How to clean sewer pipes in a private house with your own hands

Blockages in the pipes lead to the fact that the sewerage "rises", it is impossible to drain waste fluids, a disgusting smell appears in the sanitary and kitchen premises. You can really clean the sewer pipes in a private house with your own hands. Hiring professionals is required only in the most difficult cases.

The main causes of sewer blockages

If in a country cottage connected to an autonomous treatment plant, the water in the plums does not leave and a nasty smell appears, it may not be a blockage. First you need to check the septic tank or cesspool - perhaps the tank is overfilled. In this situation, you need to call the flushers, after pumping out, the sewer system will resume.

The water standing in the drains, combined with the sewage stench with normally operating VOCs, is a clear sign of pipeline clogging. Possible reasons:

• Fat accumulations. Kitchen drains are the culprit.
• Paper, especially newsprint, which was thrown into the toilet in large quantities, as well as any other large rubbish.
• Hair and fur of animals. Usually they get into the sewer line from the bath drain, less often from the washbasin.
• Use of the sink in the kitchen without a grid.
• Failure to comply with the slope of the pipeline.
• Freezing of a section of the external pipeline.

Tree roots can also affect the performance of the sewage system. Plants planted close to the mainline, over time, can penetrate the rhizomes into the pipeline and "clog" it.

A line with insufficient diameter clogs up quickly and needs to be cleaned.

Most often, blockages occur in cast iron pipes. This happens due to the fact that the inner surface becomes rough due to corrosive effects, so debris sticks to it more easily. The inside of plastic pipes is smooth, they are not subject to corrosion, but it is not advisable to clean such material with excessively caustic preparations.

Determination of localization of blockages

To eliminate the blockage, you need to find where exactly the pipeline is clogged. Often there are blockages in kitchen sinks, bathtubs and toilets. The location of the blockage can be identified by poor drainage of the water flow.

To localize the problem area, you need to check the following places:

• If the water does not go well into the kitchen drain, a plug has arisen in the area from the sink to the bathroom.
• If the liquid stagnates in the washbasin and bathtub, the congestion is between the sink and the toilet.
• If the drain does not only leave the toilet, the blockage is in the outlet pipe.

Cleaning is carried out from the extreme sanitary device, where there is no water drain.

Methods for cleaning the sewer in a private house

Small problems can be dealt with with auxiliary tools. If the matter is in the wrong slope of the pipe sections or a serious breakdown of the network, you will have to disassemble and reinstall it.

Mechanical method

Small plugs are traditionally removed using a plunger. The plumbing tool is a smooth wooden handle with a rubber bowl at the end. Purification is performed in this order:

1. If the sink is low on water, you will need to draw it up so that it covers the bowl.
2. The plunger is pressed against the drain hole, translational up and down movements are made.
3. The device rises sharply. If the water quickly goes down the drain, then the blockage has been removed. If not, you will have to repeat the procedure several times.

The pressure from the bowl causes the debris to budge and continue to move through the pipe.

If nothing comes out with a plunger, or the congestion is "hidden" in the depths of the highway, cleaning is carried out using a special cable. It is most often used if large debris has entered the sewer system, for example, a rag or a diaper. The device is fed to the place of blockage, constantly rotating the handle. The flexible cable must be kept under constant tension, otherwise it will twist in loops. When the nozzle hooks on debris and the liquid drains, the cable is slowly pulled out of the pipe. At the same time, they continue to rotate in the same direction as before: this ensures that the object does not break off and does not cause a new blockage. Cleaning is carried out from top to bottom through the outlet for connecting a washbasin, bathtub, kitchen sink, or an inspection hole.

The advantages of mechanical methods are their low cost. You can buy a plunger for 80 rubles or a cable with nozzles for 150 rubles and clean the pipeline with your own hands.

You can also use a machine with a wire rope and an electric motor. With the help of powerful equipment, even dense blockages are broken through. After mechanical cleaning, the pipes are rinsed with hot water.

Chemical method

The second most popular method is to eliminate blockages with household chemicals. They are of two types - acid-based and alkali-based. The first ones are used to dissolve organic matter without greasy inclusions. Acidic formulations get rid of hair plugs in sink and bath drains.

It is the fat that is broken down by alkaline reagents. They are used to eliminate blockages in the kitchen sink.

In case of severe blockages, you can call professionals who will treat the line with special chemical compounds. They break down dirt at the molecular level. But the cost of such work is rather big - 50 rubles per running meter.

