DIY plumbing part 1 of 4

It’s becoming more and more tempting to first take a shot at fixing our vehicles, appliances, garage doors, shoes and yes even plumbing these days rather than calling on a professional. Athens plumbing repair need not be attempted however as the crew here at After Hours Plumbing LLC has you covered. But just in case you do feel the urge to embark upon the unknown to hone your thrift and trade skills we also have you covered with this four part series on DIY plumbing.

Yours truly will first lay out the four most common types of DIY projects while hoping to edge you closer to a successful reality rather than a lofty expectation.

And you guessed it, the most common type of fix homeowners try by themselves takes place in the bathroom. Unclogging a toilet or dealing with a slow draining toilet are issues that all of us face at one time or another. Though a plunger is the solution 90% of the time, if it fails to do the job here is the course of action:

First, get in your ride and head on down to the nearest Home Depot, Lowe’s Home Improvement or Grainger Industrial Supply. Grab one of these:

Or this if the going is a bit tougher and the clog is further down in the pipe past the S-bend or the floor flange, a professional service may be needed.

Currently, the Athens Home Depot at 1740 Epps Bridge Road has the 1/4 in. x 25 ft. Power Pistol-Grip Drum Auger for about $26 bucks. You won’t only have these in your arsenal for the next clogged drain, you should, upon gaining increased skill, be able to help out your neighbors with their toilet issues. Okay, okay, well if you’d rather not clear the neighbor’s toilet than you can at least lend him this nifty tool right?

It’s best to just stick with the closet auger first of course. Don’t forget to don a sturdy pair of rubber gloves (not the dinky latex ones from the corner store) and a decent pair goggles or safety glasses to shield your eyes from potential flying crud.

If you can’t figure out how to run the drum auger through your own experimentation, feel free to let me know and I just might post a video tutorial. And if through your efforts with either of the three tools mentioned you still are not able to clear the drain then its time to kick things up a notch by pulling up the toilet. Following this route will likely take a couple to a few more hours because you will now need to turn off and unhook the water supply to begin the process which can be quite challenging for rookies. You’ll also most likely have to take the toilet apart and unscrew it from its mounting ring. If you have gotten to this point, you can probably attack the source of the problem which could very likely be a toy or other solid object. Be sure to buy a new wax ring and new mounting bolts to reseal the toilet base to the mounting ring.

If water is coming up through other drains in your house then its best to give us a call at 706-248-5934 and if you mention that you read our blog post, we’ll give you a $25 dollar discount off of your total bill.

A word of caution here. Try not to use strong chemicals like Drain O or more powerful products that really shouldn’t be in your home. It’s again, tempting to think that just pouring some liquid down the drain will handle the problem but usually unlikley. They sometimes work, but they’re slower to work if they do at all. When they don’t work, you have a drain full of corrosive water to deal with. If you tried drain clearing chemicals and they didn’t work, run loads of water into the toilet and let it sit overnight to drain through the clog. When you then plunge, wear safety goggles and rubber gloves for safety and sanitary reasons.

Questions or comments, let us know and remember that we provide free estimates and specialize in emergency plumbing around the clock, every day.