Today’s society takes the whole concept of indoor plumbing for granted. We turn on the tap or flush the toilet and we forget about it. So, what actually happens to bring water into our home and get wastewater out of our house is something of a mystery. Still, we get a lot of plumbing questions. Here are a top few questions and our best answers from the expert plumbers at Kotz. 

Question 1 – My bathroom sink (or shower) is draining very slowly. What can I do?

This usually means the drain is clogged with hair and other yucky stuff. The good news is that a drain clog is normally easy to unplug, albeit a little messy.

If your sink is stopped up, you need to remove the stopper. Look in the cabinet below the sink and you should find a rod that opens and closes the drain. Disconnect it from the stopper. Put on a pair of rubber gloves (remember the yucky stuff?), remove the stopper, then clean out all the hair and debris. Run some water to make sure there are no other stoppages, then replace the stopper and reconnect it to the rod under the sink.

For a clogged shower drain, a screwdriver is likely required to remove the plate covering the drain. Then, the same process is used with the sink.

In either case, if the problem persists, you may need to try using a drain snake again or just call in the best plumbing company, Kotz.

Please note that chemical drain cleaners generally don’t work well and contain toxic chemicals, to boot. Natural solutions such as Bio-Clean® or BioSmart™ are much better options.

Question 2 – My child flushed a toy down the toilet. How do I get it out?

Those of us who have children understand. Toys can end up anywhere and when you can’t find one, you might start to wonder where it could be. Chances are it could’ve been flushed down the toilet.

Step one is to take your plunger or toilet brush and try to remove it. Sometimes it’s as easy as that if the toy isn’t too far in.  If not, put a tablet of dishwasher detergent in the bowl and let it soak for 30 minutes. If it’s a plush toy, it should soak up more water and get softer. This should aid in the process of making it easier to remove. 

If that does not do the trick, the next step is a drain snake or, if you don’t have one, straighten out a wire coat hanger and try to work the toy free. 

Finally, if you determine that the troublesome toy just isn’t going to come out, admit defeat and call one of our licensed plumbers at Kotz Heating, Cooling & Plumbing. 

Reach Out to the Plumbers at Kotz Today

Some routine plumbing repairs and maintenance can be performed by the homeowner, but don’t overstep your expertise. The damage caused by plumbing mistakes can often be expensive and catastrophic. When in doubt, call Kotz.