Ask A Drain Unblocker – Answering Your FAQs
Ask any Auckland homeowner about their worst plumbing fear, and they’ll tell you it is to have blocked drains. While having blocked drains may not seem serious, it certainly can be. The worry is not so much having the blocked drain as that’s easy to fix. This issue is locating the blockage.
A drain unblocker is a blocked drain expert. Not only can they unblock the drain, but more importantly, they can locate the precise point of the blockage for efficient clearing. Moreover, the drain unblockers at iSpecialise utilise top-of-the-range plumbing equipment that makes the job quick and relatively easy to fix – even if the blocked drain is underground or within a wall cavity.
If you’re one of the many Auckland homeowners that worry about getting blocked drains, then this article is for you. We’ve sifted through all our emails and asked our drain unblockers what questions customers ask the most. So we have the questions, and we have our drain unblocker’s answers. Now it’s time to share these with you!
How Do I know If I have Blocked Drain?
Our drain unblockers are asked this question more than any other, which might be surprising. You may think that it’s obvious to know if you have a blocked drain because water won’t be able to escape down the drain. However, it isn’t always so straightforward. A blocked drain doesn’t always present as pooling or overflowing water. This is only the case once the drain is completely blocked.
Knowing how to identify a blocked drain and calling a drain unblocker before it becomes completely blocked can save a lot of stress and possible property damage.
Early signs of a blocked drain include a foul smell, gurgling sounds and slow draining. A low toilet level is another sign of being wary of it. Is there a rotten odour coming from your drains or toilet? Do you hear a gurgling sound emanating from your toilet or drain pipes? Is water taking an unusually long to drain from your sink or bath?
These are all tell-tale signs of a blocked drain that should be looked at by a drain unblocker. It may be tempting to ‘worry about it later’, but my advice is to call professional drain unblockers as soon as you discover something is amiss.
How Do You Prevent a Blocked Bathroom Drain?
Another question our drain unblockers are commonly asked is how to prevent a blocked bathroom drain. And really, it just takes a little common sense. Make sure nothing goes down the sink that shouldn’t. By this, I mean hair and excessing chunks of toothpaste.
After brushing your teeth or showering, run hot water down the sink to ensure that any water-soluble elements in your toothpaste or shampoo are washed down the drain. You can also purchase Shower Hair Strainers that prevent hair from going down your drains.
How Do You Unblock a Blocked Bathroom Sink?
So the next question our drain unblockers are asked is, how do you unblock a bathroom sink? The good news is you may be able to do this yourself without having to call a professional drain unblocker.
DIY unclogging methods include using a standard plunger that you can pick up for less than $10 or filling the sink/bath with hot water to try and dissolve the blockage. I’ve gone into detail about these DIY methods and a few more in this post.
If the DIY options fail to clear the blockage, I suggest you call iSpecialise. One of our drain unblockers can utilise more advanced equipment, such as a drain snake, to dislodge the blockage.
How Do You Prevent a Blocked Toilet?
While having a blocked bathroom drain is bad, having a blocked toilet is much worse. As such, it’s no surprise that this is one of the top questions our drain unblockers are asked.
As with a drain, the best way to prevent a toilet from becoming blocked is only to flush toilet paper down the toilet. Nappies, sanitary items, and even wet wipes can easily cause a toilet to become blocked.
How Do You Unblock a Blocked Toilet?
Those who have missed the early warning signs of a blocked toilet all want to know to unblock a toilet. Our drain unblockers recommend you try using a plunger. You can also make your own drain snake using a wire coat hanger to try and dislodge the blockage.
If a plunger and drain snake fails to clear the blockage, I suggest calling iSpecialise. One of our drain unblockers can utilise more advanced equipment to dislodge the blockage.
How Do You Prevent Blocked Kitchen Drains?
As one of the most utilised drains of a home, it’s no surprise our drain unblockers are asked how to prevent blocking kitchen drains frequently. However, kitchen drains can be a little more tricky than bathroom drains because you have more variables to consider.
Various things can contribute to a kitchen drain becoming blocked, though our drain unblockers say grease and oils are the main culprits. Even if they go down the drain as a hot liquid, they quickly cool down, turning into a solid mass as they enter your drains.
It’s best to discard grease and oils in a jar and not down your sink. If you have an InSinkErator or a food waste disposal unit installed, ensure you only put suitable food scraps down the sink and don’t overload it. The unit can only break down so much food at a time. Stick to around one cup at a time before putting more food into the unit.
How Do You Unblock Blocked Kitchen Drains?
Anyone who’s had a blocked kitchen drain knows how inconvenient it can be. So, it’s no surprise that customers ask our drain unblockers for tips on clearing the blockage if it happens again.
There are many ways to clear a blocked kitchen sink. For example, you can try using a plunger to plunge the blockage free, using baking soda and vinegar to break it down, a DIY drain snake to free it, or if all else fails, cleaning out the P-trap.
If you have no success with the above options, please call iSpecialise. Then, we can send around one of our drain unblockers to dislodge the blockage.
Conclusion
A blocked drain is no fun at all. Whether it’s a blocked bathroom drain, blocked toilet or blocked kitchen drain, you’ll want it fixed fast. However, the best solution is prevention, and to prevent a blocked drain, you have to catch it before it becomes blocked. Therefore, it’s no surprise that our customers wanted to know the answers to questions surrounding these topics above all others.
We hope the information in this article helps you identify a possible blockage before your drain becomes completely blocked. However, if it does, there are plenty of DIY options to try before giving iSpecialise’s drain unblockers a call. There are main benefits of hiring a professional drain unblocker. Regular drain maintenance can help avoid a blocked drain, making it the best solution to prevent the problem from occurring.
We utilise state-of-the-art plumbing equipment to locate and clean all types of blocked drains. If you live in East Auckland, South Auckland, and Hauraki Plains Ward and need a professional drain unblocker, please call us on 09-2322 895.
