How To Unclog Floor Drain

More often than not, you neglect your floor drain until plumbing issues arise. You know, floor drains are not immune to clogging. In fact, they are more vulnerable to clogs because these drains are mostly the last stops of the wastewater before it finally sets in your septic tank or flows straight to your sewer lines. When it gets clogged, you can expect a lot of problems like the presence of foul odor; backups and disruption to your daily activities. Fortunately, it is not that difficult to unclog a floor drain. Here’s a DIY guide you can follow:

1. Remove the excess water that has pooled around the floor drain area. Use a bucket or any type of container to scoop the water out and then use a mop to wipe the remaining water.

2. When you’re done, wear a pair of rubber gloves to protect your hands. Floor drains are dirty and so are the substances that are found in there. You surely do not want to catch any bacteria when you work on it.

3. Most drain covers are secured by screws. Use a Phillips or flathead screwdriver to remove the screws then pull the lid off. Set it aside and put the screws somewhere safe.

4. Get a flashlight and look inside the hole. Check for any obstruction such as a toy or any solid clog that lingers inside the pipe. Remove it by hooking it out with a wire or if you can reach it, use your hands. Dispose them properly.

5. If there’s no clog or obstruction of some sort, get a coat hanger and turn it into a hook. Insert it into the drain hole and use to locate clogs. Move it around and pull it up carefully when you feel that it has hooked something. Discard the waste materials in a bucket.

6. Now get a plunger and place it on top of the drain hole. Plunge up and down repeatedly. After about 15 repetitions, pour some water into the drain hole and check if the clog has been removed. If the problem persists, get a plumbing snake.

7. Insert the end of the snake into the hole. Turn it crank clockwise to push it further into the drain. Keep on pushing until it reaches the clog. Add more force to the snake to break through the clog. When you no longer feel resistance, slowly pull it out and dispose the waste materials properly.

8. Test the drain again. Pour a bucket of water and check if the obstruction has been removed. If the pipe is still clogged, call a plumber.

We hope that you learned how to unclog floor drain from our blog today. If you need help, just call the most reliable Ashburn plumber for your drain cleaning needs. Plumbers 911 Washington DC provides the most trusted plumbing services in Ashburn VA including drain cleaning, faucet repair, toilet repair, camera sewer inspection, leak detection and many more! Call us now at (877) 932-5325 to schedule a service!

Learn how to install a floor drain! Watch this video now.