MAINTENANCE Don't let clogged pipes drain your holiday spirit

Not every tool works for every drain.
SCRIPPS HOWARD NEWS SERVICE
The last thing you want to think about with the holidays and company coming is clogged drains, but give it some thought.
Your trusty, dusty plunger has been a lifesaver in times past, but what if it doesn't do the trick, and you have to go to Plan C? Don't have a Plan C?
You might trek down to your nearby hardware store and ask to look at the snakes. No eyebrows will be raised. You'll be led to the drain-cleaning section and shown an array of tools that can cost more than a 10-pound turkey but less than a 6-foot flocked Christmas tree.
Handyman Paul Behringer says always try the plunger first for a clogged toilet. If that doesn't work, use the snake, a device named for the way it bends and slithers through the curves of pipes.
How to use it
"You insert the snake and crank the handle on the device," he says. "Hopefully, it works its way through the clog, breaking it up as it goes so then it makes its way past the curve and goes down into the sewer."
If that doesn't work, the problem may be in the sewer pipes. If so, Behringer suggests calling a professional plumber.
If you have a clogged kitchen sink, he says, it probably is caused by the disposal. "People put potato peelings, onion skins and stringy celery in them," he explains.
But this isn't a clog for your snake, he says. "They aren't designed to be used in the traps of the disposals. You can usually solve the problem by taking the drain apart under the sink, after you have placed a pan under it, cleaning it out and then putting it back together."
If it's a bathroom sink or tub, the culprit in the clogging usually is hair. "Remove the pop-up top of the drain and try to remove as much hair as you can using long-nose pliers, and then flush it with water," he says.
If that doesn't work and you have tried commercial drain-cleaning products, try the snake or other drain openers.
Another option
There are drain openers on the market for drains 1-3 inches in diameter that inflate like balloons and are powered by a garden hose. The water pressure is used to clear clogged pipes in bathtubs, kitchen sinks, showers and washing machines. The devices come with faucet adapters and kitchen sink crossbar adapters and cost about $11.
Snakes, also called drain augers, come in 15- to 100-foot lengths. The tools use spring steel wire for flexibility in tight bends, and they have boring heads that are supposed to break through the clogs. They cost $5 to $20.
A 3-foot toilet auger, which is a welded steel tube with a rubber bowl guard, is about $6.
Sewer rods designed for sewer pipes sell from $8-$42.