5 Common Ways to Fix a Slow Drain

There are few things more frustrating than a slow drain. Sitting with a sink full of dirty water wondering when it’s finally going to drain away is stressful and time-consuming. Fortunately, there are a few DIY solutions you can try to resolve your slow drain issue quickly. Here are five DIY solutions for how to fix a slow drain.

1. Baking Soda Method

Baking soda can be used to create chemical reactions for clearing out blocked drains. Use these steps to try it out for yourself:

1. Boil full pot of water
2. Measure ½ cup baking soda
3. Pour baking soda down drain
4. Follow baking soda with ½ cup white vinegar
5. Allow mixture to fizz 10-15 minutes
6. Dump pot of boiling water down drain

This combination of cleaning substances should clear out anything that is causing your sink to drain slowly. If it doesn’t...

2. Zip-It

If the baking soda method doesn’t clear out your drain, it may be because a significant amount of hair and/or other debris has collected there and you need to remove it. Purchase a Zip-It tool at any home improvement or hardware store and insert it into your drain. It will catch any collected hair or debris that’s blocking the flow of water. Pull it out. If it’s got a big clump of hair on the end, you’ve probably got your culprit.

3. Clean the Drain Stopper

Drain stoppers play an important role in preventing water from moving down the drain into your plumbing network. These accessories are mostly used for filling up bathtubs or sinks for cleaning. Some homeowners also rely on drain stoppers to prevent hair and other items from clogging connections between uses.

The drain stopper in your bathroom or kitchen features a tail section that extends downward into the connecting pipes to collect soap scum and debris. Completely removing your drain stopper to clean its surfaces and tail can remedy a slow-moving drain. Most drain stoppers require the user to unscrew them to lift them out of the drain.

Follow the steps below to remove a drain stopper that locks into place with hardware:

1. Find rod, nut and clip below drain
2. Rotate nut using fingers or pliers
3. Squeeze clips to release rod
4. Lift drain stopper to pull it out of tub or sink
5. Use cloth to remove hair or grease

4. Use a Plunger

Some clogs are too far down into the piping for a Zip-It tool to reach. In these cases, you can learn how to fix a slow-draining tub or sink with a tool you likely own already — a plunger. Note that only cup-shaped plungers should be used for this job — plungers with a visible flange section (for sealing a toilet opening) will not work.

Using this way to clean slow drains involves the following steps:

1. Position rag over sink overflow hole
2. Put sink plunger over drain mouth
3. Fill sink up to plunger cup
4. Plunge repeatedly

Using the sink plunger method correctly may result in the water you added to the sink rushing down the drain at a normal speed. In these scenarios, it is reasonable to believe something larger like food scraps, a chunk of soap or unused toothpaste is the reason for your stubborn clog.

5. Drain Cleaner

If these methods don’t work, there is your standard drain cleaner that you can also buy in a hardware store or even your local grocery store. It’s better if you can use a household solution, but these drain cleaners often work in a pinch. They’re very simple to use. You generally just dump them in your drain and wait. If even this method is not effective, it may be time to call the plumber.

For Slow Drains and Other Plumbing Issues in the Oneida Area, Call Mr. Rooter Plumbing of Oneida

If your drain isn’t responding to common methods of speeding it up, you may have a more serious plumbing problem. If you are in the Oneida area, Mr. Rooter Plumbing can help. We’ll send a licensed plumber who is certified by Onondaga County for plumbing leak detection or any plumbing-related project to check out your drain and pipes and give you a fair, accurate assessment of what kind of plumbing repair you will need and what it will cost.

Mr. Rooter Plumbing has years of experience solving problem problems for residents of Utica, Rome, Oneida and surrounding areas, and our parts and labor are guaranteed. For slow drains, leaks and all other plumbing issues, call us or contact us online for a free estimate today.