Pipe Dream
Posted by mmetz on February 27th, 2010
After the dishes are done, it’s time to move on to the next chore but there is still something left in the sink…the water! Yes your memory serves you correctly, if there is nothing in the sink but water, it’s supposed disappear down that hole called the drain. Sadly this is not the case. Before you race to the phone to order an expensive house call from the local plumber, try these quick fixes to save your money from going down the drain.
Road block: Reach down in that murky dish soap swamp and see if there is anything blocking the drain that could prohibit the water from leaving. This sounds pretty simple, and it is, but most of the time the solution to a problem is the simplest one. If you have a garbage disposal that’s not draining, unplug it before you dive in, otherwise you might end up with slightly bigger problems.
Plunge in: Ok so there’s nothing in the sink blocking the flow, so time to add some elbow grease to the equation. Grab a plunger and get plungin’. Most of the time, this will loosen the clog just enough to get the water flowing again.
Drain warfare: You finally got the sink to drain but the enemy is still hiding the drain, not letting that H20 leave the premises when you use the sink again. Now it’s time to bring in the big guns, liquid clog remover. One option would be to go out and buy a harsh chemical drain cleaner, or in the money saving spirit, you can make your own. Just take 1 box of baking soda, 1 cup white vinegar, followed by 1-2 gallons of boiling water, dump them in a bowl, and immediately into the sink. No harsh chemicals, no environmental repercussions, and best of all no cost!
Operation Nothing seems to be working? Time to cut her open. Grab a wrench and a bucket and get ready to operate. Go under the sink and place the bucket under the drain pipes to catch any water that may be hiding in there. Next take the wrench and loosen the nut holding the pipe pieces together. Now that you have the culprit in your grasp, use a screwdriver to clean out the clogs in the pipe. Hopefully you remember how everything went back on because now you get to put everything back together and watch your problems go down the drain.
When you take the time to assess the problem before you reach for your phone and wallet, you can unclog your woes without flushing your bank account down the tubes.
Do you have any cleaver tricks to combat your lack of drain?
One Response to “Pipe Dream”
Leave a Reply
These are all great ideas! The last time my garbage disposal was clogged I tried many of these helpful hints and it ended up saving me from calling a pricey plumber to fix it. Another good idea is to reset your garbage disposal by pressing the red button on the bottom of it. This is sometimes a really easy way to fix the problem.