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A clogged drain is never an ideal situation for residents. You may be enjoying a shower when you realize that there are a few inches of standing water in your shower area. The water may reach up to your ankles before you know it.
Cleaning your drain, whether you have a shower area or bathtub, can prove to be a nuisance, especially if you continue to ignore the accumulation of gunk and hair. In a matter of days, you will face a shower area that takes considerably longer to drain.
Ideally, it should clean a drain with regularity, but if it comes to it and the drain is blocked, must unclog it immediately. If it does not do promptly, it may well lead to a flooded bathroom or, worse, a burst pipe as well.
The excess hair and gunk that exhibits overtime at the drain’s surface causes the obstruction and must eliminate in due course.
Concerns Raised by Standing Water
Even a few inches of standing water as a result of a clogged drain is an unfavorable scenario. It may stagnate in your shower area or bathtub for hours or even days when you are away from home. It may create issues, like the aforementioned flooded bathroom and burst pipe.
However, other issues may come into play as well. For instance, standing water is a breeding ground for insects such as mosquitoes and flies. These creatures reproduce in unsanitary water precisely. If they are allowed to do so within the confines of your home, then they may wreak havoc accordingly.
These rodents disseminate an assortment of diseases that can be detrimental to you, your family, and your pets as well. They also act as hosts to parasites like tapeworms and heartworms. Finally, standing water can also invite mold and mildew to germinate, a breathing hazard for occupants.
Therefore, if you observe that standing water is getting higher with each shower, you must take action. It could involve calling a professional plumber. Alternatively, inhabitants may also perform a DIY exercise to expel the gunk from their drain and rectify the process. We will look at what is the best drain clog remover as follows.
Mainly, if you choose to save cash and take the route of fixing the predicament yourself, then there are a few techniques that you must adhere to if you want to unclog your shower drain appropriately.
Mandatory Measures
Before we get started, it is imperative to note that we must take the necessary measures to clear your shower area or bathtub from unwarranted standing water. What is the best drain clog remover process is determined by the tools as well. It is that it must ensure the right equipment is on hand. It would include rubber gloves, a plunger, plumber’s snake, screwdriver, bucket, rag, and a sponge as well.
Do It Yourself Steps
First and foremost, you must remove all visible blockages from your drain. Can do it by merely having a look and then removing the gunk with your fingers. It strongly advises that you wear gloves since you will make direct contact with the gunk gathered in your shower area or bathtub’s drain.
The vast majority of shower clogs cause by the presence of unwanted hair, soap scum, and other products you use in the shower. For instance, when you apply shampoo or conditioner to your locks, hair is bound to fall off. It may not be noticeable then, but gradually the hair that falls begins to deposit itself on the drain and starts to block it as well.
Once this adds up sufficiently, it creates a hindrance each time you shower. It is visible above your drain and can be cleared with your fingers before it accumulates further. A typical occurrence is a giant hairball that has amassed over the drain. Once you remove the gunk from the drain, it is essential to gauge the effectiveness by running the tap and observing if the water is draining from your shower area or tub. As far as the best drain clog remover goes, removing the gunk with your fingers while wearing a rubber glove is the simplest DIY method.
Plunging Your Bathtub
Staying on the subject of what is the best drain clog remover, an excellent DIY method is to plunge your bathtub. We will discuss how this works in practice below.
Suppose you have successfully unfastened all apparent blockages from your drain and still come to the conclusion that the bathtub or shower area is not draining correctly. In that case, it may be time to take additional corrective measures. By this, we mean using a plunge to drain your bathtub.
Remember to remove any standing water from the tub before you begin. Once the area is clear, use a screwdriver and undo the overflow cover typically found under the faucet. Then, inspect the coil and disengage any hair or other material that caused the obstruction.
Once you have undone the overflow cover, take your rag and shove it firmly into the hole of the opening that is full to the brim. It would help if you ascertained that place the rug tightly since air must not emanate and escape the overflow cover when you use the plunger.
