Plumbing

It never fails. You're getting ready for work, or for that all-important night on the town, when you sink stops up. The water sits there, not moving, and you can already picture the bill from your plumber. Before you reach for the phone, try unclogging the drain yourself. Here are four simple ideas for removing clogs. Most of them require nothing more than common household items and some elbow grease. Even better, you won't be relying on caustic chemicals to clear your drains.

Sometimes it's just "gunk" such as make-up, hair products, strands of hair and gobs of dried toothpaste that is stopping up the drain.

The first thing you should try when trying to unclog a drain is to use a little boiling water. This will only work if the sink is not backed up too badly. If there's already water sitting in the sink, skip this step and go to

If, however, your issue is that the water is draining slowly, this trick may work for you. A kettle or pot of boiling water is all you need.

* Remove the drain stopper. Pull the stopper out of the drain and wipe it down. This often catches a lot of hair and lint that could be part of the problem.
* Boil a pot of water. A full kettle is a good idea so you'll have plenty of water to work with.Pour the water down the drain. Once the water has reached a full boil, carefully pour it directly down the drain. Pour slowly and carefully. You don't want the water to splatter and splash onto you.
* Allow the water to drain. Each time the water reaches the top of the drain, stop pouring and let it work its way through. When the water level lowers again, pour more in.
* Keep doing this until the water drains as quickly as you can pour it, and you'll have your clog solved.

If boiling water by itself doesn't do the trick, you may need to use a little more force. Add some muscle with vinegar and baking soda.

Again, this method won't work if there is standing water in the sink. To clear your drain, you'll need:

* 1/4 cup of baking soda
* 1 cup white vinegar
* Boiling water
* Pour the baking soda directly down the drain.
* Pour the vinegar directly down the drain.
* Cover the drain with a washcloth or rag.

1. Allow the baking soda and vinegar to work for about fifteen minutes. The fizzing action will break up the clogs as the mixture works its way through your pipes.
2. Uncover the drain and pour some boiling water down to flush the residue out of your pipes.

This will work on some stubborn clogs, as long as they're not too tightly packed into the pipes. It's also a good preventative measure to do this once a month or so to keep your pipes clear.

If the previous two methods don't work, or you have standing water in your sink, it may be time to reach for the plunger. It's important to note that there are two different types of plungers.

A toilet plunger has a flange that is designed to fit down into a toilet drain and will not work for unclogging a sink.

A sink plunger, or cup plunger, doesn't have this flange, and is designed to completely fit over a drain. In this instance, you definitely want a sink plunger.

Here's how to plunge the drain:

* If there is not already water in the sink, partially fill it with water.
* If you have a clog in a double-basin sink, stuff a rag into the other drain.
* If you have a clog in the bathroom sink, stuff a rag into the overflow hole.

Place the plunger completely over the drain, and plunge vigorously several times.Pull the plunger off of the drain, and see if the water starts to drain. Repeat as necessary.

Step 4: Use a Snake to Clear Stubborn Clogs

If nothing else will make your clog budge, it's time to go for the snake. A plumber's snake can be purchased at most hardware stores.

* Clear the area under the sink, and place a bucket under the P-trap, which is the curved portion of pipe under the sink.
* Use channel-lock pliers to loosen the nuts that hold the P-trap in place.
* Look in the P-trap to see if your clog is stuck inside. You can use a wire coat hanger or long screwdriver to fish it out.

If your clog wasn't in the P-trap, you'll have to use the snake.

One of the most common household problems we all face from time to time is the clogged toilet. Fortunately most clogs can be fixed by using the correct type of plunger, but most people use the wrong type. We'll discuss the right tool to use and proper method to plunge your way clear to freedom. Also, we'll review what to do if the clog is a bit more stubborn. There are two basic types of plungers. The "cup" plunger and the "flange" type plunger. The cup plunger is what most people have in their homes and is designed for creating a seal against a flat surface such as the bottom of a sink or bathtub.

Toilets however have a bowl shape and cup plungers don't work because they lose their seal when you pull up. For use with toilets, you need the Flange Plunger. The special bowl shape of a toilet requires a special plunger shape. And that shape is reflected in the flange plunger or a similar one called a ball plunger. Both these plungers have a specially shaped bottom designed to seal the opening in the bottom of a toilet bowl and maintain the required vacuum and pressure during the plunging action.

Once you see that the toilet is draining slowly or is stopped up, do not flush it again. It's time to use the flange plunger. Gently push the plunger through the water allowing air to escape from the plunger body. Once the plunger is sealed around the drain outlet in the bottom of the bowl, plunge up and down rapidly until the clog is broken and the water level seems to drop. Next, you have to test to see if the toilet will drain. You want to test and see if the toilet will drain once you think you've cleared the clog,but don't do this by flushing the toilet again until you're sure the clog is removed. To test for drainage you have to add water. This can be done one of two ways. The first way is to slowly pour water into the toilet as from a bucket. The second way is to open the toilet tank lid and SLOWLY lift the flapper seal at the bottom of the tank until water begins to enter the bowl. Do not lift the flapper all the way up or else the toilet will flush. If water goes down the toilet easily, the clog is cleared. If not, then try again by repeating the previous step and this step a time or two more.

If repeated attempts to clear the clog fail, then move on to the next step "Use the Closet Auger."

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