Pittsburgh Commercial Water Drain Clog Solutions Explored
Commercial water drain clog problems come in various types. But the one thing that they all have in common is they’re often stubborn to remedy.
In a home, they are certainly a nuisance, but in a business setting in Pittsburgh, commercial water drain clog problems can be catastrophic. Depending on what type of drain it is and where it’s located, a clogged drain can shut a business down with an inspector’s red tag.
Even so, while they are for sure problematic, all of them have a solution, and knowing which solution to implement is key to success.
How to Clear a Clogged Sink Drain
A clogged sink drain is the most common, but they are also the easiest to clear.
If you were to visit various businesses to check the bathroom sink drains, what you will find is that almost all of them don’t have a screen. Instead, if you look down inside of them, you will see a metal X that will let debris pass but tend to get hair hung up on them.
So the first solution to try is using a pair of needle-nose pliers to reach down into the drain and retrieve as much hair as possible.
What you will most likely find is that the majority of it is comprised of a wad of hair further down inside of the drain that will come up as you remove the visible surface hair.
Don’t bother using commercial liquid drain cleaners because even though they claim they do, none of them will dissolve hair.
How to Clear a Clogged Bathroom Sink
Here again, is another common solvable bathroom sink clog scenario. That being a sink that is clogged up by hair wadded up down inside the drain.
Take a look in any residential bathroom sink and what you will find is a plunger system that’s used to open and close the drain as needed. Pull up on the small knob behind the faucet, and the plunger goes down to allow the sink to fill with water.
Then when it’s time to drain, that same knob is depressed down to open it. It’s a great system that has yet to be improved on, but it also works great for trapping hair to clog the drain.
So using a flashlight, open the cupboard underneath the sink, and you will see that there’s a slim bar that connects the drain plunger up top to the business end of the plunger system underneath the sink.
Simply reach up and unscrew the plastic coupling where it connects to the drain line, and you will then be able to lift the drain plug out. It’s then that you can remove the wad of hair that is accumulated on it. After that, replace it and reverse the process used to dismantle it.
How to Use a Drain Plunger
The standard drain plunger is easy to use and highly effective, but it does require some basic techniques.
A standard drain plunger is an excellent tool to keep around because they have been known to make quick business clearing clogged drains. Sometimes it just takes seconds to clear the drain, then other times, with another clogged drain, all efforts are futile.
No matter how vigorous the attack on the clog, in these instances, it seems to have zero effect. The reason for this is that the plumbing systems on homes and commercial buildings are vented.
This means that it’s not one direct line that carries fluid down and out. Instead, inside the wall, it’s a bisected line, with one pipe carrying the liquid and the other line venting the displaced air up and out to the roof.
There’s also a vent hole on some bathroom sinks.
So the secret to success with a plunger is to use a wet cloth to close out these vent lines. By doing this, the compression that the plunger generates is directed straight down against the clog without being vented away.
How to Unclog a Yard Drainage System
A clogged yard drain system can be the most stubborn due to the volume of debris that needs to be cleared.
When dealing with a clogged yard drainage system, what you are trying to clear away is leaves, lawn shavings, and dirt. So the first area to clean out is the catch basin below the drainage grate.
If it has a drainage grate that can be lifted off, then down at the bottom will be a recessed catch basin that functions as a detour for debris that makes it past the cover grate.
So using a bucket and a small hand shovel, remove all debris until the catch basin is cleaned out. Then use a hose with a direct stream sprayer tip turned up too high to blast out as much of the rubbish in the line as you can. Sometimes it’s best to work from the back end.
What this means is if you can access the outlet, that would be the best place to direct your efforts, so the debris being blasted can freely flow out.
If none of these efforts deliver results, then consider renting a large drain snake from your local tool rental agency to use on it. The longer a yard drainage system has been clogged, the more compact and challenging it’s going to be to clear it out.
A Pittsburgh Drain Line Inspection May Provide Answers
If a persistently repeated clog is your problem, a Pittsburgh drain line inspection may be the solution.
If you have repeatedly cleared your clogged drain line only to have it constantly stop flowing, then the problem might be located somewhere in the drain line. If it’s a toilet that time and again develops a stubborn clog, it may be a toothbrush or a child’s toy that has become jammed up inside of it.
But another problem that too many people are unaware of is a sagging drain line or older drain lines that lack the slope required to carry debris on its way out. If this is the case, then until an inspection is conducted to locate the source of the problem, it will continue to persist.