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How To Unblock A Shower Drain

Struggling with drainage issues in your shower drain? Before you call out specialists to provide drain unblocking services for Blocked Drains in Newbury, here are two things you can try at home.

 

Two Tips For Unblocking Shower Drains At Home

Whilst a drain inspection or CCTV drain survey is often necessary, sometimes some quick DIY methods can remedy minor issues with shower drains.

 

  1. Using A Plunger
    The plunger is a great tool for dealing with small drainage issues, however it’s important that you use a plunger correctly.

    Plungers work thanks to Boyle’s law which states that the pressure of a given mass of an ideal gas is inversely proportional to its volume at a constant temperature.

    In layman’s terms, a plunger works by creating a seal and increasing atmospheric pressure. As you push down on the plunger, pressurised air travels through the pipe, then as you pull back a vacuum is created, which sucks air and water out of the drain. The repetition of the pushing and pulling of air and water creates an abrupt force of pressure which can help to loosen a clog in pipes.

    Whilst plungers are very useful tools, they don’t always work. This is because plungers often push air into the drain and use air pressure in an attempt to dislodge the blockage. The issue with using air is that air will compress, as such the pressure is dependent on the change in volume of the plunger’s bell, which won’t be enough to move serious blockages.

  2. Using Drain Unblocking Chemicals
    If manual labour and the power of Boyle’s law aren’t helping, perhaps some drain unblocking chemicals will be able to deal with the drain blockage.

    You can find a wide variety of household unblocking chemicals at local supermarkets. These cleaners are designed to use chemicals in order to dissolve grease, and other items of ‘build-up’ that have caused the blockage. Different products will require different waiting times, so make sure you follow the instructions on the packaging precisely. After the allocated waiting time, use hot water to flush any remaining unblocking cleaner from the system. However, if at this time you notice that the drain has not unblocked, this means that your drains are in serious need of professional assistance.

    If you have used a chemical drain cleaner and it has not cleared the blockage, you must tell the experts that you have attempted to unblock the drain with chemical cleaners, and if possible keep the packaging for information regarding the specific cleaning product. This is because drain unblocking chemicals can be very harmful, and could very easily result in a chemical burn whilst the professional is inspecting your drainage.

 

Avoiding Drain Damage And Blockages

Once clearing a blocked drain, it’s important that you maintain best practice in order to reduce the likelihood of future blocks and damage. Drain best practice is as simple as keeping harmful and dangerous items out of your drains. The only thing that should go down your drain other than water is thin toilet paper. This means that you should never flush wet wipes, food, dental floss, chewing gum, and feminine hygiene products.

If you would like to learn more information about looking after your drainage, you can learn about the causes of ‘smelly drains’ and how drains get blocked on our blog.

 

Professional Drainage Services In Newbury

If plungers and chemical cleaners aren’t successfully removing drain blockages, don’t worry because our team of experts can help. Our drainage specialists can provide survey services to perform a thorough investigation of your drains, identifying any potential issues and recommending the appropriate service to combat the issue.

We can also provide surveys for those interested in purchasing property. We are able to conduct a survey on the property’s drainage and inform you of any underlying problems that exist with the drain and if any drain repairs are necessary.

 

Get In Touch With The Drain Gain Drainage Experts Today

If you have any questions regarding the services that are available from Drain Gain, or if you would like more information, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our friendly and dedicated team of professionals.

If you would like to contact us and make an enquiry, you can speak to a member of our team by calling our team on 01491 598400. Alternatively, you could contact Drain Gain using the enquiry form on our page titled, “Get In Touch”.

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