How to Unblock a Drain: 6 Effective Methods

Option 1: The Natural Way (Baking Soda & Vinegar)

The Method: Pour 1/2 a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by 1/2 a cup of white vinegar and 1 cup of hot water. Do this in quick succession. This method is harmless for yourself, your family, your pipes and the environment so it’s often a good first method!

Why Does This Work? Combining vinegar and baking soda causes a chemical reaction which produces carbon dioxide, which provides physical agitation to break up minor blockages. While this method is great on smaller blockages, it is unlikely to work on large/severe blockages. If you’re wanting to stick with natural methods – many health food stores and chemists stock bacteria-based enzyme cleaners which can often be quite successful.

Option 2: The Old-Fashioned Way (Elbow Grease & A Plunger)

The Method: First ensure that there is enough water to cover the head of the plunger – this assists with creating the suction needed! Use a cup plunger for flat drains and a bellows/flange plunger for toilets. These can typically be found at your local hardware store.

Our Top Tip for Success: If you’re finding there isn’t enough pressure occurring to clear the blockage, try covering the overflow with a damp cloth to create a drain seal. This ensures that 100% of the pressure is being directed to the blockage, rather than escaping through the vent. Try this one a few times before you move onto more invasive measures.

Option 3: The Drain Snake (Manual Agitation)

The Method: You can hire a drain snake (also known as a plumber’s snake/drain auger) from many hardware/plumbing hire places. This hardware is fed into the pipe until resistance is felt. Then the handle is rotated to hook/break apart the blockage to pull it out. However, this equipment can require a bit of skill to use, we advise against using this unless you are confident in your ability.

Professional Warning: For older homes, be extremely gentle. Older earthenware pipes are susceptible to cracking from mechanical snakes.

Option 4: Checking the U-Bend (Manual Unblocking)

The Method: It’s not uncommon for food and other debris to get caught in the u-bend of the pipe, especially in kitchen sinks. Place a bucket under the drain/pipe to catch any water or waste and unscrew the two connections that connect the u-bend in. Once you have this separated from the main pipes you can manually extract any waste matter and screw it all back together.

Top Tip: Check that you have properly screwed the u-bend back into the main pipework. We recommend leaving the bucket under the drain and running a small amount of water to check for any leaks before you begin using it as usual.

Option 5: The Wet/Dry Vacuum Technique

The Method: If you have a wet/dry vacuum, you can set it to wet mode to assist in removing the blockage. Create a tight seal over the drain using a wet cloth and set your vacuum to high suction. Run this in intermittent bursts (around 1-2 minutes).

Best For: Solid obstructions such as small toys, jewellery or bottle caps that shouldn’t be pushed further into the system (as a plunger would cause).

Option 6: The High Pressure Flush

The Method: Using a specialised hose that fires high pressured water into your pipes. This not only clears blockages but also scours the pipe walls clean.

Fallon’s Professional Version: While DIY kits exist, they often lack the pressure of a professional hydro jetter. Our expert plumbers are equipped with advanced hydro-jetters to fully clear your pipes in no-time.

Why Trust Fallon Solutions?

We have been proudly servicing the South East Queensland community for more than 60yrs. Our drain plumbers are fully licensed, qualified and insured, so you can rest assured that you’re getting a true professional. We also offer fixed, up-front pricing with no surprises.

Need a permanent fix? Call us on 1300 054 488 or contact us here.