How to unclog sinks or pipes within common households
While often overlooked in the moment, a lot of waste, whether accidentally or deliberately, goes down the kitchen sink. This includes washed off food scraps, soap scum, oils being poured in, and other miscellaneous liquids. These are some of the factors that may have contributed to causing blockage within the pipes.
Additionally, in the bathroom sink, things like dirt, hair, and soap scum again are also major culprits in causing blocked pipes.
To avoid any future clogging, it is imperative to prevent any food waste from being disposed of in the sink. Scraping as much food waste in the bin as possible is a major step towards reducing the need to unclog your sink. For oil and grease, a great strategy is to have a jar or container on hand that you are planning to dispose of in the future. When the oil becomes cold and hardens up, scrape the oils into the jar or straight into the bin. Try and avoid disposing the any liquid oils into the sink.
When attempting to actually unclog the sink, first attempt to loosen the clog with hot water and dish detergent as this can break down any built-up oils and soap scums. If the use of a plunger is unsuccessful, some of Bermuda's products are a great solution including:
Sodium & Potassium Hydroxide are corrosive solids that will assist in unblocking drains and pipes, however, when using the chemicals, ensure that you wear gloves and protective eye wear to optimise safety. You will then need a plastic bucket (do not use metal as it can react with the chemical). Place 750 ml of sodium hydroxide in 3 litres of cold water and mix together (ensure it is not metal or anything that is related to cooking or ingestion). Once it is mixed, heat and fizzing will be noticeable. Pour the fizzing mixture into the drain and wait for 30 minutes. After the 30 minutes, pour 4 litres of boiling water into the pipe to flush down the remaining hydroxide and any broken-down particles. If needed, repeat these steps. However, take precaution and do not use any greater than the recommend amount of hydroxide as it can cause the pipes to become weaker over time if used frequently due to the chemical reaction.
Sources
Bartholome, J 1995, 'Clogged pipes: How to get them flowing again', The Family Handyman, vol. 45, Sep 1995, 8, Readers' Digest Publications, Inc., Minneapolis, p. 66, ProQuest Central; SciTech Premium Collection.
BDSDrainage 2018, 'How to Unblock a Drain using Caustic Soda', vol. 2021, 25 June 2018, 4 April bdsdrainage.co.uk, viewed 4 April 2021, <https://bdsdrainage.co.uk/blog/how-to-unblock-a-drain-using-caustic-soda>.
DirectEnergy 2021, 'How Do You Unclog a Drain?', viewed 2 April 2021, <https://www.directenergy.com/learning-center/troubleshooting-clogged-drains>.
Wiley, PE 2019, 'Reduction of hydrogen sulphide gas in a small wastewater collection system using sodium hydroxide', Water Environment Research, vol. 91, no. 6, pp. 483-90, viewed 2021/05/03, DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1053, <https://doi.org/10.1002/wer.1053>.