Homemade solvent products

Among the popular methods, the most common cleaning is with soda powder, sometimes with the addition of salt and vinegar. Baking soda, soda ash, and caustic soda will do. The latter type also belongs to alkaline compositions, but is very corrosive. The drug is used if the sewage system is metal or polypropylene. PVC pipes cannot be cleaned with them.

To make a caustic solution, you need to consider the degree of blockage. A small cork will be dissolved by a mixture of half a glass of baking soda and three liters of water. A serious problem is eliminated by using four kilos of powder in seven liters of water. For preventive purposes, take two kilos of caustic soda per four liters of water.

Cleaning is done in all cases in the same way. The solution is poured into the drain closest to the blockage, wait 60 minutes and rinse the pipe well with hot water. After that, you can make pumping out procedures with a plunger so that the dirt is completely exfoliated, and again rinse the pipe.

Using regular soda is more affordable and safer. However, sodium bicarbonate can only remove light deposits and unpleasant odors.

1. Pour a glass of baking soda into the drain hole.
2. Top up with three cups of boiling water.
3. Repeat the procedure after 60 minutes.

This method is suitable for preventing fat deposits on the inner walls of pipes and unpleasant odors. It can be done every two weeks.

If the cork is decent, you need to add catalysts to the soda powder: vinegar or vinegar essence diluted with water to a nine percent concentration. The reaction of acid and alkali helps to dissolve different types of blockages. You just need to pour half a glass of soda powder into the drain hole, and then pour the same amount of vinegar.The drain is plugged with a rag so that foam does not come out of it. After a couple of hours, rinse the line with hot water. All procedures are carried out with rubber gloves.

A mixture of soda and table salt is also used to clean the pipes. The procedure is easy. Mix half a cup of ingredients overnight and pour into a drain close to the blockage. Pour a liter of boiling water on top. It is advisable not to use plumbing fixtures until the morning.

Home cleaning techniques are not costly, but they will not help with deep blockages that damage the sewer. However, a medium-sized cork with fat inclusions is quite capable of dissolving. Also, solutions can be used for prophylaxis, subject to the proportions of caustic components.

Hydrodynamic method

With the help of a hydrodynamic unit, heavily clogged lines are cleaned. The essence of the technique is to flush the pipeline under high pressure.

Before working with the device, you need to determine the strength of the blockage. For this, cables or a teleinspection technique are used. They will also allow you to detect the exact location of the traffic jam.

The cleaning process goes like this:

1. In the revision closest to the blockage, the operator lowers a special hose with a punching nozzle at the end by about a meter.
2. With the help of a compression pump, water is supplied to the hose under strong pressure (one and a half hundred atmospheres).
3. The nozzle is equipped with holes from which water streams break out under pressure. They are wrapped in spirals, thanks to this, the hose is advanced and the plaque is simultaneously cleared.

The advantage of hydrotreating is that pressurized water jets remove all organic matter and inorganic impurities. This is not a cheap procedure - from 80 rubles per running meter, plus detecting a blockage - from 4000 rubles.

If you have a car wash machine, you can carry out the manipulations yourself, it will be cheaper. You will need to buy a special hose and nozzles, the price of the kit is from 5000 rubles.

Thermal method

The professional version of this technique is similar to the hydrodynamic method. The water stream is supplied under pressure and heats up to at least 130 degrees. This makes it possible to dissolve greasy and soapy build-up. The implementation of this method is complex and expensive, so it is almost never used.

At home, the thermal method is used if the water is bad, but it still drains. The hot water tap opens and the pipe is flushed. You can use a regular plumbing hose.

Blockage prevention

In order not to clog the sewage system in an apartment or a private house, regular prevention of blockages is needed. First of all, don't throw trash or even paper down the toilet. Place a special basket for used hygiene products.

Other preventive measures for pipe clogging:

• Install special nets on the drain holes that trap hair and organic waste.
• Install grease traps at the bottom of your kitchen sinks, especially if you cook a lot for a large family.
• Pour 10 liters of an aqueous solution of household chemicals into the plums every two weeks, or use homemade baking soda techniques.
• Clean siphon devices monthly.

Every six months it is worth starting a preventive cleaning of the pipeline with potent chemistry or caustic soda solution.

When you find a blockage, start solving the problem in the simplest and most affordable ways. Perhaps the cork will disappear and you won't have to spend money on professional cleaning.