DIY: Unclogging Drain Pipes

October 8, 1008

For your future benefit, I have put together a step-by-step tutorial of how not to unclog your kitchen sink.

It is generally not a good idea to let the excitement of getting to do some handy work take priority over finding some good protective gear. Doing what the instructions on the bottle says is also a good idea - i.e., don't plunge the drain after dumping corrosive liquid down it.

Mixing chemicals should not be done in a poorly ventilated area by an untrained person. Mixing drain-unclogging solutions is generally a bad idea. Mixing drain-unclogging solutions in very old drain pipes is an even worse idea.

Regardless of how desperate your significant other is to wash the dishes or perform other domestic tasks that require use of the clogged sink, putting a hole in the pipe for it to drain is not the way to go. Yes, it will drain, but it will also lead to other problems.

I repeat, holes are not good. And for the record, duct tape is not how you fix that hole.