Sink and tub drains can be an easy location to find clogs. Many things can get into a drain and cause it to clog. We'll identify the common causes of a clog and how to get rid of them.
Bathroom and tub clogs are usually one or the most common areas to accumulate hair and other items. Bathroom sinks mainly get hair in them from leaning over when brushing the teeth or brushing hair. What needs to be done is simple and I'll explain how to remove the clog. Underneath the sink there will be an attachment that looks like a lever on the backside of the drain. All you have to do is simply unscrew it and slide it out. Once you have gotten the lever out you can pull out the "pop-up" in the sink. This is the part that closes the drain when you want to fill the sink up with water. You should now have a clear view of inside the drain. Do not turn on the water because you have detached the lever from under the sink. Grab a small flashlight so you can see what or if anything is blocking the drain. You can do a number of things now. You can get an old wire hanger from you closet and form the hook into a smaller hook and stick it into the drain and see if anything comes out. If the clog is mainly hair then most likely the hair will come out with the pop-up. You will have to re attach the lever under the sink and test to see if the water is still not flowing properly. If the drain is still not flowing through quick enough you will need to take off the "P trap." The P trap is the curved PVC tubing shaped like the letter J. The purpose of this P trap is so the sewer gases do not come back up into the house. The P trap can sometimes get clogged with debris and it is not a difficult piece to remove or replace.
Tub drains are very similar, but you may need a couple of special tools to unclog it. Tub drains can be easily prevented with a micro screen. It is a regular screen with smaller holes to catch smaller items. You can use the screen here because it would sit on a flatter surface. To remove a clog from the tub you will need a tub socket. A tub socket is an insert you put into the drain so you can twist out the entire drain. Once you have gotten the drain out you will also need an auger. This is commonly known as a "snake." You put the end of it in the drain and start twisting it until it feeds itself the entire length. If that does not clear it out, you have more serious problems than your ever day clog.
Kitchen sink clogs can be a little more difficult. If you have a disposal, clogs can still occur if the disposal gets jammed. When the disposal is installed, it comes with a wrench specifically designed to move the blades and free the blades loose. There will be a slot on the underside of the disposal which you can use this wrench. Just turn it both ways a couple of times and you can feel it come loose. Uncooked foods such as rice or pasta will later expand inside the drain and cause a nice clog. These foods gather in the P trap and soften up. The easiest way to clear this out is to take off the P trap and clean it out. Very simple steps like we mentioned earlier will get this done quickly. If you do not want to take the P trap apart you can also get 2 plungers. Suction a plunger over the disposal side and fill the sink with water. Filling the sink with water will allow the plunger to stay suctioned. Take the other plunger and place it over the sink drain while still holding the other plunger down. When you plunge the sink most people want to push down on the plunger to force the clog through. This practice is wrong and I will tell you why. When you force the plunger down you are only compacting the clog even more because after all, the clog is in front of it right? That is why it is clogging. You want to slowly push the plunger down to evacuate the air in the plunger so it has a tight feel and pull up firmly. This action will pull the clog toward the entry of the drain and slowly dislodge the items piece by piece. This may need to be done several times in order to completely clear the drain.
