What Do Plumbers Use To Unclog Drains?

What Do Plumbers Use To Unclog Drains? If you got a drain clog, it’s not a reason to panic. No matter the severity of the clog, there is also a way of dealing with it. You can fight small blockages with do-it-yourself methods.

However, when it comes to more serious clogs, a professional plumber has to step in. Plumbers use specialized weapons that you cannot find in your house. Using them, they find it easy to deal even with deep and stubborn blockages.

So, what do plumbers use to unclog drains? Here are the tools that professionals use to clean your drain.

1. Manual drain auger

We will begin with an easy one, but you can hardly find it in your homeowner’s toolbox. An auger is perfect for drilling pipes without damaging them and breaks up clogs that impede the flow. It is a larger version of a kitchen corkscrew that rotates to advance down the drain.

The tip of the auger is a hook that rotates as you turn the handle of the tool. The rotating hook agitates the debris, making it coming loose and flushing away. Plumbers generally use this tool for small clogs and clogs that are at an average depth.

2. Motorized auger

Every time a manual auger can’t do its job, a motorized auger steps into the game. And it’s really a game-changing tool. Usually, plumbers insert motorized augers in cleanout pipes outside your house. They can go as far as 45 meters through the pipe system.

This means that the tool has access to almost all debris found along the drain. Moreover, being motorized, the tool allows its own hook to rotate faster and push harder against the clogs.

In this way, the auger fights back even tough debris that is so hard to break up using a manual auger.

3. Drain camera

If your motorized snake can’t do its job, you get in trouble. Mostly, motorized augers fail not because they can’t break up clogs but because they can’t find them. For such situations, plumbers use high-definition drain cameras.

This is a revolutionary tool that arrived in the toolbox of professional plumbers quite recently. And its job is pretty simple: to help identify debris in the drain and sewer lines.

With a drain camera, the plumber doesn’t need to lay down and watch through the dark pipe. He just activates the camera, feeds it through the pipe and watches what it is recording. The camera has a built-in flashlight that makes everything in the drain visible.

The plumber is like having a journey through the drain system, without physically being there. The high-definition camera shows all debris-affected areas and suggests the plumber where he must target its auger.

In this way, plumber does his job more efficiently, removing all clogs and improving the flow.

4. Hydro-jetting machine

A motorized auger is just a puppy in front of this giant. A hydro-jetting machine is the most powerful and effective tool in clearing drains. Though expensive, some plumbers add it to their toolbox because it’s just too good.

It releases a high-pressure water jet that flushes away all debris in a fraction of a second. No matter it is a piece of paper or grease staying there for ages, nobody has a chance to survive. The jet maintains its power even after traveling 10 or more meters down the drain. It’s both effective and fast. That’s why it is the favorite tool of plumbers.

Even if the tool uses a monster water jet, it does not damage the pipes. The pressure this machine applies is never enough to cause harm to your drain system. Keep in mind, though, that this is a special plumber tool that requires a special way of handling.

So avoid using it yourself as it may bring damage to your house if used in a wrong way.

What Do Plumbers Use To Unclog Drains? – Conclusion

All in all, plumbers have some magic tools that are better than any do-it-yourself method of unclogging drains. They use both manual and motorized auger to deal with small and big clogs.

They also use a high-definition drain camera to inspect the pipes and identify the origin of the clog. Although these tools are efficient, there is even a faster way of clearing the drain.

The hydro-jetting machine releases a concentrated water jet that removes all debris from the pipe’s walls making them like new.