Unblocking

A drain cleaner or clog remover is a special cleaning product that unblocks areas that are hard to reach. These include clogged wastewater drains, or sewer pipes etc.

At times, the term clog remover also refers to mechanical devices like plumber snake, toilet plunger, drain auger and other such items that we can find in the market. Plungers, handheld drain augers, chemical drain cleaners, and DIY cleaners are usually applied to deal with a single clogged drain. So, you can use them in sinks, tub, toilet, or shower drains. They can effectively remove any soft obstruction like grease or hair. You will need electric drain cleaners, sewer jitters, or battery-powered cleaners for more than one plumbing fixture. Such mechanical devices help to clear the blockage in the entire length of the drain piping system.

Types of domestic level clog removers

Nothing can slow you down like a clogged drain and a slow draining skin, tub, or shower. Generally, we opt for the challenging task of plunging the drain or winding it with drain augers (only if you have one). But when all these manual methods fail, a liquid drain cleaner can save you plumbing costs without causing any damage to your drainage system. However, there are times when there liquid or chemical clog removers are not enough. And you might need to follow other methods of cleaning the clogged drain in your bathroom or kitchen. Here are some clog removers that you might need at times.

Chemical drain cleaners

They are either liquid, gel or powder cleaners made of strong chemicals formulas. There are three main types of chemical-based drain cleaners. First is the caustic drain cleaners that contain caustic potash or lye etc. They react with clogging substance, release heat, change the shape of these blocking items and dissolve them to open the clog. Another type is oxidizing drain cleaner that contains items like nitrates, peroxides, and household bleach. Plumbers only use the acid drain cleaners as they are heavy duty and come with a strong chemical formula that needs skills to use.

Handheld drain augers

They are typically designed to clean parts of a drain within 8 meters from the opening of the drain. The cable on a handheld drain auger is pushed into the drain using mechanical force. This force is created when the operator rotates a drum that anchors the cable. Many styles of augers come with thin cables that can pass through any common sink trap. However, some experts do not recommend using these clog removers in toilets to leave scratches on the ceramic. Rather, a unique closet auger should be used. Here safety considerations require wearing protective gloves and proper eyewear.

Home remedies drain cleaners.

These include DIY solutions made of raw ingredients at home and readily available chemicals in the market. For instance, you can add some caustic soda in the clogged sink and some apple vinegar following boiling water to open a minor blockage in kitchen sinks. However, it won’t ever work for a clogged bathroom sink, tub, or toilet. But as in a kitchen, grease is the fundamental reason for blockage the soda saponify the fats, and the vinegar neutralizes leaving the line clean of all sorts of fats and another food-related blockage. Here the only benefit is that these cleaners are always handy, and you do not need to rush to the market. But they are occasionally effective.

Electric drain cleaners

They are also known as plumber snakes. They work with a mechanical force of an electric motor to twist the flexible spring or cable in a clockwise direction and drive in deep in the pipe. They are commonly available with cable lengths of up to 40 meters. These cables can go as far as 80 meters. These cleaners can clean long sewer drains with the effective removal of solid objects like jewellery items or tree roots. However, they are expensive items to hold and heavier to manage and operate. Plus, they need many physical efforts to control the cable while it turns and cleans a drain.