An overview of the best remedies for blockages in sewer pipes

New sewerage systems usually do not pose a problem as long as they are well designed and properly installed. Jams and fatty blockages appear some time after use. In order to prevent the formation of a blockage, you need to know which means to use for prevention, and which will help in emergency cases.

Types of means for cleaning sewer pipes

By chemical composition, the products are divided into alkaline and acidic. Acidic ones dissolve hair well, so it is better to use them in bathrooms and showers. Alkalis work better with fats and are mainly used for cleaning kitchen drains, even with a strong blockage.

Alkalis

The main component of alkaline liquids is caustic soda. This substance is extremely corrosive, therefore, when working with it, you must use gloves, a face mask and glasses.

Pros of using:

• Copes well with chronic blockages of organic origin.
• It will help remove brown carbon deposits from cast iron and metal pans and pots, except for aluminum or Teflon coated products.
• It works even after washing the pipes, so after using it to break through the sewer, the effect lasts for a long time.
• Works fast. It takes only 15 minutes for the alkali to dissolve the cork and completely clean the drain.
• Suitable for cast iron pipes.
• It is used in the local sewage system to eliminate distant blockages. For this, the substance is diluted with water and poured into the system. After that, you can't use the sewer for a couple of hours to allow the chemicals to do their job.

Minuses:

• Caustic soda can corrode damaged pipes, so use with caution.
• Able to gradually destroy the enamel on the bathroom or sink. It is advisable not to allow the substance to get on the visible part of the plumbing.
• In general sewage, it causes the death of bacteria if an aerobic method of odor elimination and organic processing is used in the sewage system.
• Difficult to buy at the store. You can order powder on sites that sell products for soap making at home.
• Requires exact proportions when diluted with cold water.
• The substance is flammable and explosive - must be kept out of the reach of children.

In addition to sewerage, caustic is used for washing and bleaching cotton and linen clothes, in gardening against fungal diseases of plants, for making soap and other purposes.

Alkali, when dissolved in water, releases heat, some materials can withstand short-term temperature rises up to 100 degrees, so before using it, you need to clarify what material the pipes are made of.

Acidic remedies

There are acid-based products commercially available that can be used on all types of pipes. However, they may be weak and will not clear the blockage. On the forums you can find advice from "practitioners" who write that hydrochloric acid helps well. This is not entirely true:

• If PVC pipes are installed in the apartment, concentrated hydrochloric acid will corrode them within 30 minutes.
• In apartment buildings, the riser and main line are most likely made of cast iron, in which acid can punch holes and the entire system will have to be changed.
• Acid can cause chemical burns if protective equipment is not used. The fumes from the substance are toxic and can cause respiratory problems.

First you need to try to dilute hydrochloric acid to 5-10% concentration and pour it down the drain. 35% of the substance is capable of dissolving plastic and provoking an accident in the whole house - pressure increases in a clogged pipe and it heats up. The same effect is obtained by using sulfuric acid.

In domestic conditions, acetic, phosphoric, oxalic, sulfamic acids are used. The problem is that apart from acetic acid or essence, you can rarely find anything else of the above in stores.

Blockages can be of different origins: calcium deposits, silicate, metal oxides. To remove them with acid, you must call a qualified technician. Knowing the material for making pipes, he will advise a safe but effective way.

Forms of issue

If the alkaline substance is concentrated, it will be sold in the form of granules or white powder. Means in stores are packed for one-time use, since they are used about once every six months; if stored incorrectly, they lose their quality. Caustic can not be bought by weight in a store - it is ordered via the Internet. To preserve its properties, caustic soda is stored in a tightly closed container. Expiration date - 1 year from the date of manufacture.

There are liquid solutions that are sold in plastic containers. They are protected from children in the form of a hard-to-open lid. These are mainly acid-based solutions. They are concentrated enough to burn skin without gloves, but safe on pipes.

Means in the form of tablets are used more for prophylaxis than for combating old plugs from fat and hair. They need to be used regularly - once a week to prevent water stagnation and overflow.

Application features

Store liquids act faster than bulk preparations, which must be dissolved in water for effect. If there is water in the sink, it must be emptied so as not to dilute the product, because water will neutralize the acid and reduce its effectiveness. The same goes for pills.

Loose concentrated alkalis are capable of working even in water, but more substance is required. If the blockage is very strong and the bathroom is completely filled with water, then it is better to scoop it out into the toilet, and then fill it with a substance that will corrode the organic matter in the pipes and free up a passage for water.

Criteria for choosing a means for cleaning sewer pipes

The concentration of the substance is selected based on the degree of blockage. If preventive maintenance is regularly carried out in the kitchen, vinegar and soda or some purchased product is enough.

For cases when simple means no longer help, but urgent action is needed, it is recommended to keep a small amount of alkali at home so that at any time you can thoroughly flush the pipes.

It is best to use both mechanical and chemical agents. The plumbing cable will help remove the plug, and the chemicals will wash away the remains of the plaque on the pipes so that the effect lasts longer.

Review of the most effective remedies

Rating of the best means for cleaning pipes and removing blockages in the sewage system:

• Deboucher is an alkali that is not advertised, so it costs an order of magnitude cheaper. Copes with all types of sewer blockages. Use with cold water as sodium hydroxide generates a lot of heat. First, water is poured, then the gel and again a glass of water. It is important to have time to move away from the sink when the reaction starts. Use gloves and glasses.
• Chirton is a granular product based on caustic soda. Copes with any blockage in 15 minutes. The plus is that the product is packaged in disposable bags.
• Bagi Pothan is a powerful alkali-based remedy. Requires caution when used at home. It is used in extreme cases when weaker substances do not help.The tool is expensive, but economical and quick, so it is recommended to have it in your home in case of serious problems in the pipes. Minus one - there are no small packages for one-time use, but a large package is enough for several cleanings.
• Tiret - has several varieties designed for blockages of varying degrees. However, no mistress can say for sure how serious the situation is, so it is recommended to immediately buy the strongest Tiret. It will not create problems with pipes, but if the blockage is small, then the problem will be resolved faster. Before flushing, water is removed from the clogged sink and the agent is poured into the hole. If it works, the water will slowly go down.

Less concentrated products:

• Mister Muscle. The manufacturer claims that it copes with a clogged sewer in 15 minutes, but the experience of use says the opposite. Sometimes you need to pour the entire bottle into the sink and wait a long time for the water to drain off a little. Perhaps in the first years of production, the product met the standards, but now it is more profitable to buy something more expensive, but more effective. Suitable for preventing fat deposits in the kitchen and hair in the bathroom.
• Mole. It happens in granular (cheaper) and in the form of a gel (more expensive). According to reviews, a granular product copes better with blockages of moderate to light severity. To dissolve, hot water is needed, in cold powder it sticks together into a stone.
• Sanox is an inexpensive preventive measure. Copes with severe blockages slowly. It may take several bottles if there is nothing stronger on the market.
• Selena Antizasor is a soda ash-based product. Due to their low cost, they are sold more often than expensive drugs, but the effect will have to wait for a long time, and use often, which, in fact, negates the savings.

Of the purchased funds, alkaline drugs are considered the most powerful and fastest. In order not to experiment with concentrated acids, which, if ignorant of chemistry, can cause the destruction of pipes - plastic, cast iron, metal or copper - it is recommended to choose from the safer ones. They are designed for any materials used in sewerage construction.