HOUSTON – Drains clogged with grease, hair, and food can put a damper on your day. If you can’t clear the clog yourself, calling a plumber for help can be costly. For our Test it Tuesday we tested a product that claims to clear clogged drains with no harsh chemicals.
You can buy the BAAM! High-Pressure Drain Blaster on Amazon for $16. It claims to work on sinks, tubs, and toilets, saving homeowners hundreds of dollars in plumbing bills.
Problem: Clogged bathtub
We’ve all be there - when you pull the drain in your tub and it just sits there. David Armstrong of Armstrong Plumbing Company has cleared a lot of clogs in his career.
“Most of the time it’s just paper towels and stuff like that,” said Armstrong.
We provided him with the BAAM! High-Pressure Drain Blaster and asked him to clear a common type of clog in this bathtub drain.
“I do believe it’s clogged up with hair,” said Armstrong.
He unboxed the Drain Blaster, read the instructions, and went to work.
The BAAM! Drain Blaster comes with three heads to fix a kitchen sink, toilet or tub. It claims to work by pumping the blaster with air when you fit it over the drain and pull the trigger. The shot of air is supposed to knock out whatever is clogging the drain.
Does the Drain Blaster work?
Armstrong quickly noticed one problem the average homeowner may run into. Removing the stopper on the drain can be difficult.
“You have different design stoppers, some require special tools to get it out. Every homeowner doesn’t have the knowledge to take it out,” explains Armstrong.
We tried the device on another tub that was also clogged but without a fixed stopper. This time within seconds the water backed up in the tub started draining. It was fast and pretty simple.
So, what does Armstrong think overall? Because the device doesn’t easily work on all types of drains, Armstrong says he isn’t bonkers about BAAM!
Clogged drain solutions
If you have sinks and tubs drains without stoppers this product might work for you. But Armstrong actually recommends something else. A device you can buy at any home improvement store for about $5. The Drain Weasel by “FlexiSnake” helps unclog drains by feeding in a log hook into the drain so you can pull out whatever is stopping it up. There are several types of these “drain snake” devices, with names like Huskey Drain Auger from Home Depot or Cobra Drain Cleaning Tool from Lowe’s.
Armstrong made a video to show you these types of drain snakes work.