Moreover, as you begin plunging, you will push out the rag you are employing from the air trying to escape. It is why it is essential to use your free hand to keep your rag from lodging into the overflow opening. If you have the assistance of another person, that would be favorable. They would ensure that the rag remains in its place, streamlining the plunging process and making it a seamless one.
Once you have begun preparations to start plunging your bathtub’s drain in earnest, you must note that this DIY exercise can be time-consuming. For example, if you have never used a plunger before, it may be impossible to assume that this method is not working well. However, if you allow it the benefit of time and apply significant effort, it will reward you soon enough.
If you persist, you will know that your efforts were no in vain when you can hear the water drain. If this method is a resounding success and your pipe looks cleared up, then you should duly turn the tap and allow hot water to run from it. Once this water enters your drain, it will clear any residual gunk that was inducing the hurdle in the first place.
On the other end of the spectrum, if this method does not work, the next logical step is to try and snake the obdurate drain.
Snaking Your Drain
The next phase will include using a plumbing snake to unclog the stubborn drain. It may prove to be a challenging experience if you have zero familiarity with the equipment. Suppose you are unsure about using a plumbing snake effectively, and the plunging did not work either. In that case, a professional plumber should consult, since the issue is beyond a DIY exercise.
If you have attempted the plunging method, then you should already remove the overflow cover. If this is true, you must take the plumbing snake and insert it inside the opening left from removing the overflow cover. The plumbing snake is effectively fed via the hole until it makes contact with any pushback or resistance in the pipe.
At the first instance that you hit the resistance, the best course of action is to use your plumbing snake and break the clog apart or try and move it further down the drain at the very least. Both the techniques mentioned above will work ineffectively, unclogging your bathtub’s drain.
Once you have met with some resistance, you should turn the snake counter in a clockwise direction to snake it into the clog. If the clog is resilient and does not disintegrate, you will have to pull the clog out through the overflow opening. If that does not work as well, you may try a home remedy drain cleaner to alleviate the concern.
Unclogging Sans Chemicals
Now that you have reached a stage where all else failed, you may be left to wonder what the best drain clog remover procedure is? In such cases, it is entirely understandable that some individuals will not support the idea of dropping chemicals into their gutters in an attempt to unclog it. It makes perfect sense since several liquid drain cleaners can add to the issues instead of rectifying them. Your drain may clog further as opposed to clearing up if you are not careful and use chemicals.
Moreover, based on the type of plumbing pipes that install in your house (a fact you may be unaware of if you have moved into a property that was built by others), liquid drain cleaners may also cause them to rust or erode.
Those who have tried and tested the techniques mentioned above and want to try another method that does not include chemical compounds should try other products, namely baking soda, vinegar, and hot water.
All you need to do is take a sufficient quantity of baking soda, one cup of vinegar, and boiling water. You may begin by taking half a cup of baking soda and pour that down the bathtub or shower area’s drain. It is essential to ensure that all the baking soda enters the drain to unclog it effectively.
The next step is to use vinegar and pour half a cup down the drain but slowly. It will incite some fizzing to transpire on the surface of the gutter. When you observe that this has started, cover the drain at once and wait until the fizzing ceases. When it does, you must repeat the process.
Once this part of the process is complete, you must allow the blend of baking soda and vinegar to sit on the gunk that is clogging the drain for at least 30 minutes. You must prepare the hot water once the time lapses; all that is left to do it pour the hot water down the drain. It should relieve your bathtub of the clogging.
If it is a big if the drain does not clear up, it can use another method. Although you may call a professional at any point in time, additional DIY plans may do the needful. For instance, using another technique that is devoid of any chemicals is the bent wire hanger technique.
Firstly, it must straighten as much as possible before one end is bent accordingly to make a small hook of sorts. Must then insert it into the drain cover, which would allow you to unravel all kinds of gunk, including hair and nasty muck from the clogged drain.
It is essential to understand that the idea of pulling scum out and not pushing it further down is necessary. Once you have eliminated sufficient waste, you should stop the process. Check if your drain is working adequately again by running the tap and allowing it to flow naturally. If that happens, then consider your problem solved!