How To Unclog a Garage Floor Drain

How To Unclog a Garage Floor Drain

Have you ever gone to your garage to store something, only to discover stagnant, gooey sludge lying on top of the floor grate? As bad as the mess looks, what’s even worse is that if you don’t have it addressed quickly, it might end up harming any objects you have stored nearby.

A garage floor drain is designed to drain any water that enters your garage with your vehicles, spills in your garage, or pours into your garage from the outside. A clogged garage drain can result in a slew of problems, including the loss of valuables and tools. Continue reading to learn about the most frequent causes of garage drain backups, as well as how to prevent them.

Causes of Clogged Garage Floor Drains.

Busy Drain Can Cause Clogs.

Busy Drain Can Cause Clogs.

Lack of Maintenance: If you don’t clean it out every few months, debris builds up and might cause a backlog, resulting in discoloration and mold if left untreated.

Blocked sewage line: If your house’s main sewer line clogs, the drain at the lowest point will overflow first. If you don’t have a basement, this may be the garage floor drain. A gurgling tub drain or a bubbling toilet when you turn on a faucet are some symptoms of a sewage obstruction.

Frozen drain pipe: Ice may have formed farther down the line if you discovered the clogged garage drain on a very cold morning. To keep the pipe from freezing, you may need to dig it up and insulate it. This is essential because repeat freezing and thawing may break the pipe, which then also opens a new way for dirt and debris to enter the plumbing.

Before jumping to the solutions, you may want to run some hot water into the drain (make sure that it is not boiling water) to see if it solves the problem. If not, grab your gloves; there is more work to be done.

How To Unclog Your Garage Drain?

1. Vacuum

File:Urine tank emptying with vacuum truck (3010615730).jpg - Wikimedia Commons

How To Unclog Drain

You will start by removing the grate from the drain, and if you cannot do that bare-handed, you can use a screwdriver. Inspect the drain to look for a visible clog that you can remove with your hand (wear gloves).

After removing the visible clog, bring a vacuum and suck out the remaining debris. After that you are done, you should test the drain to see if there is any remaining debris, do so by letting water flow down the drain. If it goes smoothly and quickly; your problem has been solved.

2. Chemical Solution

If you cannot evacuate the clog manually, a chemical solution should be able to help you. It will break down the debris and allow a better flow of water. You can choose to follow the instructions or simply pour it directly into the pipe and leave it on overnight. I would suggest you try the vacuum first and repeatedly as drain solutions are very aggressive and toxic. If you have used the chemical solution and it did not work, you would not want to clean it manually after as your skin will get irritated by the substance and can also burn eyes and lungs.

Please do not mix different drain chemicals. Some people think that it would do the task better; all it does is make the substance more toxic to the user.

How to Keep Garage Floor Drains From Clogging Up

Avoid placing your drain at the center of your garage as it tends to collect dust, oils and all debris easily. If your drain is already in the middle of your garage, just make sure that this place remains clean, with no trace of grease.

If your problem is not solved after the two solutions mentioned above, you should contact a professional plumber. Let us know in the comments what method will you be using to unclog your drains…

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