Slow drains are among the most common plumbing problems you’ll encounter. Because of all the waste substances that are flushed down the drain, this essential part of your plumbing system often collect greasy and sticky substances that cling onto the walls of its pipes. And it’s not only the kitchen sink drain that you should be worried about. Your bathroom sink drain is also prone to slow-draining, too. Fortunately, there are several methods that you can try to fix this problem. Here are some suggestions you might want to try for your bathroom sink!
1. Zip-It
Your bathroom sink often gather hair strands and soap scum that restrict the smooth flow of water inside the drain pipe. You can hook out these hair strands with the use of a zip-it tool that you can get from local home improvement stores and hardware. Whenever you notice that the drain becomes slow, just get your zip-it tool, insert it inside the drain and wiggle it around. It will catch all the hair and other sticky waste substances inside the pipes. Slowly pull it out and dispose the waste properly.
2. How Water
Hot water is also an effective bathroom sink drain cleaner. However, be careful when using it because it may damage or break porcelain and ceramic sinks. Instead of using water straight from the stove, you can just simply turn the hot water tap on and let the water flow into the drain. This way, greasy substances will soften inside the pipes. If this doesn’t work, the problem is not as simple as you think it is.
3. Pop-Up Stopper Replacement
The bathroom sink’s pop-up stopper collects sediments that build up over time. If the drain is not cleared with the above-mentioned methods, you have to remove the pop-up first and clean it. Just locate the nut that holds it in place. It’s usually attached to the drain and situated under the sink. When you’ve detached it, clean it out and then reinstall.
4. Clean The Sink Overflow
The sink overflow is devised to let air access the drain whenever water fills the washbasin. However, it is also one place where sediments and debris often accumulate. Clean the overflow to fix the slow-draining issue.
5. Use Baking Soda And Vinegar
As we have always mentioned on our blog posts, the combination of baking soda and vinegar is a trusted and reliable drain cleaner. Pour a cup of your preferred baking soda into the drain, making sure that it touches the walls of the pipe. Afterwards, pour a cup of white vinegar. The two ingredients will then produce a chemical reaction that will fizz out the sticky waste substances, therefore clearing your drain. When the fizzing stops, turn the hot water tap on to wash away the residues.
5. Plunger
As always, the plunger is a great plumbing tool that effectively gets rid of clogs. It’s also great for clearing slow drains, too. Position it right on top of the drain. Make sure that water covers its rubber area. Plunge up and down on a steady pace until you’ve done about 15 repetitions already. Once done, turn the tap on and notice how your bathroom sink drain has improved.
6. Plumbing Snake
When all of these fail, it’s time to rely on your plumbing snake. Remove the pop-up stopper to make the drain pipe accessible. Insert the plumbing snake into the drain and push it further until it touches on a clog or blockage. Keep on turning the crank clockwise while pushing the snake in to hook out waste substances. When you no longer feel resistance, slowly pull it out and dispose the waste substances properly.
We hope that you learned how to fix slow draining sinks from our blog today. If the problem persists, just call your trusted Miami plumber for drain issues. Call us at (305) 240-6731 to schedule a service!
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