Due to Drano’s toxicity, many people choose not to use it to unclog their pipes and drains. It can be dangerous for humans and may damage some of the piping. Other times, people give Drano a chance, but it simply does not work. At the end of the day, they are still stuck with a clogged drain and/or pipes.

If Drano is not working on your sink, it’s time to take matters into your own hands. First, set up a bucket with several towels underneath it. Unscrew the pipes under the sink. Newer pipes are generally designed so that you can unscrew them with your hands. For older pipes, you may need to use a large wrench to disconnect the pipes. There will be some pipes that come completely off. Carefully take these pipes and put them in the bucket. Be aware that there will be water in these pipes so try not to spill any of it.

Use a long pointed tool, such as a screwdriver, to unclog the pipes you just removed. There will be hair, dirt, and grease on the pipes walls that have turned into a gel-like substance. Take the pipes outside and continue scraping at them until they are clean. Make sure to scrap hard enough to clean the walls yet not hard enough to break, crack, or damage the pipes. You should also use a power hose afterwards to get the inside of the pipes spotless.

Go back to the sink and use the screwdriver to unclog the sink and the attached pipe. Make sure to put the bucket under the open pipe to catch all of the junk in the pipes. Scrape and poke with a screwdriver to break off any obstructions in the piping. You may also use pliers to pull out anything that may be stuck. Now that you have spent some time cleaning the top part of the pipe attached to the sink, make sure to get the bottom half as well. Do the same to the bottom half of the pipe until the pipe is clean when looking through it.

Now put the piping back together. Make sure to screw the piping back on firmly and securely to prevent leaks. You may want to use a washer when screwing the pipes back, just in case. If you don’t have the time to do this yourself, TalkLocal can find you a high quality plumber in your area in minutes!

This entry was originally posted on Saturday, November 24th, 2012 at 10:00 pm and is filed under Plumbers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.