by Dawn Hawkins

Created on: March 22, 2010

Clearing a kitchen drain doesn’t have to be a major problem. If the drain is completely clogged, there are a few things that you can do to get it back in working order quickly and without other issues. A kitchen drain can easily get completely clogged by food, grease and other foreign matter that falls into it. If you know what is causing the clog, you will have much easier time getting it cleared.

Here is how to unclog a completely clogged drain:

Snake- This isn’t the snake that you find in the garden. It is a plumbers tool. It goes down into the drain to pull out whatever is clogging it. This will work well on foreign objects better than it will for grease clogs. It will generally work fairly fast as well. A snake can go pretty deeply into the drain to pull things out so you don’t have to worry about whether the offender is deep down. You will still be able to reach it with a drain snake.

Drano- Drano is a liquid or crystal substance that unclogs the drain fairly fast. It works in about five to ten minutes. After you have waited the allotted amount of time, simply run water down the drain for a few minutes to clear out the Drano so it won’t eat your pipes leaving you with bigger problems. This is a very easy way to take care of clogged drains. It is a low cost way to fix a completely clogged drain.

Hot Water- If it is a grease clog, it is possible that running hot water down the drain for a few minutes could clear it without doing anything further. This won’t always work, but it is a good place to start. There is no point in spending money for something a little bit of hot water can take care of.

Plunger- A plunger will sometimes work to get a completely clogged drain cleared. This should be used for clogs that are close to the drain opening. The suction of the plunger will pull the materials out of the drain so you can clean it up and be done with it. This is probably the messiest way to clear a completely clogged drain.

Plumber- If all else fails, you may need to call in a plumber. This can be expensive and you should use it as a last resort. Clogs aren’t usually difficult to get cleared up. There are some situations that will call for a professional though. Don’t try to take the drain pipes apart unless you already know what you are doing. Sometimes it is better to have someone who knows what they are doing.

It is inconvenient to have clogged drains. It is easy to get the problem fixed though. Most clogged drains, even when they are completely clogged, won’t be expensive to repair if you follow the tips above. The final action of getting a plumber won’t be necessary in ninety nine percent of the cases. You should have an unclogged drain within minutes of using one of the suggested methods for clearing a kitchen drain that is completely clogged.

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