Clogged Drain Deep in Pipe – How to Fix It?

Is your sink or drain clogged, and you cannot figure out how to clear it? Maybe the clog is set deep in the pipe. Now, how do you fix a clogged drain deep in a pipe?

If you have a clogged drain line, you can deal with it by using hot water, baking soda, and vinegar. If the clog is not that bad, this is an inexpensive and easy way to fix it. Just pour the hot water into the drain. Follow this up with baking soda, and then pour in the vinegar.

After letting the mixture set in the pipe for around 15 minutes, pour more hot water into the drain. This should effectively clear the drain without using a plumber’s snake.

Read on to learn more about how to fix a clogged drain deep in a pipe and how you can do so easily yourself.

How to Fix Clogged Drain Deep in Pipe

If your sink or bathroom drain is not draining correctly, the clog might be deep in the pipe. This is a likely scenario if the drain basket is also clear.

Will you be able to fix this, or should you hire a plumber? There’s no shame in getting professional help but know that you can also try fixing it yourself.

Get Rid of All the Standing Water

First, get rid of all the standing water. Scoop out as much of the water as you can. After that, wait for the water to drain through the pipe slowly. The water will slowly trickle through the drain unless the clog is lodged inside the pipe tightly.

Use Vinegar and Baking Soda

An easy way to clear a clogged drain pipe is to use a bit of vinegar and baking soda. This solution works even if the clog is deep inside it. First, loosen the clog by pouring boiling water into the drain as much as possible.

You then need to pour a cup of baking soda into the drain pipe. Do this carefully to ensure that most of the baking soda reaches the clog.

This should also prevent it from getting stuck on the sides of the pipe. Afterward, pour in a cup or so of white vinegar. This will cause a chemical reaction between the vinegar and baking soda.

The fizzing is the result of carbonic acid forming from the chemical reaction. The carbonic acid and the fizzing action will break down the clog. This will allow it to go through the drain pipe.

Wait for Around 15 Minutes to an Hour

Wait for around 15 minutes to an hour to let the carbonic acid work. Afterward, pour boiling water into the drain again to clear any remaining clogs.

Other Ways to Unclog the Drain

If the vinegar and baking soda did not fix the clogged drain, you could try a couple more things. Don’t worry, as the following methods are still relatively easy. Even if you don’t consider yourself to be that handy, you can still do them:

1. Use a Clothes Hanger or a Plumber’s Snake

Get a Wire Cutter to Cut a Wire Hanger Open

If you don’t have a plumber’s snake, you can use a wire clothes hanger. Use a wire cutter to open a wire hanger and stretch it as straight as possible. After that, using a pair of needle-nose pliers, create a hook at the end.

Fish Around Inside the Drain Using the Makeshift Plumber’s Snake

Now, use this makeshift plumber’s snake to fish inside the drain. Push the hanger as deep as you can or until you reach the clogged part. Once you get the clog, twist the hanger left and right to break the clog apart. Use the hook to grab the debris and pull out as much of it as possible.

After pulling out the offending debris, pour hot water down the drain to clean the remaining bits from the pipes.

2. Use a Plunger

Pour Hot Water Into the Drainpipe to Loosen the Clog

You can also use a toilet plunger to dislodge the offending clog from your drain pipe. You need to clean your toilet plunger thoroughly before using it on your drain. You may want to buy a separate one just for your sink and drains.

Before using the plunger, pour hot water into the drainpipe to loosen the clog. This can also help in preventing the pipe from getting damaged.

Slowly Push the Plunger Down the Drain

Using a plunger on a dry pipe might cause the sides to crack. After pouring the hot water, slowly push the plunger down the drain. It should just take a couple of good pumps to dislodge the clog from the side of the drain pipe.

3. Combine Hydrogen Peroxide and Water

May Cause Damage to the Pipes

A word of warning. Do not use this method if you already tried the baking soda and vinegar trick and it did not work. Pouring hydrogen peroxide on baking soda will produce nasty fumes. It may also cause damage to the pipes.

Mix a Cup of Hydrogen Peroxide with a Quart of Water

To use this method, take a cup of hydrogen peroxide and mix it with a quart of water. Pour the hydrogen peroxide solution into the drain and let it sit for at least half an hour. After waiting, pour hot water into the pipe to clean out the rest of the debris from the pipe.

4. Use a Shopvac

Shopvac Works as a Plunger

If you have a heavy-duty wet and dry Shopvac, you can also use it to unclog the drain. This works as a plunger, but you should supply steady air pressure inside the clogged pipe. This will lower the chance of damaging the pipe.

