If you have never unblocked a drain, you could be forgiven for thinking it’s a simple enough task; all you have to do is remove whatever it is that is obstructing the flow and Bob’s your uncle. Oh, if only it were that simple! The first problem is actually locating the blockage, which could be anywhere, even under the street outside of your property! This obviously presents a problem for the average homeowner, who was hoping a wire coat hanger would do the trick.
Here are a few things that can go wrong with DIY drain unblocking.
- Unable to locate the blockage – Perhaps the most common challenge, is how can you dislodge something if you don’t know where it is. Calling Mr Blocked Drains is the best way to move forward, as the professional uses CCTV cameras attached to a buggy that he sends down the drainage system to get a close-up view of the blockage site. Using hi-tech gear, the drain specialist can quickly discover what the problem is and make short work of it.
- Compound the blockage – Rather than dislodging it, you can actually compress the material, making it more difficult to remove, which is not a good idea. Once you call out a specialist, he would know that you had a go at removing it and would probably comment on how much harder you’ve made his job (embarrassing). What might have seemed like an easy fix, can quickly turn into a nightmare, which is why most homeowners are reluctant to even try.
- Leaving another obstacle in the drain – People have been very creative with unblocking solutions and poorly put-together devices easily break off while still in the drain. Whatever it is, it will make an excellent frame for waste to catch on, creating an impenetrable dam!
- Toilet backs-up – We wouldn’t wish this on anyone; aside from the bad odour, there could be a solid waste ejection, Yuk! All it takes is a discarded sanitary towel to create a serious toilet blockage and should the worst happen, call in a drain specialist asap. Click here to find out what colours go with a black sofa.
- Can’t finish the job – It isn’t unheard of where a homeowner takes up the floorboards to get to a blockage, and then cannot replace them. Imagine having to call in a tradesman to sort out your mess! To make sure you never end up in such a situation, never tackle a drain blockage, call in a drain unblocker who does it for a living.
- Property damage – If you are not careful, you can cause damage by trying to unblock a drain; you might need to remove floorboards or even some of the partition walls.
As you can see, there are quite a few things that can go wrong when you try to tackle a blocked drain; better to call an established drain contractor, who has the equipment and the know-how to make short work of any drain blockage.
