Water tends to back up into the lower section of the pipes when drains clog. If you have a basement with drains, it will most likely appear there first. The presence of water in the basement indicates that the drain has been connected. Most drains clog as a result of tree roots. You can do this yourself before calling in the professionals. Make sure there is no water running down the drains until the problem is fixed.

What should you do if your basement drain is clogged? Remove any standing water in the basement. Remove as much water as possible from the floor, sink, bathtub, and toilet drains. Protect your hands and eyes by wearing gloves and goggles. Locate the drain plug, which is usually found on the drain pipe closest to the house exit. Remove the floor drain cover if the cleanout plug is in the floor drain. This cover either slides off or is held in place by screws. With a socket wrench, loosen the cleanout plug.

Place a 5 gallon bucket under the cleanout plug if possible. This will catch any remaining water and trash in the drain. Remove the plug when there is no more water or residue coming out. Insert the snake’s head into the hole. If using an electric snake, push it 3-4 feet into the drain before turning it on. Turn the wheel clockwise if you’re using a manual snake. The drill head will be pushed deeper into the drain as a result of this. Push the snake as far as you can down the drain until you encounter resistance. Pull the snake about 2 feet towards you. Stop and then reverse the snake’s direction once more.

Repeat the back-and-forth motion until the obstruction is no longer present. Remove the snake from the drain, passing the rags through the cable as you go. This will aid in the reduction of clutter. Make sure you have a bucket handy to dispose of the garbage that comes out of the snake’s head. Three 5-gallon buckets of hot water should be poured down the drain hole. As the snake auger loosens, this will help clear the drain, but don’t pull it out. If the water isn’t draining properly, repeat the steps above, going further out or as far as the auger will go. Wrap Teflon tape around the cleanout plug’s threads.

If you need to remove the cleanout plug again, this will make it easier. To completely empty the drain, screw the drain plug onto the drain pipe and tighten it. Finally, run the hot water faucet for about 10 minutes.

 

For more information, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New Jersey.  We also service other towns in New Jersey, such as Wyckoff, Verona and Kinnelon.