If you are the owner of a home in the Oakland area, at some point or another, you will have a drain that becomes clogged. In many cases, this is a situation that will occur over time, but in some situations, you will find that a drain becomes spontaneously blocked. In any event, when a drain in your home becomes stopped up, you might be able to take care of it on your own. However, there are some clogs that will likely require an Oakland plumbing company’s assistance.

We have all had the experience of doing a daily task like brushing our teeth or washing dishes when we notice the water just doesn’t seem to drain as well as it once did. Over the subsequent few days and weeks, it might even turn into standing water. This water might take minutes if not longer, to drain. How do you remedy this? The first thing you might want to try is a plunger. Make sure that the head of the plunger is submerged in water in order to create a seal; then, rapidly pump it up and down to jolt the clog. Typically this should only take a few attempts if it is going to work.

If the plunger doesn’t give you success, a simple plumbing trick of using baking soda and white vinegar can work well too.

Wait until the water subsides, pour a small amount of baking soda down the drain and follow with the vinegar. The mixture will bubble, of course, but you should let it sit for several hours in order to work its magic. At this point, if there is still no relief from the clog, it is time to call in a plumber.

The above DIY tricks will typically work with any drain in the home, including the shower, tub and any sink. If you have a clogged toilet, however, it will likely be best to contact a plumber from the first signs of trouble as things can get messy. Other times you will want to call in the plumber include situations where the water does not subside at all or when you have standing water. You should also call if there is water gushing from the drains, any time you suspect a foreign object has fallen into the drain, or if you don’t feel you have the ability to perform the DIY tricks mentioned above.

It is important to remember that a plumber is here to help. People will often put off calling one because they want to save money. However, putting off the problem for too long could easily cause a very small issue to turn into a large, expensive project that could take hours or even days to remedy. If you suspect that the plumbing issue you are experiencing is too serious to handle on your own, contact a local plumber.