So you’re scrolling through social media late at night when you come across a video showing how to fix your sink clog. Suddenly, all you need is a hot glue gun and a lemon (or baking soda… or something else) and everything will work perfectly. Well, folks, it’s time to get real.
Here are three popular DIY plumbing fixes that keep those emergency plumbing hotlines busy. And please, for the love of all good things, do NOT follow the plumbing hacks on TikTok. But they sure help plumbers get jobs. For an Emergency Plumber Cheltenham, visit www.hprservicesltd.com/emergency-plumber-cheltenham
The Baking Soda and Vinegar Fix: It sounds harmless enough. Just look at it! The fizz! Your sink looks like a soda fountain! Sounds like a high school chemistry class in there! Alas, it’s mostly just a show. The fizzy eruption is excellent for making your countertop sparkle and clearing away hair and soap buildup. But we all know the clog is down the sink drain. Don’t expect baking soda and vinegar to fix that problem. If anything, it’s likely to make it worse. If your home has older pipes, you can loosen the seals with all that fizz. And if you pour boiling water into your porcelain sink, you may find it fractures in places. Time to call the plumber.
The Extreme Chemical Cocktail: Now we are entering the area of “That’s A Bad Idea.” We all know a good drain cleaner will use chemicals to burn the hair out of our pipes. However, in the TikTok world, people have taken to dumping more than one chemical cleaner down the drain. Here’s what happens when you mix baking soda, bleach and acid: the chemicals combine to create toxic gases and extreme heat. That puddle in your cellar? That was your plastic u-bend, dissolved into a puddle.
The Vacuum Fix: Finally, there is the video about sucking out the blockage with your regular household vacuum cleaner. Sounds reasonable, right? The blockage needs to go, after all. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work that way. Most people won’t actually have the right equipment for this task. To truly clear out a blockage with a vacuum, you need to use a commercial vacuum. Even that must be paired with a wet vacuum attachment. If you try sucking up your clog with your expensive household vacuum, you’re about to ruin that one, too. Suddenly smelly sewer water flows freely through your beloved vacuum, destroying the motor and costing you two appliances.
Follow the Golden Rule of Plumbing DIY: if the solution requires something you wouldn’t normally use to clean – like a coat hanger, duct tape or a strange food item – time to step away.