Clearing a Clogged Floor Drain is a simple plumbing DIY job you can do. Floor drains serve to remove wastewater and other liquid wastes from a work area, typically a bathroom, a laundry, car wash or garage. That wastewater flows to a sanitary sewer by gravity or with the aid of a pump. Floor drains also hold water under the floor so sewer gas doesn’t escape back up into the building.
Clearing a Clogged Floor Drain
When water collects and stands above a floor drain, the line below is blocked at some point. In most cases, this situation will require calling in a plumber. There may be a clog in either the floor drain line, the drain trap, which is that bend in the pipe, or the sewer service line.
A hand auger, which is a flexible steel cable, or a blow bag can be used to clear a drain line or a trap. A garden hose by itself may be used to clear a clog if it is close to the opening. Simply insert the hose into the drain and turn on the water full force. Or attach a blow bag to the garden hose and then insert that into the floor drain and turn on the water. If this method fails to dislodge the clog, the problem may be in a branch line, the main waste and vent stack or the sewer service line.
The auger also can be used on a branch drain line. The procedure for clearing the main waste and vent stack involves running an auger down through the roof vent. Finally, a clog that has eluded other searches may be in the sewer service line. Calling in a professional sewer cleaning service sometimes is the best strategy, especially when tree roots have grown in the line.
