A lightly clogged drain is no challenge to clean, it is the stubborn ones, filled with grease, debris, tree roots, and whatnot, that make you wonder if you can pull it off. At such times, ask yourself do I have the time or tools needed to do a plumber-worthy job?
DIY methods might work but you can unintentionally aggravate the problem that would take more time and money to fix. You can always consult a professional who knows whether the drain needs emergency attention or the problem can be fixed over the call.
Whatever it may be, plumbers have tricks up their sleeves and modern tools and techniques to clean the worst of the drain clogs.
We are going to go over the methods a professional plumber uses for drain cleaning so take notes!
Drain Cleaning Methods Plumbers Use
There are two types of cleaning methods a plumber uses, chemical and mechanical.
Chemical Drain Cleaning – As you can guess from the title, it involves unblocking the drain using powder or liquid chemicals. The chemical reacts with the material blocking the drain and dissolves it. However, they are harsh enough to damage the pipes and sewers so we don’t suggest you use them without consulting with a plumber first.
Mechanical Drain Cleaning – For heavy blockage the plumbers use tools and modern techniques like hydrojetting, high-speed drilling, drain snakes, and toilet augers to break the clog.
How Do Plumbers Break Stubborn Clogs?
Plungers and cable cleaners are simple tools to remove small drain clogs. Things get more interesting when plumbers come packed with all the cool tools and methods to clean the sewer lines and drains.
Toilet Auger And Drain Snakes
A drain snake is a long coiled metal wire attached to a drum and a hook at the end of the wire. It is used to clean minor blockages from small drains. Whereas, a toilet auger is better for clearing severely clogged drains as it goes deeper down the pipelines.
Manual Drain Snake
The manual drain auger also called a drain snake is a long coiled metal wire with a hook at the end to pull the stuff clogging the toilet or kitchen drain. Since it can go only 10 feet deep, it only grabs the clog near the drain opening. You use the drum attached to the drain snake to manually rotate the wire and once the debris is hooked to the end, pull it out.
Motor Drain Snake
Unlike manual snake drains, motorized drain snakes are powerful enough to break the most stubborn clogs. They are best for clearing tree roots or other debris in sewer lines and large pipelines as they can go as deep as 1150 feet. The only downside? If snake motor is used on old pipes they can break in places causing more harm than good.
HD Drain And Sewer Line Camera
When even motor drain snakes fail to unblock the pipeline, plumbers use HD cameras to have a deeper view into the pipeline and find out what’s the issue. Once they know what they are dealing with they select the best tools to get the job done.
High-Pressure Water Jetting
Better than a drain snake or any other tool, hydro-jet not only smashes the clog but also cleans the pipeline of grime and waste. Why is it a better option? One, it can remove the hardest of the clogs. Two, it cleans out the pipelines with pressure up to 35,000 PSI. Three, hydrojetting cleans out the drains so well that you don’t need frequent drain blockage treatments.
How To Know Which Method Is The Best?
You will most probably reach out to the plumber if all the efforts to unclog your drain failed. A professional plumber has the knowledge and experience to decide that. Contact the nearest plumber in case of an emergency and he will find out what method and tool will be the best to use.
Finding a reliable plumber is hard. You may spend hours scouring the internet looking for one, so you don’t get ripped off or hire a newbie.
Learn about our 30 years long plumbing and drain cleaning services carried out by qualified plumbers.