Your 24/7 Arizona Plumber

How to Unclog a Urinal: 3 Methods to Try

how to unclog a urinal

Published By: admin

Not sure how to unclog a urinal? Try these three simple methods to get your urinal working properly again.

A commercial property owner needs to know how to unclog a urinal because this is a typical building maintenance issue. It is common for urinals to become clogged in unisex and male restrooms. Although unclogging a urinal might seem like a messy undertaking depending on the state of the restroom, it’s much easier than you think, as long as you have the right tools. Clogs in foul-smelling urinals have the advantage that they are easily decomposable since they are slowly broken down. When taking the necessary steps, unclogging a clogged urinal should not be too difficult. However, it will depend on the severity of the clog.

Methods for unclogging urinals

It is mainly a problem in public restrooms because urinals are designed to operate without clogging for the most extended amount of time. There is nothing romantic about filling the urinal up with obstructions. Below are some methods of unclogging a urinal that you may find helpful.

      Using a plunger to unclog a urinal

If the problem appears to be a simple blockage, a plunger is the best tool to clear a clogged urinal. It is a good idea to remove any cake or plastic insert on top of the drain in the urinal and any other debris that should not be there. Unscrew the drain cover from its hole in the wall and remove the drain cover.

 

Using a plunger, you should plunge the drain again once it has been cleaned. You will likely hear noise coming from the drainpipe after you pump the plunger several times. Also, you should check if the clogged urinal has been successfully cleaned by flushing it. You have fixed your urinal if you can see the water going all the way down before it stops.

 

Nevertheless, a few urinals become blocked by a buildup of debris that a plunger can’t remove. In such a case, urinal augers might be necessary to remove the obstruction in the urinal.

      Drill With a Drain Auger

Unclogging toilets and urinals is accomplished with drain augers. An auger for a toilet is different from an auger for a urinal. The longer rod on the latter makes it more challenging to unclog urinals. With a drum attached to the auger, it can be wound and pushed inside the urinal easier.

Manual or electric augers can be used without a problem as well. There is a motorized drum for the electric one, so no work is required. By hand cranking augers, you extend their lifetimes and reduce vibrations.

      Snake a Urinal

On the other hand, simply plunging your urinal will not be sufficient to remove the obstruction, you might need to try to snake the drain rather than merely plunging; otherwise, you may just have to flush. To do the snaking of your urinal, you have two options: hire a professional or make it yourself using a urinal auger that you can get from a store. Drain augers can be used to remove tougher blockages and snake drains.

Drain augers consist of a drum that is fed through the drain and allows you to break up blockages by feeding the drum through the drain. The coil at the end of the drainpipe is specifically designed to capture any pieces of debris to prevent them from blocking your drain line after they have been dislodged.

 

Initially, you will have to insert the cable into the drain opening by pulling out several feet of cable from the middle. If the cable is already in the drain opening, you should begin turning the handle immediately after inserting it. Keep turning the handle until the coil is fed down the drainpipe; you may feel some resistance as you are doing this. After you have reached the last 3–4 feet of the coil in the drum, stop turning the handle when you have reached the end of it. You will need to slowly pull the cable back through the drainpipe as soon as you have completed this step. You will have to inspect the top of the cable once you have completed this step to check if anything has been caught on the end.

 

It is possible that the coil did not pull anything out of the pipe, depending on the type of blockage. Nonetheless, this does not mean the blockage was not cleared. It’s possible that you didn’t remove all the blockages on the coil if there is a lot of grime. Clean it by hand again just to be sure. By flushing the urinal again, test if all the water is flushed away as it should. If so, then it has been cleared.

Don’t Know How to Unclog a Urinal?

Not sure how to unclog a urinal? Your next step should be to call a professional plumber if you are sure you cannot unclog the urinal using the plumbing tools you already own. Your commercial property shouldn’t have clogged urinals just sitting around. Follow the guide mentioned above as well. These solutions will all assist you in removing irritating clogs in your urinal. Once you have cleaned your urinal, all you have to do is prevent future problems.