Alas, but it happened, a local catastrophe of a family scale. And it is with you, and as always at the most inopportune moment. No more cheerful murmuring with greedy smacking is heard, as the sewer system of your house suddenly stopped doing its dirty, but, as it turned out, such important things, turning the snow-white sink and the toilet shining with cleanliness into dull, foul-smelling containers with unsightly contents. And then the question inevitably arises before you: how to clean the sewer?
Ways to clear blockages
There are several solutions here.
- Take out the results of life in the yard, which gives an instant result, but does not solve the problem.
- Turn to professional plumbers, which guarantees the repair of the problem, but requires some time and financial costs.
- Clean your drains yourself with simple tools and readily available chemicals, often saving you a lot of time and money.
The choice of method of elimination depends on the complexity of the blockage, the physical condition of the drainage system and personal desire to do this rather dirty work. But if you are determined to deal with the trouble that has arisen on your own, then here are some simple tips on how to clean the sewer at home.
Using chemical solutions
The chemical cleaning method copes well with blockages resulting from organic, fatty and mineral deposits inside sewers, as well as in case of freezing, but is powerless in case of large stuck objects (stones, rags, metal).
Pay special attention to the fact that the chemical method of clearing a clogged sewer is only applicable when your home's drainage system is made of cast iron or plastic elements. For steel pipes, this method is unacceptable, as it provokes their active corrosion.
Chemical solution from improvised means
The easiest chemical decontamination solution can be made in the kitchen using vinegar, baking soda and plain water, which, despite the availability of ingredients, is an effective and environmentally friendly way to clean the drains in a private house or apartment. The quenched soda, entering into a chemical reaction with vinegar, softens any deposits that have caused clogging of sewers, which, under the pressure of hot water, will flow down the drain. The cleaning process itself looks like this:
- First one and a half-two liters of boiling water with ½ cup of soda dissolved in it.
- After about 5 minutes, pour 200 ml of vinegar and the same amount of hot water into the hole.
- After 10 minutes, the procedure is completed by flushing the sewer with plenty of boiling water (5-7 l).
Household chemicals will corrode everything
Very popular for this type of work, liquid and powdered pipe cleaners can be purchased at any hardware store, and instructions on how to clean the sewer at home using one or another cleaner are printed on the package. At the same time, the principle of using almost all such chemical reagents is identical and simple.
Liquid cleaning agents begin to act immediately after they are poured into the drain, and after the time specified by the manufacturer, the sludge formed as a result of the reaction is washed off under the pressure of water.
Treating clogs with powdered chemicals (usually based on sodium hydroxide) is less damaging to pipes, gives quicker results, and doesn't require cleaning agent to sit in clogged drains for long periods of time. In this case, the drain hole is filled with boiling water, then, after a couple of minutes, 1-2 cups of cleaning powder are added (depending on the complexity of the blockage), and after two to three minutes, the loosened blockage is washed off with hot water.
Before cleaning drains with chemicals, carefully read the manufacturer's advice.
Due to the fact that the cleaningproducts by actively dissolving scale, hair and dirt, these chemical products tend to be very caustic and can harm both old pipes and your skin. Therefore, when using them, be careful and careful, and carry out all work in rubber gloves and goggles.
Vantuz - the first helper for blockages
Now let's look at how to clean the sewers in the house using specialized tools. The simplest and most common, but very effective device that can rid a sink, toilet or bathroom of clogging is a plumbing plunger or, as it is more commonly called, a plunger. It is a piston consisting of a long wooden or plastic handle with a flexible diaphragm in the form of a dense rubber bowl attached to it.
Like a suction cup, the working part of the plunger fits snugly on a smooth surface around a clogged drain, and when pressed, pushes air into the pipe, creating excess pressure in it that destroys the blockage. For the greatest effectiveness of the plunger as a method of cleaning the sewer, the surface of the clogged drain should be covered with water by 3-5 cm (add if necessary), which increases compression. For the same purpose, using plugs or rags, it is necessary to seal adjacent drain outlets.
