Sewer blockages and how to clean them
When designing a sewer, the diameter of the pipes is chosen so that all types of waste can freely pass through them. However, over time, pipes inevitably silt up, their permeability deteriorates noticeably, which leads to regular blockages. This happens due to organic and inorganic deposits accumulating on the walls of the pipeline.
Because of them, the inner diameter gradually decreases, and large fractions of waste discharged into the sewer drain cleaner can simply get stuck. This is a fairly common problem that causes a lot of problems for residents of apartment buildings. Fortunately, there are ways to quickly clear the sewer and restore its capacity.
Sewer cleaning methods
The popular method of cleaning with a plumbing cable is far from the only one, although it is one of the most accessible and common. There are four main ways:
Mechanical (using a cable).
Thermal (hot water).
Chemical (alkaline and acid products).
Hydrodynamic (water under pressure).
All of these methods can be used separately or combined with each other. Let's consider each of them in more detail.
Mechanical sewer cleaning
This is the most affordable and fastest way to clean your home sewer. Suitable for pipes with a diameter of up to 30 cm (in most cases - 10-20 cm) and a length of several meters (experienced plumbers can handle blockages up to 40 meters away). The advantage of this method is that, if you have experience, you can get to a hard-to-reach blockage located behind 2-3 turns (as a rule, other methods are not applicable in this case).
The blockage is removed by mechanical destruction. To do this, the cable is rotated and moved in a reciprocating motion. Often this procedure requires quite a lot of effort, since a considerable amount of debris can accumulate in the blockage. In addition to cables, a variety of spirals can be used for this purpose, and special nozzles can be installed at the end to facilitate the destruction of lumps of debris. Professional plumbers usually have a set of several cables designed for sewers from different types of pipes.
Thermal cleaning
A large amount of fat and other substances get into the sewer, hardening in cold water and sticking to the inner surface of the pipes. A jet of hot water under pressure allows you to effectively deal with clogs, dissolving such contaminants. The temperature of the water used can be up to 120°C (water can be heated up to this temperature under increased pressure). Getting into the sewer, superheated water instantly boils, cleaning the pipes even from old plaque.
This method is considered quite effective and inexpensive, since it does not require the use of expensive equipment. However, it does not cope with all types of pollution, and cleaned pipes can clog again over time. To increase efficiency, the thermal plumbing pipe sewer cleaning method is often combined with other methods in order to maximally clean the inner surface of pipes from all types of plaque.
Chemical cleaning
For chemical cleaning, specialized preparations are used that dissolve salt, lime and other deposits. Most often these are products based on acids or alkalis. Due to their high chemical activity, they allow you to clear a clogged sewer rather quickly. The main advantage of this approach is that it is applicable to pipes with any geometry. Together with water, the drug can always get to the point where the blockage occurred.
You can buy chemical sewer cleaning products at any hardware store, or in the household chemicals department of the nearest supermarket. There are preparations intended for home use, as well as professional products that are used in conjunction with specialized cleaning equipment. An additional advantage of chemical cleaning of pipes is disinfection, as a result of which colonies of bacteria that have lived there for years die.
Hydrodynamic cleaning
If a large diameter pipe (more than 30 cm) is clogged, then the methods listed above show little efficiency. In such a situation, the best choice is hydrodynamic cleaning, which involves supplying a jet of water directly to a lump of debris under high pressure. The jet of water effectively cuts and breaks debris, and also cleans the walls from its remnants. This method is characterized by high performance and absolute safety for pipes.
The hose must be sufficiently rigid; a special nozzle is usually put on its end, which facilitates its movement through the sewer pipe. The end of the hose is brought to its destination, as with mechanical cleaning, and then a strong pressure of water is supplied with the help of a powerful pump, which immediately copes with the drain cleaner blockage. Despite the apparent complexity, this method is considered one of the simplest and most affordable. And after its application, the inner surface of the pipe is well cleaned, so the sewage system serves for a long time without clogging.