Some of the most heroic moments in a contractor’s life take place when he or she comes to the rescue after a homeowner has tried everything to unstop a drain.
By then, the sink, tub or bowl is filled with a primordial soup of drain refuse, caustic chemicals and scum. It’s time to bring in the heavy artillery in the form of powered drain cleaners that snake to the clog and take it out mechanically.
Blockages vary, and any drain-cleaning professional with a few years’ experience has some favorite stories about customers’ clogs and what they tried to do to get rid of them. In tubs, it’s often a soft blockage of hair or a buildup of soaps and conditioners.
In kitchens, the damage is mainly from things that shouldn’t go down the drain, such as grease, pasta, banana peels or coffee grounds. There are some common, but often-overlooked, steps a drain-cleaning professional can take to get water moving again and be a hero to the homeowner.
Choose the tool
Ask the homeowners what they think may have caused the clog. Find out if they already tried caustic drain cleaners, which could affect your personal safety.
The most common tool in the plumber’s arsenal is the drain gun, but sink machines and toilet augers offer specific features that can make the job go faster and make cleanup easier.
For example, a sink machine can be equipped with a protective guide hose that keeps the cable from splashing water or drain residue and provides excellent control of the advancing cable. It also allows the power unit to be placed outside the cabinet or other cramped locations. The guide hose can also protect porcelain from scratches or damage from the cable. Similarly, in toilets, a toilet auger will not scratch or mark the porcelain the way a drain gun can.
Although drain guns are the most commonly used drain-cleaning tools, all models are not created equal. A faster, more aggressive feed rate creates more cable whip that scours residue from inside the pipe walls. Units with reversible automatic feeds will quickly advance the cable into the drain – up to 23 feet per minute – and allow the cable to continue to turn clockwise even in reverse.
Maintaining a clockwise rotation in reverse means the unit is more likely to hang onto the debris or clog as it backs out of the drain. Units that turn counterclockwise to reverse often “unscrew” their grasp on the clog, which means it could take more time to unplug the drain.
Drain guns are available with 1/4- to 3/8-inch cables. The 5/16-inch cable is most common and can easily clean up to 2-inch pipes. The 3/8-inch cable is better for pipes up to 2 1/2 inches. It is stiffer, so it may have a harder time negotiating 90s and 45s, but it allows the operator to attach different tool heads to attack a variety of drain problems.
Typical tool styles include:
Straight auger. This comes standard with the drain gun and should be the first one into the drain. It may clear the clog, but it can also retrieve a sample of the clog so you can choose the best tool for the job.
Bulb auger. This general-purpose auger is for use in pipes from 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches. Use it in sinks, bathtubs, drinking fountains and urinals. Use a bulb auger with an inner-core cable for 1 1/4- to 2-inch drain lines.
Drop-head auger. This is the head to use when cleaning back-to-back-mounted fixtures where the cable must be fed into a down pipe. For 1 1/4- to 2-inch lines, use a drop-head auger with an inner-core cable.
Grease cutter. This is the tool to use to bust through detergent buildup in lines leading from a waste pipe.
Four-blade cutter. Use this tool to tackle blockages caused by hardened, glazed material, such as chemical deposits.
Grease “C” cutter. This tool tackles grease blockages in lines leading from garbage disposals or waste pipes.
Prepare the area
Operators who leave a big mess in their wake won’t be considered heroes for long. Take time to protect the work area by laying down mats or tarps to protect surfaces from drain debris and water. Move items that could be damaged during the process.
Some drain-cleaning tools make less mess. For example, two-piece steel drums on drain guns often leak and spray water. Conversely, a plastic, interlocking one-piece drum can eliminate splatter from seam leaks, greatly reducing cleanup.
Protective glasses and rubber gloves are imperative for these jobs, as they will minimize the chances of caustic chemicals splashing on you. A face shield is an even better choice because it will give full-face coverage.
Clear the clog
Follow the operator manual’s directions for your specific drain-cleaning tool. Advance the cable into the opening and listen closely to the motor to give an indication of the tool head reaching the clog. Run warm or hot water in the drain if possible, as it will help carry away blockages as they are cleared.
Elbows in the line can cause some challenges to advancing the tool. Typically, models with 5/16-inch cable are better for negotiating 90s and 45s. Depending on the blockage, it may take several approaches to break through the clog. If the cleaner is equipped with an auto- or dual-feed reversing system, back the cable out and find out what’s causing the clog.
Some or all of the clog should be caught in the auger. Depending on the drain-cleaner model, you can switch out the bulb auger with another tool that is best suited to handle the clog.
Continue to advance the cable into the clog. Auto-feeding models will advance through most clogs, but also feature a slide-action chuck that allows you to apply even more force on the line to negotiate elbows and power through tough clogs such as lime, chemical buildup or other solid blockages. As the clog clears, the water in the bowl or sink will begin to drain immediately with a “whoosh.”
Take care of the tools
At the end of the day, clean and inspect the drain cleaner. Wash out the components and disassemble the drum. Inspect the cable for bends, kinks or other signs of wear. A kink means the cable has been overstressed.
Slight kinks (up to 15 degrees) can be straightened, but all kinks weaken the cable and can cause failure during use. If the cable breaks while in use, a part of the cable can become trapped deep within the plumbing. Replacement cables are available from parts supply houses or tool manufacturers.
Once you’ve completed the inspection, treat the cleaned cable with penetrating oil or other rust preventive, and then reassemble the unit.
Renee Brown is product manager, drain cleaning, at RIDGID, a manufacturer of drain-cleaning and other professional tools. She can be reached at 440/329-4461 or Renee.Brown@emerson.com.
