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Experience tells us that hiring a plumber is going to hit your check book in the gut. Sometimes you can't avoid the help of the plumber as the plumbing job is just too difficult to manage. Most of the time, though, you can fix the plumbing yourself if you are knowledgeable. Try these tips when your drain is clogged and you might not need to call the plumber. Plumbing involves water and water can suddenly spew all over your house when you are fiddling with the plumbing. So verify that you know where the main shut off valve is located in case you spring a leak. Also figure out where the shut off valve is on the pipes you are currently working on. Kitchen drains tend to clog up due to a buildup of grease over time. One way to fix the issue is dump hot grease down the drain. It will cause the hardened grease to liquify and move down the pipes. If pouring grease does not do the trick then you might have something blocking the drain. Before you get out the really crazy tools like snakes and plungers, it is best to first check the drain itself for the simple stuff. You are going to want to remove and then clean the sink stopper or strainer. If this does not work, you are going to need to resort to more drastic measures. First try using a snake tool. It generally works well when trying to unblock a drain. A snake consists of a long thin piece of corrugate pipe. It is inside of a device you hold in your hands. The snake extends and retracts the pipe so you remove any blockage. Using the snake is as easy as sticking the end into the drain a couple inches. Turn the handle to change the direction of the snake head. This will allow you to catch whatever is blocking the drain. Keep proceeding down the drain until you find a blockage. Repeat this process by turning the handle until you find the culprit. But, there are times when a snake may not be able to do the job and you need to resort to the snake or perhaps some chemical drain cleaner. It is recommended that you start with the plunger as you cannot use a plunger after putting chemical drain opener in the drain because it may splash up and get you in the eyes when plunging. If you need to plunge the drain, you need to make sure that there is water covering the drain. This helps ensure you that you have a good seal because that really is the power of plunging. You are also going to need to cover up any drain vents or the other drain opening if you have another sink. Try plunging 15-20 times without stopping before pulling the plunger away. If the sink is still not draining, repeat 2 or 3 times before quitting. Then, it is time to use some chemical drain opener and think about calling a plumber because the source of your blockage may be too far into the pipes for you to deal with.
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Dwight Nga is the chief writer for, and editor of For Plumbing, it's one of the webs most up to date Plumbing sites, while you're there sign up for the free newsletter. If you want to read more Plumbing articles go to: www.forplumbing.com/articles This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.
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