Before you panic when the water in your sink or bathtub will not drain, think of a few ways to get this drain unclogged. The clog may be so bad that you have no choice but to call in someone with the right equipment to find it and get the pipes open again. If after you have tried the following tips to no avail or are not sure of what to do other than using a plunger, the professional will be your best choice. After all, you do not need the hassle of having a flood in your home.

How Drains Become Clogged

Drains, especially those in bathtubs get clogged with hair. Every shower you take and every time you wash your hair the excess goes down the drain. After a while this tends to build up and plug the drain. If your bathtub is backed up, this may be the problem. Clean out the drain and see if this helps before you start looking elsewhere.

Everyone that children have at one time or another had them throw something down the toilet that is not going to flush. They flush the minute they drop the object and the aggravating part is it will go out of reach and become caught in the pipes. This may be the cause of your clog especially if your toilet is backing up. Another cause of clogs in the toilet is the build-up of toilet tissue. This will disintegrate in time and often a plunger is all that is needed here.

Cleaning the Drains

There are several methods you can use to try and get your drains clear again. Sometimes a plunger is all that is needed. The suction they provide will pull the clog loose and allow it to go on through the pipes. Try this method on kitchen sinks. There are small plungers made especially for this problem and you should keep one under the sink in case you need to use it.

Removing the trap under kitchen or bathroom sinks will often help to find the clog. This is where the pipe makes a turn and there will be a fitting over the pipes that will be removed using a wrench. Have a bucket under the pipes before you remove this fitting. This allows the drain from the sink to open and any water that is sitting in them will come out and on the floor if you are not ready with a bucket to catch it.

Trying one of the commercial drain cleaners is another way you might get to work. There are several on the market. Just make sure you read the directions carefully. Some are supposed to be poured in the drain and left for a period of time before you try flushing the drain with water. These chemical drain cleaners are very toxic so you do not want to get them on your skin. Most contain either sulfuric acid or lye.

If both the kitchen and the bathroom are not letting the water go through the drain, you will have a little more of a problem on your hands. This often means your main drain is clogged and finding the spot is not going to be easy; not to mention this is a messy job.

Hiring a Professional

A professional plumber can have your drains in optimal working condition without the mess and the hassle you will go through trying to find the clog. Sometimes the drains are so clogged it is impossible for the average person to get them open. Often they may have to use a sewer camera to locate the clog. By using the sewer or pipe camera that is a push rod video camera that goes into your pipes they can see on the monitor where the clog is and what it is. This allows them to precisely pinpoint the spot in your pipes that has the build-up that is causing the water to back up.

Professional plumbers have water blaster system or water jetters they can use to blast the clog right out of your drain. There are different models they can use depending on the clog they find. One type combines the water blasting with a plunger pump that has been successful at removing clogs for many years. This type of equipment is expensive and you cannot just run out and buy one to use one time. They must be operated by someone who knows what they are doing or you could have even more of a problem on your hands.

Drains will become clogged. Sometimes you will be able to get them opened and running again. However, if it is a main pipe clog or you simply do not have a clue as to what to do, calling a professional is your best choice. After all, if you have small children running to the gas station or the neighbors every half hour is not going to be a long-term solution.