“The kit, which sells on-line for $19.95, consists of a thin piece of tubing, a quick connector and a variety of attachments that screw onto your tap in place of the aerator. By doing this you increase the pressure from about 50 psi (city standard) to around 250 psi. The flexible piping allows you to spray the concentrated stream
of water around your drain abandon. Because drains typically become larger the further down they go, the gunk, once dislodged, ceases to be problematic.
I must admit, though, that the whole thing looked pretty off-putting to me when I first received it. But once I made the commitment to get on with the job, I found it quite easy and even managed to avoid spraying myself. There’s a YouTube video in case you get stuck.
Best of all, you can use the kit again and again, or lend it to your neighbours (if they buck the trend and share tales of their plumbing problems). It will work on most taps, so long as you can find an aerator to remove.
So, as I pack my bags for my upcoming move to the UK – a land of fine plumbing I feel sure – I will be certain to take my Drain-FX with me. I hope they have the same aerator fittings there: according to the website 99% of the world’s aerators fall into four sizes, all of which can handle Drain-FX. So I’d be unlucky to be in that 1%.”