A blockage in a sewer pipe is a household problem that often causes plumbing breakdowns. This can be avoided only if the pipes are cleaned in a timely manner, and not necessarily with the help of a wizard. Now there are many independent ways to eliminate the blockage, which, if used correctly, will solve the problem quickly and efficiently.
The main causes of blockages
The reasons for clogging of plastic pipes include improper installation and non-observance of the required slope. In cast-iron pipes, which have a high resistance to drains, clogging is formed due to corrosion, as a result of which the walls of the sewer are overgrown with plaque.
Determining the location of the blockage
Most often, blockages occur at the bends and joints of pipes, as well as in places of their narrowing. To understand which section of the sewer is clogged, you need to pay attention to the "behavior" of all plumbing. If the water in the toilet bowl, shower or bathtub flows freely into the drain, and, on the contrary, lingers in the sink, then this particular area needs to be cleaned. A similar situation is with a clogged toilet. If the water is in his bowl, while it goes quietly in the sink or bathtub, then you need to start cleaning his system specifically.
Above we talked about local blockages, in addition to which there are others:
- General... In this case, water does not leave two or more plumbing fixtures;
- Global... In this case, the water is in the drain at the same time of all plumbing fixtures that are installed in the house or apartment.
A blockage can be foreseen by listening to the sound of the water in the sink's siphons. From there, after removing the plug, a characteristic gurgling will be heard. When it appears, you must immediately start cleaning the sink, otherwise the situation threatens to completely clog the sewer.
Chemical and mechanical pipe cleaning
Chemical methods include removing blockages using household chemicals. They can be purchased from the grocery department of the supermarket, or you can make your own using soda.
Chemicals work well with grease and soap deposits on pipe walls. The dissolution of the blockage occurs due to the presence of alkali, acid and surfactants in such products. This method is less effective than the mechanical one and will not cope with severe blockages.
Chemical methods are simple and affordable. To clean the plumbing, a special tool is poured into the sewer system through the drain in the sink or bathtub. The time after which the blockage will dissolve is different, since it all depends on the chosen chemical. Among the most famous are:
- "Mole" is a product based on sodium hydroxide. It is notable for its low cost and a rather long time to clear the blockage - 2 hours. It is better not to use it for cleaning plastic pipes, since there is a risk of material destruction;
- Selena Antizasor is a product based on soda. Works faster than what is described above - copes with blockages in an hour.
- Chirton Clean Gutters is a granular product based on soda and sodium nitrate. It is more expensive than "Antizasor", but it will take only 15 minutes to clean the sewer system.
Before using any of them, you need to take care of your own safety: put on gloves and ventilate the room well. Further instructions for using any of the listed funds are reduced to the following points:
- Pour or pour the required amount of the product into the drain;
- Pour 0.5 liters of water there;
- Wait as long as indicated on the packaging of the product used;
- Flush the sewerage system with plenty of water (2-4 buckets);
In practice, it often turns out that household chemicals do not completely eliminate a strong blockage; as a result, mechanical methods of cleaning pipes come to replace it. They will be discussed further.
In order to properly clean the blockage with a plunger, you must act according to the following instructions:
- Fill the plumbing with hot water so that the plunger valve, after installing it on the drain funnel, is completely under water;
- Now, grasping the handle of the tool with your hands, make several vertical up and down movements. After the last pressure on the drain, sharply raise the plunger valve up above the water;
- Repeat several times.
The plumbing cable will cope with the blockage that the plunger could not handle. By itself, this tool looks like a metal wire, twisted into a spiral and collected in a plastic case with a handle. You need to use it as follows:
- Guide the cable into the drain hole and start unwinding as you rotate or press the handle located on the tool body;
- When the end of the wire hits the blockage, do a couple of reciprocating movements while pushing forward. As a result, the cork should go away;
- Pull out the rope and rinse;
- Finally, you can get rid of small debris with a bucket of hot water, which must be emptied into the plumbing drain.
To check the quality of the procedure, you just need to open the tap and watch how the water flows into the drain. If everything happens instantly, there is no more blockage. If the water is still retained, repeat the procedure.
How to choose a suitable method
Mechanical cleaning methods are chosen for those blockages that chemistry cannot dissolve. For the most part, this includes any object that has inadvertently got into the sewer system. In order to get it out of there, it is better to use a cable. The plunger is used if the chemical method is ineffective. As experience shows, with a large accumulation of household waste in the drain, only this tool saves, regardless of the chemical used before its use.
Preventive measures
Controlling what goes down the drain can help reduce the risk of blockages. For this purpose, a kitchen grate is already installed in the drain of the siphon, but it will not be superfluous to install a special strainer filter in the drain of the kitchen sink. Thanks to it, food residues washed off during the washing process will linger on the surface of the sink and will not fall into the pipes.
To prevent clogging of the toilet, it is necessary to exclude any water-insoluble debris from entering it.This includes rags forgotten in the water after washing the floors, baby diapers and feminine intimate hygiene items (pads, tampons). This is the only way to avoid clogging in the sewer system of the bathroom.
In addition, it is recommended to clean the pipes with chemicals every 2 weeks. Thus, small blockages will not have time to transform into large ones, and there will be no problems with plumbing.
As it turned out, cleaning the sewer system of your house or apartment on your own is not as difficult as it seems at first thought. However, in order to prevent serious damage, it is better to carry out preventive measures. Otherwise, you still have to seek help from specialists.