Pour Some Hot Water Into the Pipe

First, pour some hot water into the pipe. Apart from loosening the clog, it can also assure you of having an airtight seal. Put the outlet of the Shopvac into the drain. You can pack the sides with a damp kitchen towel or rags to make a somewhat good deal.

Pulse the Vacuum to Dislodge the Clog

Turn on the vacuum and wait until it sucks out the offending debris. You may need to pulse the vacuum a couple of times to dislodge the clog.

If all else fails, just cut your losses and get in touch with a professional plumber. Trying too many homemade remedies might make the clog even worse.

You may even damage your drain pipes, resulting in more expensive repairs. Also, if you don’t have any plumbing knowledge whatsoever, do not try to dismantle the plumbing in your house.

Again, how do you clear a clogged drain deep in the pipe? Pour hot water down the drain, followed by baking, then vinegar. Cover the drain. Wait for 15minutes, then pour another batch of boiling water to clean the clog deep in the drain.

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How to Prevent Clogged Drains

As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. This is also applicable to kitchen and bathroom drains. Preventing clogs is much easier than pulling out a pound of disgusting debris inside the drain pipe.

Here’s what you can do to prevent it from happening:

1. Place A Drain Screen Over Your Shower Drain

For instance, one of the biggest culprits of clogged bathroom drains is hair. If your hair tends to break off while washing it, take the proactive approach and place a screen over the shower drain.

This will catch all or most hair before getting into the pipes. Cleaning the screen is much easier than unclogging the pipes later.

You can also use a catch basket on your kitchen sink to prevent chunks of food from clogging up the pipes. If your sink does not come with a basket, you can buy a universal-fitting one in almost all hardware and plumbing stores.

2. Scrape the Food Scraps into the Trash Before Washing the Dishes

Whether you wash dishes with a dishwasher or by hand, you must put the food scraps into the trash before starting. This will ensure that there won’t be any food that gets trapped in the sink and clog the drain.

If you use a dishwasher, doing this before running the machine will also result in less frequent cleaning. This can also prevent funky smells from coming out of your dishwasher due to the food scraps going bad.

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3. Regularly Pour Hot Water into The Drain

Pour boiling water into the drains at least once a week. This will help clean out the pipes, thus preventing debris buildup. It also prevents the debris from piling on top of each other, which may eventually clog up the drain pipe.

You can also pour a cup of white vinegar into the drain. Let it sit for an hour, and then pour hot water to keep the drain pipe clean. However, since vinegar is an acid, it can damage the inner walls of the pipes. That said, try using it maybe just once a month.

4. Have a Professional Do a Routine Checkup of Your Home’s Plumbing

Get the services of a plumber to do a routine check of your home’s plumbing, including the drains. You should get such services at least once a year.

Contrary to what most people believe, the plumbing in people’s homes can’t last forever. The pipes have a set number of years of good service. After that, they will start to deteriorate.

This will help you stay on top of your home’s plumbing condition. This means you will always ensure that your drains are free of obstructions.

Moreover, the plumber can help you spot problems you did not know you had. One example is a slow leak in the basement. This will help prevent serious problems like mold and mildew from occurring.

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Should You Get a Plumber’s Snake?

Plumbing Tool Composed of a Length of Flexible Steel Wire

If the plunger does not unclog your kitchen or bathroom sink, use a plumber’s snake. A plumber’s snake is a plumbing tool composed of a length of flexible steel wire.

Often Longer Than 20 Feet

This is often longer than 20 feet. The flexible wire can go through even complex pipe bends. This means you do not usually need to remove any pipes to use this.

Does Not Cause Chemical Damage to the Pipes

One advantage of using a plumber’s snake is that it will not cause any chemical damage to the pipes. If used too often, even simple baking soda and vinegar will cause considerable damage to the pipes. You need to rinse out the carbonic acid that resulted from the chemical reaction.

Follow the Instructions Properly to Prevent Damage to the Pipes

However, a plumber’s snake can also damage your pipes if you don’t know how to use it properly. It may especially happen to the powered ones. Make sure you understood the instructions properly before using this tool to unclog your drain.

Do not be too violent when using the snake, too. No matter how tough the clog is, the snake can get rid of it. Just have some patience.

Conclusion – Clogged Drain Deep in Pipe

If you are dealing with a clogged drainpipe, you can use some hot water, baking soda, and vinegar. If the clog is not that bad, this home remedy will get rid of it quickly and inexpensively. You need to pour the hot water into the drain first.

Follow it up with the baking soda, then carefully pour in the vinegar. The resulting chemical reaction will break up the clog, letting it pass through the drainpipe normally.

Most plumbing problems have simple solutions, and not all of them warrant a call to a professional plumber. On the other hand, you should also know when to cut your losses and get the services of a professional.