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How to deal with a blockage on your own: 8 life hacks
Sometimes all the literally dirty housework has to be done in splendid isolation. You do not need to graduate from the Plumbing Universities for this. It is enough to know a few proven methods that will help unclog a clogged sink or toilet.
Such a nuisance as a clogged sink in the kitchen or in the bathroom happens in every home, no matter what order and cleanliness is maintained in it. Fat, small food debris, limescale, soap suds accumulate in the pipes over time, an unpleasant odor appears, the water begins to drain worse into the sewer, and then ceases to go away altogether. If you wait too long for a plumber, try clearing the blockage yourself in your kitchen, bathroom, or toilet.
There are different types of blockages
First, you need to understand what caused the cause of stagnant water. In a new house, frequent problems with draining water may indicate that there is a factory defect in the water supply or sewerage system; pipes, siphon or other structural parts are incorrectly installed. And in old houses there is another problem – cast iron pipes are susceptible to corrosion, rust formed on the inside of the pipes interferes with the drain.
Deformation of pipes also happens (in a country house, if they did not block off or drain the water from the system before the frost). In this case, in order to fix the defect, you will have to start repairs and change the pipeline. This is not an easy task, but fortunately it rarely happens. More often, the cause of stagnation of water can be the improper operation of engineering networks.
Ambulance for mechanical blockage
If a blockage has formed sharply, and before that there were no problems, it means that some large object or large debris is interfering with the drain in the pipe. It is logical to first check the siphon or sump under the sink. It may be clogged and obstructing the passage of water. Before dismantling the structure, place a bucket under the pipe – drains from the sink will merge there.
If this does not help, you need a mechanical cleaning with a plumbing cable or a long wire. The pipes cannot be damaged by such devices, but it will work out to pull out a foreign object or move the debris that has fallen into the sewer.
After the procedure, fill the pipes with a liquid that dissolves fat and other deposits in the pipes, and rinse with water. Mechanical blockages often occur in multi-storey buildings, when residents throw something that is not intended for it into the sewer. Therefore, there is only one prevention: do not throw away or pour into the sewer unsuitable things for this.
How to get rid of accumulative blockage
This is the most common problem in residential buildings, due to which the gutters stop working. We noticed that the water began to drain more slowly, and an unpleasant smell is clearly felt near the sink, which means that it is time for the pipes to carry out preventive measures. Otherwise, it will be impossible to use the sink at some inopportune moment.
What you need to unclog a kitchen or bathroom drain
The accumulation of deposits from dirt and grease can be removed in several ways, including proven folk methods, when there are no household chemicals at hand.
Hot water. Nowadays, most often the pipeline is made of plastic. From them, a small plug can be removed with a powerful jet of hot water: the pipe will expand and the plug will slide further. If the engineering networks are installed metal or cast iron, then it is better to treat with boiling water. Pour a fat-soluble gel or dishwashing liquid into the drain first. And check what material the pipes are made of before running very hot water through them – PVC can burst or partially melt. If everything is done correctly, turn off the tap for 10 minutes and do not leave the sink so that water does not spill over the edge of the sink.
Soda and vinegar. Regular baking soda is an indispensable tool in the kitchen. It can be used to clean dishes and pipes. Pour 100 grams of baking soda into the drain, pour the same amount of vinegar on top and cover with a rag. Sodium bicarbonate will react with acid to form a foam that dissolves fat deposits in the pipes. It is better to leave the product overnight and rinse off with hot water in the morning.
Salt, baking soda and vinegar. We strengthen the folk remedy for cleaning pipes and combine the three substances. You need to take half a glass of soda, the same amount of salt and a little less, you need a glass of vinegar. Pour the composition into the sink and after a while open the tap to rinse out the residues from the blockage.
But! Do not use vinegar-containing cleaning solutions if the house has plastic, chrome or brass pipes.
Salt and soda… Take one part baking soda, two parts salt, dissolve in hot water and pour into the sink tube. This will help eliminate unpleasant odors in the plumbing and dissolve light dirt deposits. The product is simple and cheap, and it does not leave marks on the sink.
Caustic soda. You can buy it at any hardware store. Caustic soda has long been used a lot in everyday life, because as an alkali it easily neutralizes organic pollution, dissolves fats. And this is exactly what is required for kitchen sinks. The product is strong and dangerous for the skin, it is not for nothing that caustic soda is also called “caustic alkali”, so you need to work with gloves, goggles and a respirator. To remove the blockage in the pipe, prepare a solution: for 2 kg of soda 10 liters of cold water, stir. The bucket should be plastic and made of durable material: a chemical reaction will heat the liquid up to 60 degrees. Attention: caustic soda is “not friendly” with enamel of sinks and bathtubs, if the agent gets on this surface, there will be damage. Pour the solution gently into the pipe, let the agent take an hour or two to clear the blockage, and then turn on hot water to rinse off the remaining cork.
Lemon acid. Pour 50 grams of powder with 0,5 liters of hot water, after a couple of minutes, when the crystals dissolve, send the solution into the pipe. Why this method is good: firstly, it is easy to use, and secondly, it is safe for different surfaces and pipes. “Limonka” dissolves limescale well and degreases the surface. Do not forget to rinse the pipes with running water after removing the blockage.
Washing powder. Dishwashing liquid can also remove plaque in pipes and lubricate a small debris plug. You just need to pour the liquid or pour the powder into the pipe, pour a glass of water.
Suction cup. This tool injects air and water into the pipe, under the pressure of which the blockage is destroyed. How to clean the plug with a plunger? Place the plunger vertically over the drain hole and bleed (press sharply to the surface, then release and press again). It is easier to clean pipes when there is some water in the sink.
Blockage prevention
Follow these simple rules all the time, and you will not have to clear blockages often.
Place a strainer in the sink over the drain hole. It will not allow food leftovers after washing dishes to fall into the sewer.
Make sure that no large objects fall into the sewer system. For example, a child can accidentally drop a toy into the toilet, throw a rag, a bag, adults drop a bone from meat along with sour soup, and they quickly clog the sewer system with personal feminine hygiene products.
Do not pour grease down the sink. Thick and dense, it settles on pipes, freezes, accumulates over time and interferes with the passage of runoff water.
Do not flush hair into pipes. After washing the floors, the water must be drained into the toilet.
Make it a rule to regularly, without waiting for blockages, to clean the plumbing with chemicals.