Plunging is one of those essential life skills that everyone needs to learn growing up and before moving out on their own. That being said, there is some basic plumbing knowledge that your folks might have skipped when teaching you how to unclog a drain.
Ready to test your plunging know-how? Check out the information below!
1. Your home should have two plungers, not one.
Why? Because you don’t want something that’s been in your toilet to loosen a clog in your sink or bathtub. That would bring all kinds of disgusting germs and fecal bacteria into an area where you prep food or bathe.
2. What works for the sink may not work best for the toilet.
Cup plungers are what most people picture when they think of a traditional plunger. These tools are useful for relatively flat or gently curved surfaces, like sinks, showers, and bathtubs. However, they can have trouble creating suction in a toilet.
Flange plungers have a bunch of pleats and an extended rubber lip, rather than a simple bell shape. These features allow them to form a tight seal despite a toilet’s contours.
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3. The plunger must be submerged for plunging to work.
If you have a “slow drain,” don’t wait until the water finally goes down before plunging. Whether it’s a clogged sink or toilet, you’ll need your plunger’s lip to be underwater to form a strong seal. In some cases, you may need to add water.
4. When plunging a two-bowl kitchen sink, plug up one side.
The suction from plunging doesn’t work if air has a place to escape in the drain. In a two-bowl sink, each side of the sink shares a drain, so if you’re going to plunge on one side, you have to start by sealing the other side. You can do this with a rubber plug or stopper. You can also use two plungers simultaneously, one to block air, and one to perform the pumping.
5. Don’t plunge after using a chemical drain cleaner!
It’s quite common for chemical drain cleaners to contain toxic and corrosive chemicals like sulfuric acid, which gets dangerously hot when it comes into contact with water. If you plunge right after using one of these drain cleaners, you run the risk of splashing these chemicals on your skin or in your eyes, which could cause chemical burns, heat burns, or temporary blindness.
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If a plunger can’t fix the clog, our plumbers can! Contact The Rooter Works Plumbing and Drains for Columbus drain cleaning services: (614) 412-3324">(614) 412-3324.