After that, by setting the plunger over the problematic drain, with sharp movements, moving the plunger handle up and down, they achieve the elimination of the blockage. If necessary, the operation is repeated several times, achievingunhindered flow of water, a sign of which is the formation of a swirling funnel. For hygiene reasons, it is advisable to have two plungers on the farm, for the toilet and sinks, respectively.
Long and messy but effective plumbing cable
Now we will try to figure out how to clean the sewers in a private house using a plumbing cable, because in apartments a deep blockage most often falls under the jurisdiction of housing and communal services and utilities. This is a simple device in the form of a thin metal rope, consisting of several steel threads twisted together in several layers in the opposite direction.
The number of layered plexuses determines the thickness of the cable (from 6 to 18 mm), which determines the allowable length of its use. The working end of the device can be a hook, a twisted spiral or a brush made from the disheveled ends of a steel winding. At the same time, the tip of the cable must not only be rigid enough to break through the resulting plug, but also very tenacious so that you can grab and pull out the object that caused the blockage. The other side of the plumbing cable is usually supplied with an iron handle to facilitate its passage into the sewer pipe.
Features of pipe cleaning with a cable
This is really a very dirty and unpleasant job, but if you have already decided to clean the sewers in a private house with your own hands, then take care of the appropriate toilet for the occasion (in the senseoveralls) and canvas gloves to avoid nicks and cuts from the sharp ends of the steel braid.
The cable must be fed into the clogged drain channel progressively, turning clockwise: this way it will easily overcome possible bends and reach the blockage. At the same time, it is necessary to increase the pressure and, actively rotating the handle of the cable, to achieve destruction and pushing the barrier deep into the pipe or a hook and pulling the object that clogged the sewer to the surface. Then it is necessary to rinse the drain with plenty of hot water.
Sometimes the cable can be replaced with a piece of thick wire with a hooked end, which can successfully solve the problem of shallow blockages.
Siphon: a simple solution to complex problems
We propose to consider another sure method of how to clean the sewer, which works in most cases. It consists in dismantling and cleaning the siphon (U-shaped trap or water lock), located at the vast majority of zealous owners immediately under the sink. One of its functions, in addition to cutting off unpleasant odors from sewer pipes, is to block small debris and organic particles that regularly enter the drainage system. Two types of siphons are most common, differing in the type of trap, which can be in the form of a glass or a knee.
In the first case, the cleaning process will not take you more than five minutes. Install a large bowl or bucket under the sink, just unscrew the siphon glass counterclockwise, removeaccumulated hair, leftover food and other debris, wash it thoroughly in hot soapy water and screw it back on. That's all, the blockage is cleared.
The second type of siphon is used in places where the drain hole is close to the floor (toilet, bathtub) and in this case the U-shaped trap will have to be dismantled entirely, which is also not at all difficult. It is enough to unscrew the two plastic fittings that secure the elbow to the drain hole and the drain pipe, after which, as in the first case, clean the trap, wash it and mount it back.
The main thing in this water procedure: carefully, without distortions and clamps, put rubber (plastic) seals in place, and after completion of work, be sure to check the siphon with water pressure for leaks at the joints.
Other ways to clear sewer blockages
There are a number of other ways to both clean the sewer and exercise visual control over the condition of the entire drainage drain system as a whole. Most of them involve the use of high-tech and expensive equipment, the features of which are of interest only to professionals.
Mini sink vs drain plug
Perhaps, the more or less affordable methods of removing blockages (especially for motorists) include the use of a mini-sink with special nozzles for this purpose. The hose is led a meter into the drain hole and, after turning on the unit, it independently moves along the pipe, destroying it under the influence of high hydrodynamicpressure encountered in the way of blockages and layers, washing the resulting slag into the sump.
Clean where they don't litter
Finally the last way, giving almost one hundred percent guarantee that you will not wonder how to clean the sewer for many years. This universal and easy-to-apply method is called prevention.
- Install strainers in sinks and other drains to keep debris out of sewers.
- Regularly flush the system with chemical or biological cleaners, which will not only protect the drains from slagging, but also eliminate the appearance of an unpleasant odor.
- Run hot water through the sewer pipes every 1-2 weeks to flush out grease and food residue.
- Avoid flushing inorganic debris and insoluble food waste down the toilet.
