A plunger is a great way to find out how plugged the drain is. A liquid drain opener that is safe for galvanized metal pipes can be helpful to break up a food clog or soap buildup. Be very careful to read the fine print and make sure it doesn’t harm the metal in your plumbing system.

If your drain opens up for a short time after you use the liquid drain cleaner and then clogs again it’s probably time to have it augured out.
An auger is a cable machine that spins its way through your pipes and pushes out the buildup in the pipe. They are a time-tested effective solution to clean your homes pipes.

Hair and toothpaste build up typically clog bathroom sinks. It’s best to first take out the pop-up drain and run a short piece of wire with a bent end in it to see if there is a hair ball or other debris blocking the drain pipe. After that, we recommend plugging the overflow in the sink and plunging it.

If the drain isn’t going down as fast as the water comes out of the faucet, your drain is partially obstructed. Signs of a plugged main sewer include wet areas around the floor drain when running laundry, bubbling toilets, or toilets that mysteriously empty the bowl when not being used.

Most drain liquids have a chemical in them that is corrosive to metal. It will eat the walls of the pipe and you’ll have leaks if the chemical sits in the pipe for too long.
In recent years, a few companies have come up with non-corrosive liquid unblockers. It’s best to thoroughly read the manufacturer website and make sure they are not harmful. The SDS label will generally do a good job of providing this information.

A toilet clog is usually pretty easy to remove with a plunger. If the plunger isn’t working it’s best to check the rest of the drains to make sure they are working well. If you have a floor drain in your basement, check this drain first after plunging.
If all your drains are working great, a tool called a toilet auger is useful for navigating the bend in the porcelain that makes the “trap” of the toilet and will push out the clog into the bigger pipe.

The bubbling toilet is a sign that the plumbing is filling up with liquid, rather than draining. The air in the pipes is being displaced by fluid and the air is being pushed up through the toilet.

The first thing to try is always a plunger. It works surprisingly often!
The best way to unclog a drain is
by using an auger. You can size the blade and cable to fit your drain size, thereby getting the whole pipe clean and pushing out the sludge. Run lots of water right after finishing to dislodge any debris clinging to the pipe wall.