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How to clean the sewer at home

Partial or complete clogging of sewer pipes can happen in every home. Usually this happens suddenly, being a complete surprise for the owners of an apartment or house. However, this phenomenon may be preceded by some signs. For example, a decrease in the speed of draining water, the appearance of an unpleasant odor from the pipes. In order not to call plumbers every time, each person must imagine how to clean sewer pipes at home if they are clogged. Moreover, there are always available cleaning products or items at hand.

Determining the blockage that has arisen is easy. Water stops going down the drain, or goes too slowly. If the drain grate of the plumbing fixture is not clogged with anything, then there is a blockage.

Drain pipes are often clogged with food debris, objects, hair, threads that accidentally fall into the drain. Also, a large object, such as a rag or sponge, can get into the pipe, around which a cork of small particles will gradually grow.

Another reason for the formation of blockages is the gradual decrease in the cross section of drain pipes. On the walls of drain pipes, usually cast iron, a layer of fat is gradually deposited, which leads to a decrease in the drain rate, up to its termination. Plastic pipes are much less likely to suffer from such deposits. In any case, you need to know how to clean the sewer at home. There are several ways to deal with such a nuisance. You can use any of them, whichever is more to your liking and capabilities.

Determining the location of the blockage

Before you clean the sewer pipes at home with your own hands, you need to determine the location of the blockage. This will make it easier to eliminate it. Blockages often form at the bends of drain pipes. In particular, in the siphon itself, at the outlet of the kitchen or bathroom siphon. These are places in the areas between the plumbing fixtures and the drain riser. Sometimes internal risers are also clogged, although much less often. If the common riser of an apartment building is clogged, then you can’t do it on your own and by methods.

You can identify the approximate location of the blockage yourself. To do this, you need to check how the drain from different points works. Suppose, in the kitchen and in the toilet, the water drains normally, but it does not leave the bath. Therefore, the cause must be sought in the area between the bathroom and the riser. If the water does not leave different devices, then the reason is a common riser.

Pipe cleaning methods

Consider how to clean the sewer pipes in a house or apartment. It is recommended that you first check the siphons under the sink or bathtub. To do this, they have to be carefully disassembled, and then rinsed with water. In most cases, blockages are located precisely on the bends of the siphons. If the siphon is clean and the water still does not come off, you should use one of the methods listed in this article.

thermal method

Pour 1-2 liters of boiling water into the drain hole. It is able to dissolve fatty deposits, as a result of which the drain passage will be released. This method cannot be applied if there is water in the sink or other plumbing fixture.

mechanical method

For cleaning, you can use the following tools:

Tip: For a plastic pipeline, a metal cable must be used with caution, as it can, due to its rigidity, damage the pipe walls.

Chemical method

Consider how to clean the sewer pipes with one of the chemicals. There are special liquids and powders on sale, with which you can dissolve fat deposits inside the drain. These are Mole, Flup, Mister Muscle, MELLERUD, Tiret Turbo, Sanfor. The liquid is immediately ready for use. It is poured into the drain hole of the plumbing fixture, and then left for a while. The powder must be poured into the drain, and then pour the specified amount of water. After maintaining the specified time, the drain system is washed with water.

All chemicals are divided into 2 groups:

  • Acid. They perfectly dissolve hair and cope with soapy plaque. Such preparations are more suitable for bathrooms;
  • alkaline. Their purpose is to dissolve fats that accumulate on the inner pipe walls. Such tools have proven themselves better in the kitchen.

Important: The simultaneous use of alkali-based products and acid preparations is prohibited.

Household solvents

How to clear a blockage in sewer pipes if there are no purchased chemicals available? You can use all known folk remedies:

1. Baking soda. It can be used in several ways:

  • Half a pack of soda should be poured into the drain, and then pour the same amount of vinegar into it. Such a mixture effectively dissolves any fatty deposits on the walls of the pipes. It is recommended to close the drain with a stopper. After application, you need to wait about 2 hours without opening the drain. After a time when the reaction stops, the drain must be washed with running water;
  • Soda is poured into the drain hole, after which boiling water is poured there. The reaction of soda to boiling water is gas formation with the release of carbon dioxide. This helps keep the pipes clean.

2. Salt mixed with baking soda. Ingredients in equal proportions are poured into the drain at night, and everything is washed off with water only in the morning.

How to clean the sewer with baking soda and vinegar is shown in the video.

Hydrodynamic method

To use this cleaning method, a special hydrodynamic machine capable of supplying water under high pressure is required. With the help of such a device, pipes with a diameter of 5-30 cm are cleaned.

Note: It is problematic to use such a machine in an apartment, but it can be used for a private house.

A flexible hose with a special nozzle at the end is inserted into a clogged pipe. High pressure water is supplied to the hose. Water exits through the nozzles of the nozzle and knocks all deposits from the walls of the pipe. Thanks to the resulting jet thrust, the hose moves further along the pipe, destroying blockages with the nozzle body. Water contributes to the removal of all debris outside the pipe. If you have a clogged wide pipe, then you will not find a better way to clean the sewer pipes. After such a major cleaning, the inside of the pipe will not become clogged for a long time.

Cleaning plastic pipes

Plastic pipes are much less at risk of clogging, as their walls are smoother. Deposits are practically not formed on them. Blockages inside such pipelines can occur only at bends, as well as in the presence of standing water. Sand deposits can also form in the lower parts of the pipelines. Often the siphon itself becomes clogged. How to clean plastic sewer pipes if they are still clogged?

If disassembling and flushing the siphon did not bring results, then the following cleaning methods can be applied:

  • plunger;
  • soda with boiling water or vinegar;
  • soft flexible cable (neat manual cleaning);
  • chemicals designed specifically for such pipes.

Tip: When buying a chemical product, carefully read its instructions. Some products cannot be used inside the plastic system, as they lead to its destruction.

Mechanical cleaning with a rigid metal cable on plastic pipes is not recommended.

Prevention

To prevent blockages inside the drain pipes from being a regular occurrence, you need to take preventive measures:

  • There is no need to throw foreign objects into the drain that can block the flow of water;
  • Use special grease traps installed on the drain holes. They are able to retain most of the fat;
  • Protect the drain hole in the bathtub with a grate that can trap hair. It is the hair that is the main cause of the clogging of the bathroom siphon;
  • Periodically clean the siphon from deposits and objects that have fallen into it;
  • Spill the drain with boiling water regularly. It would be even better to combine this action with pouring a certain amount of soda into the drain;
  • If possible, replace old metal pipes with PVC or polypropylene pipes. Blockages will occur much less frequently, and will be eliminated faster.

Using the methods listed above, you can independently cope with even the most unpleasant blockages in sewer pipes. Start the fight against trouble with the simplest ways. And only if the problem cannot be fixed, use more effective means.