Plunger advice

[Bod]

What a waste of LSD :-)

[DerbyBorn]

Bod wrote in news:bicvijF6ao9U1 @mid.individual.net:

The trouble with some cleaners is that they won't reach the blockage as the water behind the blockage will dilute the strngth of the chemicals.

[Scion]

DerbyBorn put finger to keyboard:

True, but some unblockers are more aggressive than others. If sulphuric acid doesn't get to the blockage you can bet your life a can of foam won't.

[Brian Gaff]

Those often bought together links on sites are often hilarious. I think you might need to know your onions to use the plunger? Ny issue is does anyone make an overflow bunger upper for sinks that actually works so you can really get some push and shove on a blocked sink. I've had to remove the drain retaining chain and put plastic caps over them in the past, but you do often need three hands. Brian

[Bod]

Yes, that can be a setback, but if the waste is at least draining away slowly, you have to just keep pouring the acid very slowly till the acid eventually gets to the blockage pretty much full strength as the water in the pipe gets replaced by the acid.

[Uncle Peter]

Parcel tape.

[Uncle Peter]

Oooh 91% Sulphuric Acid! But what molar acid?

[tim.....]

I've got baked beans and stir fry

tim

[Uncle Peter]

Maybe it depends on your local branch and what people buy there.

[F Murtz]

There is a technique to using a plunger, Block all other drain openings (sinks floor waste etc) with plugs sheets of rubber, gaffer tape etc , put some water in the bath, push plunger down slowly under water and pull violently up, repeat if it did not work.

[Uncle Peter]

I've not heard of more power on the upstroke before. Is there a reason for this? I would have thought you just want to dislodge it (in my case from the u-bend), so whether the blockage moves up or down doesn't matter.

[Bod]

Think about it. The blockage was caused by a build up from the waste water going away from the bath, so this means it has lodged itself against something. Pressure in the same direction will be pressing against that something so it's logical to try and pull the obstacle back off of it and hopefully this will be enough to break up the ball of hair/soap/toenails whatever.

[Uncle Peter]

Understood. Is it true that the gunk will be pushed out sideways from the cup into the bath rather than back down the drain? Or do you have to rely on it breaking up so it can go down the drain? And how do you pull up forcefully without the plunger simply coming away from the drain? Or is that ok to happen?

[Bod]

If the gunk is quite close to the bath waste, yes. If it's more than about 5ft you might get a bit, but normally the gunk breaks up into smaller bits and runs away, even if it stays in a lump there's a good chance that you would've moved it enough to exit as it is. You'll get the feel of the plunger and if it pulls out it'll still have sucked up once.

[F Murtz]

It also sucks on the other drain outlets that you have blocked instead of blowing the seals off.

[Uncle Peter]

I've never heard of having to unblock something other than a u-bend. Not with a plunger anyway.

[F Murtz]

You are misreading me, the blocked drain is connected to floor wastes and sink wastes as well which you have to "block" with plugs gaffer tape etc other wise your suction from the plunger will suck air down them and negate the action.

[Uncle Peter]

But if it's in a u-bend, then anything the other side of that u-bend is irrelevant. In fact you probably want to let something up the pipe so the blockage can move.

[F Murtz]

At least my way will work on almost all drains and covers all vagaries of correct and incorrect plumbing.

[Uncle Peter]

I'd do that if I saw other drains doing things. But I've only ever unblocked a standard u-bend (that's the weak point where things get caught), and I've never seen anything connected upstream of a u-bend except the overflow of the same device you're unblocking.