If you have discovered that your drain needs unclogging then you might be wondering if you should try to tackle this job yourself or get a plumber. Before you go trying to get hold of a plumber, why not attempt the job yourself? It can often be a lot easier than most people think. Whatever you do, try and get your drain fixed as quickly as possible because they smell ugly and can potentially lead to a burst pipe when winter arrives.



The first thing you should try when unclogging a drain is just to pour some hot water down. If there is only a small amount of food and grease then it might be pretty simple to get rid of it with hot water. If you find that it doesn't do the trick then it's time to move onto some other techniques.

Everyone knows what a plunger is and how to use it, even if you have never actually had to implement it before. The reason they work is because the increase the pressure in the pipe causing the blockage to move out. If it's winter and the temperature is below freezing, you need to know that using a plunger is a bad thing. When pipes are clogged with ice you can cause the pipe to burst if using a plunger.

When a clogged u-bend needs fixing then it might be a case of taking that section of pipe out so that you can properly clean it. This is a very simple task that most people will be capable. All you have to do is to remember to turn off the water supply before you go taking any pipes away.

There are also chemical drain uncloggers that can be used to dissolve common materials such as food and grease. After you have used it you just pour down some hot water to flush it all away.

Some people prefer to use natural products whenever possible because of the cost and also for environmental reasons. In which case you should try mixing up some bicarb of soda and some vinegar. This mixture can be used to pour down the drain and works particularly well when the blockage is caused by calcium carbonate.

If you have exhausted all the above techniques then it might be that you need to buy yourself a plumber's snake if you don't own one already. This can be used for many different uses such as for unblocking a toilet or sink.

Everyone knows how expensive plumbers are getting these days so trying to fix problems yourself is always suggested as long as you follow instructions and don't try to do anything stupid. If in the end you cannot work out what needs to be done to unclog a drain, all you have to do is pick up the phone and call a plumber.