Last Updated On: November 14, 2021.
Commercial sinks tend to get cogged at some point during its lifetime. Reasons can include cleaning utensils that are heavily oiled, washing away plates filled with leftovers and more. Restaurant drain clogs are always a pain and can often happen at a time when you least expect it. This can cause a lot of problems!
Fortunately, various solutions exist that will help you unclog a sink. Here 5 effective ways of unclogging.
1. Use a plunger
A sink plunger is a very useful tool when it comes to clearing away clogged basins. First, fill the clogged sink with a moderate amount hot water and then position the plunger over the base of the drain.
Next, give the drain thorough plumbing using steady up and down motions. Continue this process until the basin starts to drain as usual once again.
Plunging certain types of clogs can end up becoming very difficult. Therefore, when dealing with clogs that require extensive plunging, ensure that you take breaks every few minutes.
This almost sounds like a joke but it can feel like a workout after a few minutes.
2. Use a drain snake
A drain snake can be found at any local hardware store or online shops such as Amazon. To use a drain snake, start by carefully inserting the hooked end into the clogged drain and then slowly slide it down until the hook latches onto the clog’s origin.
Next, shake the clog loose gently and then proceed to retract the drain snake slowly with the source of the clog hooked onto it.
3. Run hot water
Hot water is a very simple and effective way of managing a clogged sink. To unclog with hot water, begin by removing any drain traps or guards.
Next, run a continuous supply or very hot water into your drain. If no change is seen in about 10 – 15 minutes, then you are probably dealing with a massive clog.
Also, it is highly recommended that you allow very hot water to flow through your drain for several minutes every week. This will help to clear any grease, hair, grime, and food substances that have accumulated in the drain thereby preventing any future clog or blockage.
4. Cover up flow vents
Overflow vents are the air slits and holes located along the brim of a sink which keep any overflows from occurring. As they are normally a direct opening to your drain pipes, leaving them open while trying to plunge a clog away will only lead to the physical force of plunging escaping.
When using a plunger to get rid of clogs, the process is only effective when these openings have been sealed tightly. To seal the vents, you can use duct tape or a flat hard surface if the surface of the vent itself is flat.
5. Use a cleaning solution
If the above methods fail you can use an unclogging solution such as Liquid Plumber or Drano to help clear out your clogged basin. When pouring these types of solutions down a drain, make sure to use only a little at a time as they contain chemicals which can end up damaging your pipes if used in large amounts.
Once the solution has been applied, wait for 20 – 30 minutes so that it gets ample time to dissolve the clog’s origin.
Sometimes all the above methods may fail (although it is quite uncommon for one or two of these methods to fail). If you remain unsuccessful, consult your local professional plumbing service.
Drain clearing professionals have the tools and experience to handle almost any clogging no matter the circumstance.
6. Seeing it all in action
If you’d like to see some of these methods being used on a sink, check out the video below.