How To Unclog A Floor Drain Trap

Here s what you need to do to 1.

How to unclog a floor drain trap.

Important tips for using a drain snake to unclog your floor drain. For clogged floor drains such as those in basements and showers a garden hose can be effective in unclogging drains especially if the clog is not close to the opening. You do not necessarily need to open or even locate the trap for your floor drain in order to clear a clog and restore freely flowing drainage. But sometimes the clog is deep in the drainpipe and requires more work and extra powerful tools to root out.

The p trap contains water that prevents sewer gases from escaping into your home. But what if you don t have an auger or plumbing snake. Look inside the drain. Start the process by turning on the backflow preventer and removing the cap of the trap.

Clogged drains are always a hassle but some like a plugged p trap under the sink or a stopped up toilet requires only a wrench a plunger and a little elbow grease to unclog. Do not try to pull the snake out with force. The first step in getting your floor drain to work as it was intended is to clean out the trap. Do not keep applying more pressure to the snake if you run into a hard stop.

To find the u trap for your floor drain look nearby for two large capped end pipes. How to clear a floor drain loosen brass plugs photo by merle henkenius. How to unclog a floor drain. Unclog basement floor drain without using a plumbing snake.

This three pronged attack will clear any matter clinging to the sides of the trap. In many basements garages and laundry rooms there are floor drains that carry away wastewater from central air conditioners washing machines water heaters and snow covered cars. The hole going straight down leads to a curved portion of the drain called the p trap. Otherwise you may break the pipe which leads to bigger problems.

Floor drain traps often have only these end caps exposed with the pipes running below the floor. Attach the hose to a faucet feed the hose into the drain as far as it will go and jam rags around the hose at the opening. While using a plumbing snake is usually the easiest way to tackle this and again garvin s sewer service is happy to provide this service there are a few other things homeowners can try.