February 29, 2008, Newsletter Issue #71: Clearing Out A Main Drain Clog

Tip of the Week


Sometimes, your sink, toilet, and bathtub are clogged all at once. If you have more than one fixture clogged at the same time, you may have to go through the main drain in order to clear it out. Read on to find out how you can clear out a main drain clog yourself.

1. First, locate the clean out plugs on the large drain pipes of your home in order to clear a main drain clog. You can find the clean out plugs on the vertical pipes in the crawl space of your home or in the basement, if you have one. Occasionally, the drain pipe will be horizontal, rather than vertical.
2. Use a wrench to remove the metal or plastic cap of drain pipe. Have a bucket handy to house any waste flow from the pipes.
3. Insert a plumbing snake into the pipe to break up any clogs above and below the opening.
4. As an added measure, spray a strong stream of water from a water hose in order to clear out debris.
5. Once you’ve finished clearing the clog in the drain pipe, replace the cap.

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