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We also hear, "I cleaned out the trap, but the drain is still clogged." Cleaning out the trap is effective – when the trap itself is clogged. However, most clogs are located further down the line, making trap cleaning a futile step.

So what's the next step if chemical solutions and trap cleaning don't solve your drain problems? If you want to find a local professional plumber, fill out this form. If you're the do-it-yourself type, we've put together a few drain troubleshooting tutorials to help you unclog common drain problems.

Common Drain Problems: Unclogging a Kitchen Sink

The kitchen sink is a prime candidate for clogged drains. Whether your sink has a garbage disposal or not, food particles and grease are common culprits. Kitchen sinks come in several different configurations including single and double sinks, with and without garbage disposals. No matter which configuration your sink conforms to, if a double sink backs up or a single sink has standing water, the drain is clogged and must be unclogged. 

Step One: Plunging.

Note that if you used a chemical drain cleaner prior to this, make sure to protect yourself by wearing eye protection and rubber gloves. After all, the chemicals are now in the standing water and could cause bodily harm. Also, if your dishwasher lacks an air gap, a device that prevents backflow and siphoning, be aware that plunging could pump dirty or chemical-laden water into your dishwasher. 

Plunging a single bowl sink is relatively straightforward. If the standing water has receded, add more water to the sink and then place the plunger over the drain and begin plunging. Plunging a double bowl sink is trickier than plunging a single bowl sink. You will need a helper to hold the drain stopper in one sink firmly in place as you plunge the other side. Again, add water if the water has receded.  

Use an up and down plunging motion and do not break the seal until you're ready to check to see if the plunging worked. Limit your plunging to five minutes. If the clog is not cleared after five minutes of plunging, this technique is unlikely to work and it's time to move on.

Step Two: Call a Professional Plumber or Rent a Snake

If plunging didn't work, the clog is beyond the trap and you'll need a plumbing snake to clear the drain. At this point, you can either call a professional plumber or rent a plumbing snake. Using drain cleaning machines like snakes is dangerous, and doing so doesn't always yield results. You may end up renting equipment only to have to call a plumber anyway. Because of the risk and the possibility of wasting money, we highly recommend calling a professional.

If you decide to rent a snake, be aware that the snake must be long enough to reach from the kitchen sink all the way to the house's main drain line. If the snake is only 25 feet long, but the clog is located 30 feet down the line, your efforts will be futile.

Common Drain Problems: Unclogging Interconnected Drain Lines

Have you ever run water in a bathroom only to have water come up in a downstairs sink or bathtub? This happens with interconnected drain lines that are connected before reaching the main drain line. For example, the upstairs sink water flows through the same drain line as the downstairs sink and tub before reaching the main drain line. When the a clog is present past the downstairs sink and tub, these fixtures will back up whenever water flows from the upstairs bathroom because the water ultimately reaches the clog and has nowhere to go but back up. To unclog the clog, use a plumbing snake to clear the main drain line, in this case, from the downstairs bathroom fixture. 

Common Drain Problems: Unclogging Local and Main Drain Line Stoppages

Another common drain problem involves the washing machine which causes water to back up in the bathtub or causes the toilet to bubble. When this happens, the cause could be:

·         A local stoppage

·         A main line stoppage

·         A full septic tank (the only solution to this problem is to have your septic tank pumped and cleaned)  

For local and main line stoppages, we highly recommend calling a professional plumber. The only way to clear these clogs is with the use of a drain cleaning machine. While you can rent the equipment, using drain cleaning machines is dangerous and risky. Among the risks are:

·         A stuck plumbing snake which could cost you hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to remove. In addition, removal could damage your home.

·         The snake could damage the underground pipes or septic tank

·         The snake could go the wrong way and destroy one of the toilets in your home (this really happens)

·         You could spend hours trying to clear the drain and still need to call a plumber 

Clogged drains are challenging. While it's worthwhile to attempt to clear minor clogs first by plunging when applicable, we highly recommend hiring a professional plumber for major clogs.

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