Clogged Drain Rochester NY: How to Clear a Clogged Drain

If you have a slow draining or backed up sink, tub or toilet, chances are you have a clogged drain. There are many ways you can try to clear a blockage yourself, using either home remedies or store bought remedies. If that does not work you can always contact your local plumber to come over and take care of the problem. Some plumbing companies even have 24 hour emergency service and can come over and take care of your plumbing issues any time of day or night. There are many different causes of a clogged drain, and the causes can vary greatly depending on what is clogged. If it is a kitchen sink it could be that food and debris from dirty dishes has gone down the drain and created the clog. Some people also have a tendency to pour cooking grease down the drain of the kitchen sink. This cooking grease can cool while it is in the pipes and congeal, causing a clog and backing up your sink. Sometimes it is the bathtub drain that is clogged. Generally when a bathtub drain is clogged it is due to hair that has washed down the drain and collected, causing a thick hair clog that water has trouble draining through. This type of clog can be especially hard to clear. If your toilet is clogged it can be a number of things. Perhaps too much toilet paper was flushed at once, which clogged the drain. Sometimes if there are small children in the house, one of them may have tried to flush something that did not belong in the toilet, such as toys or small stuffed animals. Oops! To clear a clogged drain, first pull out the drain stopper, if there is one, and clear away any stuck on residue. Run hot water and see if that has fixed the problem. If that has not worked, put a pot of water on the stove and set it to boil. Take 1 cup of baking soda and pour it into the drain, followed by a cup of vinegar. Wait about 15 minutes for the baking soda and vinegar solution to start dissolving the clog, and then slowly pour the boiling water down the drain. You can follow this procedure once a month to prevent the drain from becoming clogged again. If that did not work you can try to plunge the drain to dislodge the clog. Still not going down? Try a store-bought drain cleaner. Make sure you wear gloves and safety goggles to ensure that you do not hurt yourself, these cleaners are made with extremely harsh chemicals. Also, follow the instructions on the container to the letter. If you still have a clog after trying all of the above, it is time to call in the professionals. Plumbers have access to specialty tools to snake out the drains as well as access to stronger drain cleaning chemicals. You can find many reputable plumbers online or in the yellow pages to come out and clear your clogged drain.