Sewer system in your apartment or house is designed to remove drains. However, due to improper operation and violation of the mode of its use, it may cause malfunctions. The most common failure of the sewage system is its clogging, that is, a violation of the normal flow of sewage. What to do? In really serious cases, you can not avoid calling a plumbing specialist, but in most cases, you can remove the blockage in the sewer yourself, using basic tools.
Sewer obstruction what to do
Causes of clogging in the sewer system
In order to remedy the fault of the sewage system, it is first necessary to know how it functions and because of what clogs can occur.
The main elements of the sewage disposal system are sewage pipelines that connect sanitary facilities with a main riser( in an apartment building) or with a sewage collection and treatment system( in a private homeowner).This pipe system does not represent a flat line, but includes turns and connecting elements on which the normal movement of waste water slows down.
Toilet blockage - photo
As the service goes, sewer pipes, especially those made of cast iron, build up on the internal surfaces with a corrosive coating that inhibits the normal flow of water and accumulates debris in the waste water. Day after day, such a small dung can become a full-fledged blockage.
Serious obstruction in sewer pipes - photo
Please note that in case of independent design of the sewer system, it is necessary to calculate its configuration so that more or less free access is available to the most vulnerable places of the sewage pipelines. So, in particular when installing an external sewage system in private households, it is necessary to provide for the construction of inspection hatches or wells in all places where the street pipe makes a sharp turn.
If there is any large element in the sewage stream, for example, accidentally thrown into the toilet bowl, this element can catch on unevenness of the internal surface of the sewage system. After a short time, it accumulates in smaller particles and blocks the normal course of the runoff.
Cast iron pipes are most susceptible to a blockage of
Basic methods of eliminating the obstruction in the sewerage system
The main causes of blockages in the sewage systems dictate the most popular ways of eliminating such faults:
- Inspection and reorganization of the sewerage system. As an extremely cardinal solution, it can be recommended for frequent blockages in old pipelines.
- Mechanical blockage elimination - used when forming a fouling spot from a solid object.
- Chemical cleaning of sewer pipes - used when forming on internal surfaces of pipe layers that can be destroyed by aggressive solutions.
But remember that you do not have to learn any of the ways to clean the sewer system, if you use it correctly: do not throw large things into it and do not drain fluids that could cause a congestion.
Check and clean the siphons
The first barrier to a variety of littering items in your plumbing fixtures is the siphon. It is a device that performs two functions:
- Creates a water barrier, which prevents the penetration of unpleasant odors from sewage into residential premises. The water slide constantly updates, a new portion of water enters it after each use of plumbing.
- Also a siphon has a kind of trap that holds up heavy fines, preventing them from entering the sewer pipe.
If you find that water is stagnant in your sink or bathtub, then at the initial stage you need to check the siphon capacity. This device is very easy to remove and disassemble - all its components are fixed to each other on threaded connections. When disassembling the siphon, some water may pour out of it - so do not forget to put a basin under it or put a rag at the worst.
1 step - check the siphon for the presence of clog
After disassembling the siphon, you can immediately determine whether there is clog in it, preventing the passage of sewage. Remove foreign objects and flush the siphon in a bucket of water or under a flowing jet, then assemble the entire unit in reverse order.
We carry out chemical cleaning of sewage drainage
The next type of fouling, the order of elimination of which we disassemble, is the formation of layers on the inner surface of pipes that can be removed using aggressive liquids.
Chemicals for cleaning the sewer from the obstruction
In the hardware stores a wide range of such solutions or powders is sold, but before pouring any infernal mixture into your sewer system - start with the simplest solvent - with hot water.
Many sections of the sewage system can be clogged with fatty layers, which are elementarily dissolved by the action of hot water. But when using this method, remember that some types of plumbing devices are very sensitive to the effects of boiling water - they can just split from them. To prevent such trouble - first heat the equipment by pouring on it not boiling water, but simply hot water. By the way, heating clogged sections of sewage pipelines can also be a good way to get rid of clogging. But do not overdo it - plastic sewer pipes, which are widely used in modern systems - can melt under the influence of high temperature.
After hot water the next in the rating of "killing" in relation to the clogs is an ordinary solution of soda. Mix sachets of soda with a bucket of water and pour this mixture into a device that poorly passes water. An alkaline solution can act on clogged areas and remove obstacles.
And finally. At the last stage, you can use purchased industrial tools. When buying them, be sure to study their composition and recommendations for use. Otherwise, the prepared solution can not only dissolve the obstacle to wastewater, but also disrupt the tightness of the connections of the sewage pipelines.
Eliminate mechanical blockages
Whatever the chemical solution is, some of the causes of the clogging in the sewage system are not removed. It was a mistake to think that a solution of soda would eliminate the floor rag, negligently run down to your toilet. And here we will be helped by mechanical ways to eliminate blockages.
The process of removing mechanical clogging
Let's start with the simplest tool that is certainly available in every house - the plunger. This is a fairly simple device - a rubber hemisphere on the handle. The principle of its operation is based on the transfer of pressure on water. Water, as is known, is incompressible, and if by rhythmic jolts put pressure on the water stagnant in the sink or in the toilet - it will be transmitted through the water to the place of the blockage and push its cause further down to the main pipe or simply destroy it.
Using the plunger can be complicated by the fact that on the way to the site of the clog there will be branches of the sewage system. As a result, you will press on the water in the sink, and it will splash in the next bathroom. In this case, we will be helped by a plumbing cable.
The plumbing rope is also not the pinnacle of technology and innovation. This is the usual piece of a metal cable, at one end of which is attached a L-shaped handle, and on the other is attached a sharp tip or a spiral nozzle. Such a nozzle allows you to use a plumbing cable not only as a battering ram, knocking out blockages, but also as a hook, which can get a jammed object from the depth of the sewage system. This is very convenient, because in some cases, it is simply impossible to push the stuck cause of the blockage to the main sewage system.
Cleaning the sewer with a plumbing cable
It's quite easy to use a plumbing cable. It is advisable to insert it into the sewerage section, which is already following the siphon. After placing the tip in the tube with one hand, push the cable, and the other rotate the L-shaped handle. The cable will be screwed into the pipe, repeating all its bends, until it rests against the cause of the blockage. After that, either destroy the formed obstacle, or pull out the cause of the blockage from the pipe.
It is also possible to clean the sewage system with a piercing device, which is a somewhat modified plunger. In its device there is no hemisphere, and a piece of dense flat rubber is put on the handle. Such a device is placed directly into the pipe and creates pressure, betraying it to the water in the pipe.
As you can see, it is quite easy to eliminate clogging in the sewage system. To do this, you can use improvised or widespread materials, which can be found literally in any home.
To finally remove all the questions: how to remove the blockage in the sewer - look at the training video.
