Unclogging Drains

How to Clear a Bathroom Sink Drain

Here are the most commonly recommended methods for unclogging a clogged drain:

Plunger. Be sure the plunger's suction cup is large enough to cover the drain opening or your work will be an exercise in futility.

1) Fill the clogged basin with enough water to cover the plunger cup.
2) Coat the rim of the cup with petroleum jelly to seal the drain tightly.
3) Use wet rags to block any outlets—a sink overflow or second sink—and create a vacuum.
4) Use 15 to 20 strong strokes once you have a tight seal.
5) Try several times before turning to other remedies.

Chemicals. Don't use chemicals if the drain is completely clogged. These chemical will burn you skin; if they sit in a stagnant drain, you'll have to find a way to remove both the chemicals and the blockage. Don't use routinely because these cleaners can damage metal pipes.
1) Make sure the room is well ventilated.
2) Wear rubber gloves and eye protectors.
3) Read labels, and use the right kind of cleaner—an alkali to cut grease and an acid to dissolve hair, soap, and other gook.
4) Never mix chemicals, and do not use chemicals in combination with a plunger.
5) Don't look down the drain—chemicals give off toxic fumes and can boil up suddenly.

Drain auger. Remove any filters or stops and guide the drain auger ("snake") through the drain opening.
1) Work the drain auger patiently around bends in the piping as you feed it through.�
2) When you've hooked the blockage, pull the drain auger back a little to free it, and then continue to push it through (or pull the clog out).
3) If feeding the drain auger through the drain doesn't work, try feeding it through a system cleanout.

Use a drain auger to snake a drain. For access, first remove the stopper, work the snake down the drain, and turn the handle to bore through the clog and push it through the pipe or pull it out.

For a deep clog, first remove the sink trap. To do this, unscrew the couplings (catch water in a bucket placed beneath the trap). Work a drain auger through the drain pipe to free or extract the clog.