Having a drainage system in the patio is a great help to channel the water that falls during heavy rains, the water from cleaning or watering the plants. Thus, it allows you to do any activity with water since it will collect and drain it, preventing unpleasant humidity and dirt from accumulating.
However, sometimes having a patio drain is not enough for you to forget about the accumulation of moisture and dirt on the ground. If you want the system to work at all times, you will need to maintain it to prevent it from clogging and not working correctly. If the drain has already been clogged and you want to discover how to unclog a patio drain, We recommend that you continue reading this article in which you will see 11 methods to achieve it.
1. Vinegar and baking soda
How to unclog a patio drain is a question that, although it does not have a single answer, does present different solutions. One of them is the use of baking soda and vinegar. For these products to be effective, follow these steps:
- With the help of a measuring container, add half of the white vinegar and the other half, or slightly less but at least a third of the total volume, of baking soda.
- This mixture will fizz immediately, so you’ll need to quickly pour it down the drain.
- With the effervescence created, it will facilitate the removal of dry leaves, dirt, hair, and other remains of dirt in the pipes.
- Let the mixture work overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
- The next morning, pour in a large amount of warm water to flush out any debris that was clogging the drain.
2. Vinegar, baking soda, and plunger
The same mixture of baking soda and vinegar together with factors such as gravity and pressure helps unclog the most clogged pipes by following these steps:
- Mix baking soda and vinegar, as we have explained in the previous point, to pour through the clogged pipe.
- Remove the grid if there is one, pour the mixture, and place the plug in the pipe or something that serves to plug it.
- An hour later, fill a large basin or bucket or several with warm or hot water, remove the stopper, and pour it.
- The water will finish moving the objects and dirt that were clogging the pipe and that had already softened with the mixture of vinegar and baking soda.
- To make the task easier, or if you see that the blockage is serious, use a plunger while another person pours the water down the pipe. Thus, you have to alternate pouring water and using the plunger until you see that the drainage works well again and, therefore, there is no longer a blockage.
3. Bent wire hanger
Although it may seem strange to you, a bent wire hanger can be enough to solve the problem when you do not know how to clean the drain pipe with products or home remedies. With these simple steps, you can unclog the drain manually :
- Straighten the hanger as much as possible to get a long wire.
- From the ends of the hanger, bend one so that it acts as a hook.
- Put the hanger through the pipe and try to remove all the accumulated dirt with the manufactured hook.
- Go slowly, making sure to remove and pull the wire, and try not to push the debris any further in with the hook.
- Once you have removed most of the detected dirt or have removed the clogged object, pour a basin or bucket of hot water to completely clear the pipe.
4. Pour boiling water down the drain
If you’re still wondering how to make a patio drain plunger, but you’d like to keep it simple, you’ll like to know that one of the easiest methods to unclog patio drains is with boiling water.
- Bring large pots of water to a boil.
- With the pots themselves, or by filling large basins or buckets with very hot water, pour the water down the drain little by little.
- Pour a good amount slowly and let it take effect for a few seconds or a minute.
- Repeat the action several times and you will see that each time the drain swallows the water better, instead of it getting stuck and overflowing.
- It is the easiest way to unclog a downspout or pipe, but if this is not enough because the clog is large or there is a persistent object, then you will have to resort to other methods.
5. Vacuum cleaner for wet and dry vacuuming
A wet and dry vacuum cleaner will come in handy when you have to unclog a heavily clogged drain pipe. It is very important that you do not use a normal vacuum cleaner that is only suitable for dust, that is, to vacuum dry because when vacuuming in the pipe there will surely be water or other humid substances and they will spoil it. We recommend that you follow these steps to achieve it:
- Regulates the vacuum cleaner in the function to vacuum liquids.
- Squeeze and seal the drain, with the vacuum activated at its maximum level.
- In this way, you can end the obstruction of the pipe and the dirt remains stored in the bag of the machine.
- To make sure that the drain is already unclogged, you can pour water and see if it goes down well or still has puddles.
- Keep in mind that it is not an infallible method if there is a large or very clogged object, but it is one more alternative that can help you clear the patio drainage .
6. Do a deep pipe cleaning
If you still don’t know very well how to unclog a patio drain and, above all, if it drains at street level, in this case, cleaning the pipes manually in depth may be a good option. You’ll need to follow these steps to thoroughly clean your patio drain pipes :
- Put a bucket at the bottom of the pipe that will allow you to collect the water and dirt that come out.
- Loosen each of the nuts on the ends of the pipe with the help of a wrench or other similar tool that helps you loosen them.
- Finish the task manually by removing the nuts and placing the parts of the pipe upside down so that they are emptied.
- To remove traces of dirt, use a brush.
- Rinse the pipe parts with water and put them back in their position.
7. Tape to unclog pipes
There are long plastic strips, about 6mm wide and spiral-shaped at one end, which are used to unclog pipes. Follow these steps to get it done with this method, which is very similar to the wire hanger method.
- Wearing gloves, start by unrolling the tape.
- Feed the tape down the drain until you find the clog.
- Move the tape back and forth so that the tip moves the obstruction.
- Pick up the tape by rolling it up again.
- Repeat the process if you detect that the pipe is still somewhat clogged.
- To finish, clean the tape and allow it to air dry.
8. Caustic soda
Caustic soda is an effective product for unclogging patio drains, but it requires proper protection to prevent damage to health. Follow these instructions if you are wondering how to use caustic soda to unclog a patio drain :
- Protect your eyes and hands, as caustic soda can cause burns if mishandled.
- You should pour cold water into a bucket (about 3 liters) and add three cups of the product.
- Stir the caustic soda with the water with the help of a stick or plastic spoon.
- When the mixture begins to bubble and heat up, pour it down the clogged pipe in the yard.
- Wait for it to act for 30 minutes before pouring in a lot of hot water to help it all come out and unclog the drain completely.
9. Dishwashing detergent
The detergent that you usually use to wash the dishes can also be used if you want to unclog the patio drain. Use dishwashing detergent to unclog a downspout this way :
- Pour a large quarter cup of detergent into a large container.
- Add hot water and stir a bit.
- Pour the mixture down the drain and use a plunger.
- The soap will work as a lubricant and degreaser, helping to break up the clog present in the pipe.
10. Baking soda and salt
The mixture of baking soda and salt will help you unclog the drain by following these steps:
- Mix half a cup of salt and half a cup of baking soda. If the drainage is large or the obstruction is very serious and there is a lot of standing water, then use more of this mixture, but always in this proportion.
- Pour the mixture down the clogged drain.
- Wait for it to act for 20 minutes.
- Pour hot water so that, together with the mixture, a chemical reaction is generated with which the obstruction will be dissolved.
11. Use a piece of steel with a hook
- The last method that we recommend to unclog a patio drain is the use of a piece of steel. Much like a bent wire hanger or plastic tape, a long piece of steel with a hook at the end will help you unclog pipes from debris buildup.
- Introduce the piece through the clogged pipe.
- Go turn it to detect the obstruction and that it breaks progressively until it is completely eliminated.
- You can gradually remove debris to break up the clog well, without pushing the dirt further down, which would only move the clog but not remove it.
