Baking Soda and Vinegar: Pour half a cup of baking soda and half a cup of vinegar down the drain. Cover the drain and let the mixture sit for an hour, then flush with hot water. Plumbing Snake or Auger: A plumbing snake can physically remove blockages that are deeper in the pipe.
Try pouring hot water down the drain, then follow it with one cup of bicarbonate of soda and a cup of vinegar. Leave it for ten minutes, then chase it with more hot water. A combination of the hot water and the natural cleaner mixture can break blockages up.
Use a drain bladder/ball bag
After it's filled with water, the bladder will deliver a huge flow through the pipe, breaking up and flushing away the clog. A ball bag has to be used carefully, though – and we wouldn't recommend it if you have old pipes, as the high pressure might cause more harm than good.
Mix 1/3rd of a cup of bicarbonate of soda with 1/3rd of a cup of vinegar in a measuring cup. It will fizz immediately, and you should waste no time pouring it down the clogged drain. The fizzing action will help to remove the gunk, hair, and grime that has built up in the blocked drain pipe.
One option is to use a drain snake or auger to physically remove the clog. Another effective technique is to create a chemical reaction using baking soda and vinegar. Pour half a cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by one cup of vinegar. Let the mixture sit for about 30 minutes, then flush with hot water.
A plunger works to unclog the main sewer line because it creates an airtight seal with the drain. In the process, it helps force the stubborn clog out of the plumbing system drains.
Flushing the Trench: With a high-pressure water hose or pressure washer, flush the trench to dislodge and remove stubborn debris, sediment, and dirt. Start from one end and work your way to the other, ensuring the entire channel is thoroughly cleaned.
Baking soda and vinegar can serve as a natural solution to unclog and clean a stinky drain.
Copper Sulfate Crystals
They're popular for use in killing roots inside sewer lines. Pour one-half cup of the crystals into your toilet water and flush. After flushing, the crystals come into direct contact with the root obstruction. The roots disintegrate, but only the roots.
Salt & Hot Water – Pour at least a half cup of salt than hot water down your drain, let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then follow it up with more hot water.
What is the best overall drain cleaner? During our lab testing, we found the Green Gobbler Main Line Opener performed best at clearing clogs. It's worth noting that the Green Gobbler Main Line Opener claims to be safe for toilets, sinks, tubs, showers and even septic tanks.
Manual Cleaning
Cable and drum machine: This is the most used piece of equipment in drain cleaning. It consists of a long steel wire cable that comes with a cutting head on one end. The cable is inserted down into the drain, where it scrapes away stubborn clogs until the flow is restored.
Hydro jetting costs $475 on average but range from $350 to $600. A plumber can give you a quote and get rid of your sewer clog. Having to keep your plumber on speed dial is no fun for any homeowner. If chronic sewer clogs are giving you issues, it might be time to call in the big guns.
The fizzing reaction and gas created may help loosen some small blockages. However, it is not typically strong enough to break down larger clogs or remove hard-to-reach debris. As a result of the above facts, if you have a serious drain clog, using baking soda and vinegar is unlikely to be effective.
Hydrochloric Acid (Muriatic Acid)
Properties and Uses: Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is a highly corrosive acid used extensively by plumbers to clear severe clogs. It reacts rapidly with organic materials in drains, breaking them down into simpler compounds that can be easily flushed away.
Bend the end of the snake about 3 or 4 inches from the end before you insert it so it will more easily go around the corner when it encounters it. You can also try pulling back on the cable just a bit when you get to a corner.
A plunger can be effective for dislodging clogs near the drain opening. For deeper clogs, a drain snake or auger can reach and break up blockages inside the pipe. Hydro jetting kits, which use high-pressure water to clear pipes, are also available for more persistent clogs.
Simply mix one-third of a cup of vinegar with one-third of a cup of baking soda and when it starts to fizz, quickly pour it down your clogged drain. Let it sit for an hour or more (or overnight if you suspect the blockage is really bad) and then flush with hot water.
This is probably the easiest method: get yourself a drain snake and use it to manually clean out the pipe after disconnecting the underground drain from the downspout. This method is best if you have a minor clog caused by leaves, twigs, and other organic material that is easy enough to push through.
First, you can run hot water down the drain for 5 to 10 minutes to see if that helps break up the clog. If it doesn't, pour equal parts of vinegar and baking soda into a bowl and then pour that mixture down the drain. Let it sit for 15 minutes, and then run hot water down the drain.
Use Drain-Cleaning Tools
Plunger: First, fill the tub or sink with some water and place the plunger over the drain. Then, use quick plunging motions to clear the clog. Remove the plunger every few minutes to see if the blockage cleared and the water drains down naturally.
If your main sewer line is clogged, all the sewage and waste water sitting in the pipes have nowhere to escape. This means, eventually, the sewage will force its way into a secondary drain.