Holidays Leave Your Drains In A Mess? How to Get Your Drains Flowing Again
If the holidays left you with a clogged kitchen drain, you've got your hands full. Clogged drains can be a real problem. Luckily, some of your more common drain problems can be cleared as a do-it-yourself project. However, you will need to follow the right steps. Here are four steps to take if the holidays left your drains in a clogged mess.
Check Inside the Trap
If you're dealing with a clogged kitchen sink, the first thing you need to do is check inside the trap. It's possible that the added use over the holidays left your trap filled with food particles. Open the cabinet under your kitchen sink and locate the trap; it's the curved pipe attached to the bottom of your sink. Place a bucket under the trap to catch the water from the sink and carefully loosen the PVC joint. Slowly move the trap to the side and look inside. If the trap is filled with debris, clean it out into the bucket. Once the trap is cleaned out, you can reattach it to the main pipe. This should clear the clog. If the trap was clear, you'll need to try another method to clear the drain.
Try a Homemade Drain Cleaner
If you didn't find anything inside the trap, the next thing you should do is try a homemade remedy. There are a couple that will do the trick to clear away clogs caused by grease, which can happen during the holidays. The first thing you should try is ordinary yeast - the kind you find in the baking section of your favorite grocery store. Pour one or two packets of yeast and about a teaspoon of salt down the affected drain. Flush the drain with about a gallon of boiling water and wait for an hour or so. Flush the drain again and check the clog. If the clog is still there, but it seems to have cleared up a bit, you can repeat the process again. If the clog is still holding firm, you're going to need professional assistance.
Call the Plumber
If your holiday parties left you with a stubborn clog, the only thing left to do is call the plumber. Stubborn clogs are often located too far from the drain opening to be cleared away using do-it-yourself methods. Your plumber may need to clean your drains using a high pressure nozzle to thoroughly remove the clog and get your drains flowing again.
Contact a company like Michigan Plumbing today.