Drain Cleaning Columbine

Cleaning your drains with a blend of baking soda and vinegar is an excellent way to avoid using harsh chemicals. It is easy, inexpensive, and relies on two common household materials. Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain followed closely by half a cup of vinegar. The mixture will fizz and bubble, and if you have a drain that is only partially clogged (or no clog at all), you will see the baking soda and vinegar rapidly disappear. After about 15 minutes, flush the drain with hot water.

Frequently, plumbers turn to chemical drain cleaners loaded with sodium hydroxide (lye), sulfuric acid, or other noxious ingredients to remove stubborn clogs. These drain-unclogging agents work fast and are relatively inexpensive. Although these powerful compounds have a definite place in the plumber's arsenal, they certainly aren't appropriate or safe for every application. Moreover, when used regularly, they can wreak havoc on your plumbing system and the environment.

Drain cleaning should be done by a professional and is recommended to be performed every 1-2 years. This is to "maintain the drainage system, preventing clogs and ensuring the system is operating efficiently."

In Columbine, the price for getting a drain unclogged can vary based on a number of different aspects. These include how severe the clog is, where the drain is located, and which plumbing service you opt for. On average, you're looking at a price range of about $100 to $300 for the actual cleaning of the drain. If you're dealing with something more complicated that involves the main sewer line, that price could jump up to somewhere around $300 to $500 or even higher. Of course, the most accurate estimate can only be obtained by talking to a local plumber about your precise problem.

In Columbine, drains are usually unclogged using a very common and effective method that relies on a simple combination of baking soda and vinegar. The first step is to pour a pot of really hot water down the drain. Pour the following ingredients down in the order given: then half a cup of baking soda; after letting that sit for a few minutes, a mixture of one cup of vinegar and one cup of hot water; and then another pour of boiling water. From what I've been able to tell, this method appears to be pretty effective at clearing even stubborn clogs, and its overall safety is a point in its favor.

Typically, Dawn dish soap does not cause drains to clog. Indeed, it's commonly employed as a degreaser to tackle tough clogs in drains. Yet, if one were to use the soap in large quantities or if the soap were to combine with certain other materials, such as hair, grease, or food, it could form a kind of soap scum that could, conceivably, contribute to a clog. This is very unlikely to happen in a well-functioning drain, however, and it's also perfectly safe to use Dawn as a drain cleaner.

Unclogging drains with baking soda and vinegar is typically an ineffective approach and can sometimes aggravate the situation. When used together, baking soda—a base—and vinegar—an acid—react to produce carbon dioxide gas and water. Although this reaction does create some movement, the fizzing and bubbling lacks the necessary oomph that a true unblocker needs to free a significant clog. And if the mixture doesn't do the job, it can worsen the "baking soda problem," as in, leaving a bunch of sodium carbonate where it's not wanted, which can lead to who-knows-what-might-contribute-to-a-clog future scenario. By contrast, if you're going to use a reaction to free up gunk in your drain, you're better off using a strong base and a strong acid—a method that wouldn't pass a safety test for home use.

A range of implements and methods may be used by tradesmen to unclog drains. For clogs that are not too severe, they might opt to use a plunger. For clogs that are more stubborn and difficult to dislodge, a drain snake or auger could be employed. In cases where the blockage is severe and there is reason to suspect the integrity of the pipes might be at issue, high-pressure water jetting might be used. In addition to these diagnostic and problem-solving techniques, the professionals might also use video inspection to get a look inside the pipe and see what the problem actually is.

A great natural drain cleaner that you can use in your home is a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. To use this method, you would first pour about a half cup of baking soda down the drain. You would then follow that with a full cup of vinegar. After pouring in the vinegar, you would need to let the solution rest in the drain for about 15-30 minutes. That would give the solution time to work on the clog. You would then need to clear the drain by pouring in a quart of boiling water. Even when working in the space of a 15-30 minute timeframe, this drain cleaning method is not going to work on a very serious clog.

Baking soda and vinegar can sometimes exacerbate a drain clog because, while they may be effective at clearing mild clogs, they're not strong enough to dislodge serious blockages. The fizzing action of the baking soda and vinegar may give the appearance that the drain is clearing, but if the clog is composed of a significant amount of grease or solid debris, the mixture isn't strong enough to dissolve it completely, and it might leave behind a denser, more compact blockage than was present before. For tough clogs that seem to resist all attempts at clearing them, it's better to go with more positive mechanical means like plunging, snaking, or with a professional cleaning service in Columbine.