Clogged Drains? 3 Green Options To Try Before Calling For Help

If indoor plumbing is one of the greatest advances of modern civilization, clogged drains are there to keep us from getting too proud of the accomplishment. Before applying potentially dangerous chemical drain cleaners or calling for professional plumbing help, try these three green options to see if they can open your pipes and get the water flowing again.

Before beginning any of these options make sure you have approved Personal Protection Equipment including proper gloves and eye protection.

Enzymatic drain cleaners

Enzymatic drain cleaners use microorganisms such as enzymes or bacteria that literally eat away the clog. Once in your plumbing system, these living creatures can live and grow in your pipes and septic system, reducing the chance of future clogs. Enzymatic drain cleaners aren’t dangerous to the environment since they don’t contain caustic chemicals or other potentially harmful substances.

Baking soda treatments

Baking soda combined with other substances can be an effective drain cleaner. Try one or all three of these techniques:

• Put half a cup of baking soda and a half cup of vinegar in the drain. After 15 minutes, flush with hot tap water.

• Mix equal amounts of baking soda, salt and vinegar; pour the mixture into the drain. Give it an hour to work, then flush with hot water.

• Put a half cup of baking soda and a half cup of salt into the drain, then immediately flush the drain with hot water.

Physical force to fix clogged drains

In this context, physical force means applying pressure or a cutting tool to break up and loosen clogs.

• Plungers – Standard plungers may be able to loosen the clog using air or water pressure that forces the clog loose. Small cup-style plungers may be sufficient for sinks or tubs. Toilets or drains with more stubborn clogs may need larger bellows-type plungers that produce more pressure.

• Drain augers – Before using a Drain auger make sure you read and understand the manufacturer’s instructions and safety warnings. Augers or snakes are lengths of wire or cable with a cutting head on one end. The cutting head is maneuvered into the drain where it breaks apart the clog.

For more information on ways to clear your clogged drains, contact the experts at Sobieski Services. Our goal is to help educate our customers in Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland and New Jersey about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC & plumbing systems).

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