Plunger advice

[Brian Gaff]

Well both Onions and sink plungers can reduce one to tears very easily. Do daleks cry? Build yourself a Dalek I recall needed one sink plunger. brian

[Brian Gaff]

Parcel tape does not seem to stick well enough. I tried this first. My best success so far was with one of those flexi plastic milk bottle caps you used to be able to get at hardware stores for a few pence. Pressed over the area assuming it is quite small, made the plunger work well, but you needed a person just to concentrate on holding the cap while you used two hands on the plunger.

I also have a trap on the sink I cannot undo, its one of those plastic ones that is a screw fitted whole bottom of the trap sized. It will I feel break if I put a strap wrench around it to attempt removal. Brian

[Uncle Peter]

Maybe the onions are in the stuff they fire at people?

[Uncle Peter]

My parcel tape must be better quality then. Trouble is it's almost impossible to remove it afterwards.

If I try to remove the one on my bath I'll probably break something, like my finger or wrist.

[F Murtz]

It does not have to stick well with my method as the suction holds it there. I have tried all methods until I came up with this one. I have done a stint for a while as handyman for an estate agent so have had some practice.

[Dave W]

I hold a sponge or rag fully soaked in water over the overflow. The water seals the gap but can't flow as fast as the blockage does when the plunger is plunged. Also I agree that far more gunge comes out on the suck cycle than the blow.

[Uncle Peter]

I've now cleared it (to a reasonable extent, enough to get a small vortex at the plughole and it only takes a few minutes for a whole bath to empty, probably half as fast as a decent new bath). Thanks for everyone's help. I used a tit shaped plunger (1 quid from Asda) and pulled with a sharp suck action not blow, with my hand over the overflow. This after 3 kettles of boiling water (Bod's idea). I didn't see any gunge, but something must have come loose and washed away down the drain.

[DerbyBorn]

If you won't change to using a liquid soap then can I suggest a final rinse of the bath with washing up liquid. It may stop the soap scum from solidifying.