Sewer cleaning

Every modern person at least once in his life has encountered the problem of clogging the sewage system. Often this trouble happens at the most inopportune moment. Timely cleaning of the sewer will help you avoid many troubles associated with the comfortable and safe use of your plumbing fixtures. In this article we will share all available methods for self-cleaning sewer pipes, because the problem of clogging can be repeated quite often.

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Causes of Clogging

In the process of using the sewer system, various foreign objects can get into it:

• human hair;
• animal hair;
• sand.

When there are burrs or multiple joints on the inner surface of the pipe, fats will settle on them, soap foam, food debris will accumulate, etc. Due to such blockages, the pipe’s lumen will gradually narrow. This leads to a delay in the flow of fluid.

Important! If preventive measures to remove the blockage are not carried out in time, then the sediment on the pipes will become quite dense, and its elimination will require much more time and labor.

Quite often, a blockage is formed due to non-compliance with the basic rules for operating the sewer system. These are the following restrictions:

1. The remains of construction debris, a large amount of which is formed during the repair, cannot be dumped into the sewer.
2. Do not allow any glue to enter the sewer system.
3. Do not clog the pipes with newspapers and rags.
4. Make sure that children’s toys or other voluminous objects do not get into the sewers.

Important! Upon contact with water, most of these wastes provoke the formation of tight plugs in the sewer system, which may cause a complete replacement of sewer pipes.

There are many reasons for regular blockages of sewer pipes, and not all are a violation of the operating rules. Quite often, people have to face the following problems:

• Wrong pipe diameter and slope;
• installation of pipes of small cross section, a large number of turns in the system.
• the presence of turns of the sewer pipeline at a right angle;
• joints of the system mounted with a large number of seams and burrs;
• not enough water to flush the toilet.

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Prevention

To prevent the appearance of blockages, it is necessary to carry out regular preventive maintenance of sewer systems:

1. Drains of sinks, bathtubs and showers must be covered with a special grill that traps small debris and hair.
2. Once a month, preventive cleaning of the sewage system is carried out using a plunger or special chemicals.
3. After washing very greasy dishes, to remove residual fat deposits, you need to wash the sink with very hot water for 1-2 minutes.

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Sewer Cleaning Methods

You can clean the pipes yourself at home in two ways:

1. To remove the garbage cork, it is preferable to use a mechanical method based on the use of special tools or devices.
2. To carry out dry cleaning, you must purchase special tools for cleaning sewer pipes.The reagents included in their composition will soften the mash and decompose it into liquid components.

What to give preference to?

• Mechanical cleaning of sewer pipes is the most time-consuming, but sometimes the most effective way of cleaning. Such cleaning is recommended when the outflow of water is completely stopped if there is a significant blockage in the sewage system.
• Using chemicals to clean sewer pipes is less effective, but not as troublesome as mechanical cleaning. The result of applying this method directly depends on the properties and effectiveness of the tool used.

Important! In most cases, specially designed pipe cleaning chemicals are usually used in case of small blockages, when the outflow of water is not completely blocked.

Features of the use of "chemistry"

For the correct selection of a cleaning agent, it is necessary to understand where and in what place the blockage occurred. More often than not, the usual problem arises in the sewer section connecting the bathroom with the toilet outlet, the kitchen sink with the bathroom drain, or the toilet with the riser.

Important! In the event that the drain in the kitchen or in the bathroom becomes clogged, chemical cleaning of the sewer pipes may be recommended.

Before buying a chemical agent for cleaning the sewer, be sure to read the instructions for its use. This document should indicate the material for the manufacture of the pipeline, for the processing of which the use of the reagent is supposed.

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Folk remedies

There are a number of folk remedies that can be used to clean the sewer. Our grandmothers also used these tips, and so you can try to apply them at home:

Method number 1 - Soda

Baking soda, which is likely to be found in every home, helps to cope with clogging. To achieve the highest quality result, adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

1. Empty the plumbing drain from debris.
2. Pour 1 liter of hot water into it and leave for 15 minutes.
3. We use a plunger for partial mechanical cleaning.
4. Pour a glass of baking soda inside the plum.
5. Pour three glasses of boiling water into the drain hole.

Method number 2 - Vinegar and soda

Baking soda and acetic acid can be helpful in controlling clogging. Use these funds according to the following instructions:

1. Pour half a glass of vinegar into the plumbing drain hole and pour half a glass of soda into the same hole.
2. Give the substance time to react and clean the sewer system.
3. After two hours - pour plenty of boiling water over the drain.

Important! The chemical reaction between soda and vinegar causes profuse foaming, therefore, during the cleaning process, the drain hole must be tightly closed with a stopper.

Method number 3 - Salt with soda

A sufficiently high-quality cleaning effect gives the integrated use of salt and soda, which must be used as follows:

• take 0.5 cups of salt and soda;
• pour the substances into the clogged drain;
• fill the drain hole with boiling water.

Important! Using this cleaning method, it is advisable not to use the sewage system for 10 hours, which are necessary for the full passage of chemical reactions.

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Chemical exposure

The well-known and most common tool for chemical cleaning of sewer pipes is “Mole”. This substance can be bought in almost every household chemistry store.

Also on sale are many funds of foreign manufacturers.

In most cases, the product is poured into the sink, sometimes filled with a glass of warm water. Since it takes time to undergo chemical reactions, it is necessary to wait a certain period after processing the sewage system.

Important! After chemical reactions have been completed, flush the pipes with plenty of clean water.

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Mechanical sewer cleaning

When mechanically cleaning the sewer system, the following devices are usually used:

• plumbing cable;
• plunger.

Cleaning the sewer with a plunger

When tackling blockage, start by using a plunger. In order to clean a clogged drain with this device, follow the following procedure:

• Pour 3-5 liters of water into the drain so that the liquid fills the clogged pipe and reaches the drain hole.
• Position the plunger so that the suction cup covers the drain hole.
• Perform translational movements to create a vacuum in the sewer pipe.
• With a sharp movement, remove the plunger from the sink while removing blockage.

If this method does not help, continue cleaning with a plumbing cable.

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Sewer cleaning with plumbing cable

One of the most effective ways to clean the sewer is to use a metal cable specially designed for this purpose.

To clean, you must adhere to the following algorithm of actions:

1. Open the siphon or remove the tank above the toilet.
2. Enter the tool into the sewer system.
3. To successfully push the cable into the pipe, you must constantly rotate it.

If the blockage is successfully completed, then the water that fills the sewer will quickly leave.

Important! If you are unable to clean the sewer yourself, then you can take advantage of professional help - call the plumbing. When performing services for cleaning sewer pipes, specialists first conduct a video diagnosis of their condition, determine the place of blockage and choose a way to eliminate it.

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Stock footage

In this article, we shared with you effective recommendations for cleaning sewer pipes and sincerely hope that from now on clogging of pipes will not cause you significant discomfort.