use a large kettle or pot, boil it on the stove, pour it down the drain and repeat if necessary.Vinegar and baking sodaWhen boiling water alone won't clear a sink, you can try using vinegar and baking soda. Start by pouring half a box of baking soda down your drain. Don't add any water. Next, pour half a cup of vinegar down the sink and then stop up the drain with a metal stopper or rags; vinegar and baking soda produce the "volcano" reaction often seen in school projects. Wait 30 minutes before pouring boiling water down the drain.Plunger or hand plungerIf your sink is completely plugged due to a large obstruction, or has become so clogged no liquid will flow through, it may be time for a plunger.First, make sure you have the right kind of plunger: cup-shaped, not flanged, is what you want for a sink. Both handheld and full-length plungers are available and they are equally effective.Remove any metal strainers in your kitchen sink, or the metal stopper in your bathroom sink. Fill the sink halfway full with water, then place the plunger over the drain and make sure you have a firm seal. Use sharp, fast plunges to remove the clog. Check periodically to see if the sink is draining.Drain maintenanceYou don't have to be an ace plumber to keep your drains clear. Here are some easy ways to maintain drains and prevent clogs:• Cover drains with hair and food catchers, also called strainers, to keep these items from entering the drainage pipes and causing a clog.• Run hot water down the drain after each use. Hot water washes away any fresh buildup, allowing it to flow through the drain, as opposed to sticking to the sides of the pipes.• Add a handful of baking soda to your drains and follow with hot water. Baking soda is a great natural cleaner and will help remove odors. Vinegar is another great natural cleaner for drains.
Solutions for hair clogged drain:1. Bend your regular use wire coat hanger like a hook. Push that in the drain cover and start fishing. You should be able to get all sorts of hair and nasty stuffs out of the drain. After got as much out as you can run hot water and it should clear things up nicely. 2. Use baking soda with vinegar: Mix 1/3rd of a cup baking soda with 1/3rd of a cup of vinegar in a measuring cup. After flizz immediate flow down in the clogged drain drain . The fizzing action will help to remove the grime, gunk and hair that has built up in the pipe. Then flow hot water to help wash properly.3. Caustic soda: Caustic soda burns nasty chemicals. Pour 3/4 gallon cold water in to a bucket then add 3 cups p of caustic soda. After mixing it will begin to fizz and heat up. Pour it in the clogged drain and leave for 20-30 minutes then flush the drain with boiling water.
Easy peasy. Pour a pot of boiling hot water down your drain. Add a cup of baking soda down the drain, then add a cup of white vinegar. The alkaline soda and acid vinegar will cause a mild chemical reaction producing bubbles and foam to loosen pipe grunge. Cover with a drain plug if you have one to keep the reaction down below the drain surface. While that is working, heat another large pan of water to boiling and then pour that down the drain. You should have a cleaner, clearer drain. Repeat if necessary.There are stronger chemicals you can use that work by producing heat that powers through clogs in the drain…caustic (lye and potash drain cleaners), oxidizing (bleach, peroxides, nitrate cleaners), acid (sulfuric and muriatic acid cleaners) but they may damage your pipes, especially if they are older, weak metal pipes, or worse…plastic pipes which will soften under the attack of these chemicals. Also, you should never use heat producing chemical drain cleaners in completely blocked drains. If the chemicals can’t clear a clog, they just end up sitting in pipes and eventually gnawing a hole. Use the baking soda and vinegar, which won’t hurt your pipes, a plunger, and a snake.
Everyone is struggling to deal with the every day blockage challenge. Initially, we’ll discuss the cause of about blockage, how to resolve the issue, and then further, I’ll share the permanent solution for the same.The main cause of blockage is due to the small particles of vegetable waste. Or, it can be due to FOG flowing down the sink via strainer. When vegetable waste flows down the sink along with the oil/grease, it gets stuck on the wall of pipelines. When many layers of waste are deposited, it creates a blockage. Due to this blockage, foul smell is produced which ruin the atmosphere around the sink.Let’s find out some quick home tricks to clean the sink.Take a bowl of vinegar and add 2–3 tbsp of baking soda. Add 2–3 glass of water and stir the solution. Clean the sink wall and pour the remaining solution in the sink. This solution will remove the dirt from the pipelines. You can add few drops of lemon to avoid foul smell during the process.Pour a bucket of hot water in the sink. Later, use coke for cleaning the pipelines. Pour the bottle of coke via, strainer.If you are done with your DIY tricks and still facing the same problem. Then you need to loosen your pocket for plumbing.But, investing bugs in plumbing can be a bit expensive, hence you can prefer Grease Trap[1]. Grease trap blocks the FOG [Fat, Oil, & Grease] to flow down the sink. Hence, preventing the chance of blockage. Although the grease trap also needs a proper care, but it can be cleaned easily with DIY habits.Footnotes[1] - Manufacturers of Grease Trap and Grease Separator in the UK