7:00AM to 5:00PM
Mon to Fri:
7:00AM to 5:00PM
When your outside drains are clogged, it may not seem like an immediate concern. But leave it for some time, and it’ll become a serious hygiene issue. Thus, it’s important to unblock an outside drain sooner.
If your house starts to smell funny or water pools up in your bathroom and kitchen, it is mainly because you’ve got a blocked outside drain. But don’t fret! Outside drains getting blocked is a widespread occurrence in any residential household. But you may need a professional hand and a friendly plumbing service for stubborn blockage.
In most cases, it is pretty easy to unclog drains by yourself without hiring any professional plumbers. And with that, it’s best to have some tips and tricks up your sleeves before you start gearing up to unclog an outside drain. That’s where we come in. We’ll discuss four easy DIY methods for unblocking an external drain, and they may even apply to internal drains.
So, without any more dilly-dallying, let’s get on with it!
The most common agents that can cause your outside drain to clog are tree branches, leaves, soil, moss, and other outdoor debris amassing on the drain opening.
But, whatever you flush or pour down the toilet and kitchen pipes can be equally problematic when it comes to unclogging your outside drain blocked with all those stuff.
For instance, pouring fat, oil, or tea leaves down your kitchen sink can compromise the integrity of your outside drain. Similarly, flushing too much toilet paper, sanitary products or wet wipes down the bathroom toilet will probably lead to blockages. Even leaving hair in the bathroom shower or bathroom sink can cause your outside drain to clog.
Like we said earlier, you can unclog an outside drain most of the time if you know the right tips and tricks. So, we’ll highlight the easiest ways to help you keep your pipelines clean and unblocked and keep your plumbing fixtures working as they should. Let’s take a look on how to best deal with your blocked outdoor drains!
This is for those who don’t have any drain rods or a drain snake to unblock drains. And so, to unblock a drain outside, it may sound unconventional, but without a drain rod, coat hangers can work effectively for unclogging drains instead. If you have an old wire coat hanger lying around the house, pull and straighten it out before bending one end to form a small hook. Now, insert the hooked end of the wire hanger carefully inside the blocked outdoor drain cover and fish around for any contaminants or material that are causing your drain blockages.
Once you do this, you’ll be able to remove all sorts of nasty items from the outside drain. Also, try not to push the gunk further inside the drainage system because you would want to pull the blockage out of the drain.
After pulling out all the gunk and debris, run some hot water down the drain to clear the path.
Using boiling water is the easiest way to clean up your clogged outside drain. Just put on a kettle full of tap water and boil it up. Now, slowly pour the hot, boiling water down the drain. By doing so, you can wash and melt away any stubborn blockages.
Then wait for a few seconds between each pour to allow the water to work its way through the obstruction. And also, be careful while pouring the boiling water down the outside drain because you don’t want to end up getting painful burns on your hands.
When it comes to house cleaning or unblocking drains, the combination of baking soda and vinegar works like magic. To prepare the cleaning mixture, you must mix an equal ratio of vinegar and baking soda in a measuring cup.
Once you see a fizz forming after mixing the two items, you must pour it down the clogged outside drain without wasting any time. This fizzing action will remove any blockage built up inside the drain.
Leave the mixture to work on the drain blockage overnight, and then wash it off with some hot water.
If you’re looking for a more robust cleaning solution, caustic soda can be a good option. Here, you need to add three cups of caustic soda to a bucket containing three or four gallons of cold water. Stir it to form a fizzy mixture, and then pour it gently into the clogged outside drain. Let it stay for 30 minutes and work on debris before washing it off with hot water.
However, remember that even though caustic soda can be an effective cleaning agent for unclogging outside drains, it can cause severe chemical burns on the skin. So, remember to wear protective goggles and latex gloves while using this compound.
Prevention is better than cure, especially when it comes to clogged outside drains.
Indeed, letting gunk and debris build up in an outside drain can soon create irreversible plumbing damage. And then, you’ll have no choice but to spend hundreds of dollars on emergency plumbing services for your blocked drains. So, it’s better to take necessary measures while you still can with your blocked drain before you’re faced with the toughest drain blockage.
If you maintain your external drains from time to time, unclogging it won’t be a backbreaking task, and you can simply follow the four easy methods mentioned above. But, this is just the tip of the iceberg — you can always do some more research and learn to take better care of your home and prevent future blockages.
For a persistent clogged drain and other plumbing problems in your residential and commercial properties, reach out to a highly recommended professional team of experienced plumbers. They’ve got the right tools to handle when your drain is blocked. They’ve got high pressure water jets or pressure hose to get rid of the stubborn clog and prevent flooding in your property.
Don’t know where to search for a professional plumber? Don’t ignore the issues in your plumbing system and have it left unattended for long. You don’t have to wear rubber gloves. You can leave everything to us. From your blocked outdoor drainage to stubborn debris and food scraps in your inside drains, removing tree roots in your drain pipe and sewer line, installing a garden tap for your garden hose and ease— you can rely on us! We go the extra mile in all our plumbing services to provide you the plumbing solutions you deserve.
So, good luck and stay safe. Until next time!
