When you have an urgent issue like an overflowing toilet leaking wastewater onto your bathroom floor, the last thing you’re likely considering is the shape of your plunger. However, this common household tool comes in a variety of shapes and sizes, all designed to address a particular drain issue. Mr. Rooter Plumbing of San Diego’s guide to household plungers can help you choose the right tool for the job.
How Do Plungers Work?
Plungers of all types use the simple principle of suction to draw water out of your drain, and pressure to propel it back in. Both of these actions can help dislodge stubborn clogs and send them on through your pipes. Often, a continued up-and-down motion will serve to complete this process quickly and get your toilet, sink, or shower back to normal.
What Plunger Should You Choose?
Each type of plunger was designed to handle a certain type of drain, and it’s important to use the best tool for the particular drain you’re addressing. Plunger types include:
- Toilet plungers. These plungers consist of a large rubber cup with a protruding lip designed to fit inside the toilet’s drain opening. In this way, toilet plungers are still able to create suction despite the rounded bottom of the toilet bowl.
- Sink and shower drain plungers. Unlike toilet plungers, these plungers do not have a protruding lip. Their even cup provides ideal suction for the flat surfaces inside sinks and showers.
- Accordion plungers. These aptly named, accordion-shaped plungers provide a large amount of water pressure perfect for clearing toilet clogs. However, since they are made of a stiff material, they often don’t provide suction on flat surfaces and don’t work well for sink and shower drains.
If you’re looking for a single, versatile plunger, a toilet plunger is your best bet – the rubber lip can flex and fit inside most sink drains. However, a good strategy is to keep a toilet plunger and a sink plunger on-hand to deal with any clog that comes your way.
If you run into a clog you just can’t clear, contact Mr. Rooter Plumbing of San Diego – our technicians have the professional tools necessary to clear sink, shower, and toilet clogs as well as sewer drain clogs of all types.