People like to say that there are only two guarantees in life; death and taxes. We like to think a little outside of the box however, so we’ve thrown an extra ‘guarantee’ into the mix – in the form of blocked drains. These events can occur at the most inconvenient of times and if left untreated, there’s no telling just how substantial the cause of the blockage can become.
What might have started as a few stray hairs can soon lead to a huge clump; heaven forbid if sand or oil manages to make their way into your pipework, too! In these events you’ll typically have just a few options, but what might they be exactly?
Call out the professionals
This is by far the most beneficial (and potentially effective) option at your disposal. By getting in touch with a trained and qualified plumber you won’t have to face damaging your drain and pipes further by attempting to rectify the matter, nor will you need to deal with the unsavoury cause of the blockage either!
It can be pretty appealing to try to remove the blockage yourself, but considering the damage that you might cause if the problem travels further into your pipework – this is the last thing that you might want to do.
Turn off your water supply
As briefly mentioned above, if you allow the blockage to travel further into your pipework; this could result in a larger problem, or even unnecessary damage. Instead of switching the shower head on and turning it to full-blast, it makes much more sense to switch your water supply off to stop anyone else from inadvertently affecting the blockage in your drain.
With the supply off, you won’t have to worry too much about the clump travelling further down into your pipes; and you can then get in touch with an expert to have them take care of the event for you.
If a little DIY is on the cards, then only try the most reputable blockage removers
Sometimes you might find that calling an expert is out of the question – especially if you’re keen to dislodge the cause as soon as possible. It is worth noting that plenty of plumbers offer emergency services, so you could still give them a call if you need them urgently. But if you really are keen to take care of the cause yourself, then your final option will be to invest in a sink and plughole un-blocker.
These products are readily available in stores; but as most will rely on oil-based chemicals to shift the blockage to another location in your pipework (whilst hopefully breaking it down), we wouldn’t blame you for getting in touch with the professionals instead.
