How to unblock a drain
Blocked drains don’t look good and they certainly won’t smell good either but you’ll find, with the right equipment, that they’re easier to clear than you might think. So don’t let a blockage beat you, get yourself a set of drain rods and get to it.
Step 1
If you’ve got a blocked drain, you’ll need the proper kit to do a proper job. Attacking the problem with a coat hanger or a broom handle almost never works. You’ll also need some tough PVC knitwrist gloves.
Step 2
You may need a set of manhole keys to make it easier to lift the drain’s inspection chamber cover. Insert one into each of the keyholes, twist and lift to remove the cover.
Step 3
If it’s not clear what the problem is, you can use a compact drain camera to inspect further.
Step 4
To clear fairly straight short-to-medium drainpipes, use a drain rod. You may need to screw a few lengths of rod together depending on how far away the blockage is.
Step 5
Push the rods through the pipe and you’ll feel when you hit the blockage. Then use the rods to poke through and loosen it – you’ll need to add your own elbow grease at this point! Follow with plenty of water to wash through any residue.
Step 6
For pipes with awkward bends or at gulley junctions, the manual drain cleaner will come in handy. Insert the cutting head of the machine into the drain and unwind the flexible metal spiral tube until it pushes against and loosens the blockage.
Step 7
To clear stubborn blockages or to just flush through any residual waste, you might be better using a petrol-powered jet. The braked hose reel will mean you can get to blockages up to 90 metres away and the high pressure water jet will deal swiftly with the problem.
