A plumber has explained something that everyone should know about their sink — and it might just prevent a costly call-out.
The scoop
Kyle (@llamapantss) unscrews a pipe under a sink with a bucket at the ready below. As soon as he loosens both screws and pulls the curvy pipe down, out rushes a batch of clogged wastewater.
@llamapantss Hope this helps, sink back up/clog #plumbing #clogged #ptrap #howdidthathappen #diy #fyp #kitchensink #doityourself ♬ Bad Habit - Steve Lacy
This section, called the p-trap, is designed specifically to block gases from coming up the drain and stinking up the living space. It has the added bonus of catching potential clogs before they get stuck further down into more inaccessible sections.
In this case, Kyle manages to find the problem: a fork had fallen into the drain.
How it's helping
It's important to be able to fix basic plumbing problems, including blocked drains and leaking pipes. Regarding the latter, it's wise to sort out the issue as quickly as possible — especially with water becoming an increasingly precious resource.
A trillion gallons of water are wasted in the U.S. every year due to leaky pipes in households, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.
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Some homeowners will let these leaks go on for years, even if they could be saving thousands of dollars by fixing them.
For blogged drains, a little mechanical know-how can also reduce reliance on harmful chemical cleaners.
These products end up in waterways, polluting marine ecosystems and introducing bleach and lye into water supplies. Plus, many of these store-bought solutions come with health and safety risks.
If a manual clog removal doesn't work out, there are always natural pipe cleaning alternatives. Lots of folks use vinegar and baking soda to shift a blockage.
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Under $1K 😎 In most instances, the combination is not a helpful household cleaner, since the acid neutralizes the base, but in a pipe, it can produce enough gas to dislodge clogs.
What everyone's saying
"Thank you," said one TikToker who valued Kyle's professional plumbing advice.
"Every homeowner should know how to do that," said another viewer.
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