how to unclog a drain
 

so my bathroom sink is clogged, like it takes hours for a full sink to drain. how can i fix this without calling a plumber or doing something crazy. are there any solvents that work? bleach maybe? any help would rock

Find yourself some Draino and follow the instructions.

If the clog's not that far from the drain, I would do it the gross way and try to fish out whatever items are clogging it and throw them in the trash.

I'd go with the Drano suggestion myself. If it doesn't work, there's stronger stuff which you can sometime get from hardware store. I say sometime, because they won't necessarily sell it to you.

If that fails, then there's the Doctor's Own mix of chemicals, namely Drano, which is a strong base, and another drain cleaner which happens to be highly concentrated sulfuric acid. Usually melts the pipe with it.

Just pour down some gasoline and set it on fire. That'll clear it up quick.

I've had to Draino...and sometimes even fish stuff out with a utensil. I haven't had to call a plumber yet for anything...thank god for that. :)

The shitty idea squad is always on call.

Seriously, it's been said. Drano.

I would avoid doing this with Drano Crystal Clog Remover. You'll end up with a redox reaction between the sodium hydroxide and aluminum chips in the Drano. The result is hydrogen gas.

Bad for cleaning drains. Good for blowing shit up.

What about that new instant clog remover?

http://www.liquid-plumr.com/products/powerjet.html

It blasts clogs down the drain. Have you tried that?

Its not like there's any fire reppelent * like water if you can see what I'm getting at here* in a drain. Take your idea elsewhere.

If it comes down to it, you can remove the piping and see if it is in there. It's not hard, just make sure you do it over a bucket or some towels or something.

In my apartment bathroom, we only went as far as using Drain-O (or something similar) to unclog it. It helped the drainage, though it took multiple treatments to get it to be effective.

Drano didn't work for me the last time, the clog was way in there so I couldn't get it by hand. So I used a snake!

http://www.tooled-up.com/artwork/ProdImage/TB13428.jpg

Worked like a charm. Got a lot of shit out and it hasn't had a probem since.

I saw the Profi Pipe Cleaner gadget on a shop at home channel and bought it on eBay for cheaper and it has worked well for me. It seems out of stock on QVC atm, but here's a picture of it. I'm not sure exactly how it works, you pump it up and then blast the compressed air down the drain forcing whatever is clogged to go out. I don't care how it works as long as it gets the job done.

http://i22.ebayimg.com/04/i/07/56/03/3d_1_b.JPG

Dont overlook the benefit of a plunging to a clogging sink.

Fill it up with water to make a seal, and plunge the hell out of it.

Works 90% of the time on my shower.

If the drano doesn't work, you can snake it through and try to clear it out that way.

I've used a plastic clog remover to get the hair out, but if you can't stand chemicls, try baking soda and vinegar.

Don't use bleach--it eats the metal.

I heard boiling water clears out most drains right quick. (Need to try that soon myself)

The bathroom at my old apartment didn't seem to take Dran-o very well until I began using it once a week. You might also want to see if there's something wrong with the actual pipes.

If you really need to get the job done go to Home Depot and rent an electric snake, it'll run you about $25, but it's well worth it.

I know this works on clogged toilets so perhaps you can try it out with a sink. While the water is still kind of high, pour a bunch of dishwashing detergent into the water and let it sit there. Since the detergent is heavier than water, it will sink to the bottom and (in theory) lubricate whatever is clogging the drain. Then put a plunger over the drain and pump, and it should slip right through.

I do this for clogged toilets but for fine items like hair that are usually the cause of clogged drains, who knows.

DUDE, BE CAREFULL WITH THAT THING!!!!
I got one of those and it works but you got to be careful cuz I accidentally made the pipe go BOOOM!!! The pipe was PVC... yah.:doh:
Besides that it works great; not as great as Draino though.

Did you try a simple plumber's helper yet?

Sometimes it helpfs if you flood everything you have (sinks, shower, bathtub, etc.) then drain everything at once and flush all your toilets. Sometimes the suction that is created is enough to clear your pipes.

I agree, a plunger usually does the trick.