Is your sink clogged? You may have used a plunger to attempt to get the water to go down, but it does not seem to be working. When water does not go down the drain as quickly as it normally would, there is a fairly good chance you are dealing with a large clog that must get removed. There are steps you can take at home to try to solve this problem on your own before attempting to get help from a professional plumber.

1. Rent a Pipe Camera

The best way to figure out what is going on with your drain is to rent out a pipe camera that would provide you with the best view of the inside of your pipe. By using the camera, you can determine whether or not something large fell into the drain and is causing a blockage. There are many large items that could accidentally fall down a drain, such as apple cores, utensils, and chicken bones. Even if you do not see any of these items on the camera, you may get a good view of a large amount of debris that is piled up together and is causing a major blockage. 

2. Use a Drain Snake or Metal Hanger

Once you have identified the source of the problem, it is time to work on removing it from your pipe so that water can go down the drain with ease once again. It is best to use a drain snake because it has the ability to reach deep within the pipes and pull out large piles of debris. If you do not own a drain snake and you do not have the time to run to the store to get one, you can always use a metal hanger. However, you would need to adjust the hanger to make it as long as possible so that it can fit down deep enough into the pipe to remove any junk, including particles of food and strands of hair.

3. Run the Hot Water for a Minute

After you have pulled out any debris from inside the pipe, check again with the camera to make sure you were able to get it all out. If you can no longer see anything that would block water from traveling through the pipe, simply turn the hot water on for about a minute to make sure it goes down the drain smoothly and does not get stuck in the sink.

It is possible to unclog a drain at home with the right tools. Renting out a pipe camera is a great way to get a view of what is going on before you start attempting to remove anything that may have been building up inside the pipe for quite some time. For more information, contact local professionals like USA Borescopes.