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A badly clogged drain can be frustrating, and if you have to hire a plumber to come to your New Jersey home, it can also be expensive to unclog your drain. If you have already tried plungers and other standard methods with no luck, try the following tips to unclog your drain before calling the professionals:

  • Wire Hook: Use a set of pliers to put a small hook at the end of a stiff piece of wire, such as a coat hanger or tie wire, and try to fish the clog out of the drain.
  • Plumber’s Snake: If you have access to a snake, push it slowly down the drain while turning the handle to bore into the clog, then reverse into the snake and pull it out.
  • Remove the Trap: If the drain has an easily accessed trap, place a bucket underneath, loosen the nuts on either side, and empty the contents into the bucket.
  • Shop Vacuum: Cover any vents or overflows in the fixture and place the hose of the vacuum as tightly as possible over the drain to suck the clog out.
  • Boiling Water: Bring a few gallons of water to a boil and pour it down the drain slowly and repeat, if necessary.
  • Baking Soda and Vinegar: Mix a solution of equal parts baking soda and vinegar and pour it down the drain. For tough clogs in sinks or tubs, close the drain after adding the mixture, fill the fixture with water, then release it to push any remaining clogs out.
  • Salt and Baking Soda: Mix a solution of equal parts baking soda and salt, then pour it down the drain. After about twenty minutes, flush the drain with hot water.
  • Dish Detergent: For toilets, pour about ¼ cup of dish detergent into the bowl, fill the bowl with boiling water and plunge the toilet again to remove stubborn clogs.

If these methods do not unclog your drain, contact our professionals at Pipe Works Services for prompt service at a fair price. We serve Northern New Jersey, including the counties of Essex, Morris, Somerset, and Union.

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