If you find that the sink, bath or basin is slow to drain, or doesn’t drain at all then don’t panic, you might not need to call out a plumber just yet!
More often than not you’ll find that slow draining is due to things such as grease, debris, hair or soap product getting trapped in the plug hole and a blockage can be due to there being a build-up of such in your waste pipe.
Before you reach for the phone to call out your plumber, here are a couple of things you can try at home which 9 times out of 10 get things back to working correctly in no time at all.
- Thoroughly clean all of your plug holes and remove any hair or other debris and then see if this helps the water run down at a normal speed.
- Put some water in your sink, place a damp cloth on the overflow and pump down with a plunger on your plug hole for a short while and then see if the sink drains.
- Purchase an instant drain unblocker from any reputable DIY store, this uses gas that expands when it comes into contact with water and when used correctly can remove any blockages down in your pipes in no time at all. Refer to the label for product specific usage.
- Purchase a drain cleaning product from any reputable DIY store or supermarket and pour into your sink or basis in accordance to the product instructions. These sometimes require to be left over a period of time, and should then clear any blockage that is down in your pipes.
- If none of the above have worked, then there may be a stubborn blockage in the waste trap. Remembering to put a bucket underneath the trap whilst you work to catch any water that’s in there, unscrew the trap and remove the blockage, giving the trap a thorough clean before putting back on.
If you’ve tried all of the above and still have a blocked or slow draining sink, basin or bath then it’s time to call out a plumber to investige further.
Home Services Assistance have plumbers available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Give us a call on 0333 313 3134 we’re here to help with all of your plumbing problems.