Begin by pouring a pot of boiling water down the drain, and add half a cup of baking soda. Leave the mixture to sit for a couple of minutes before adding hot vinegar and hot water. If you have a drain plug, use this to contain the reaction occurring in the pipes, and leave it on for 5-10 minutes. Once this is done, flush another pot of hot water down the sink. If it’s been awhile since you last cleaned your drains, or if it is a bit of a stubborn blockage, you may need to repeat the process a few times.
When taking care of a blockage yourself, it is important to know who to call in case something goes wrong. While it is more convenient and certainly cheaper, it does not always provide a guaranteed result and if you are unsure of what you’re doing then you’re far more likely to cause more damage than you started with.
We absolutely recommend calling a professional drain technician to ensure that the work is done to the highest of standards using the latest technology and equipment. There is always a risk with trying to combat a blocked pipe yourself, particularly in cases where you are unsure of the nature of the blockage.
To efficiently take care of a blocked drain you must know the location of the blockage, the size, and the strength. It is also important to be aware that there may also be other issues with your drains that are not obvious and could be worsened if handled poorly.
A good idea with this would be to get a CCTV drain survey done with Blocked Drain Southampton in order to identify any weak areas in your drainage systems, so should you need to unblock a drain yourself you know where to avoid if you don’t want to cause further damage. If your drain is public you may have to contact your council. How do you know if your drain is private or public, find out here.
