Cleaning the sewer in a private house: instructions and methods

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Now no one is surprised by the presence of a sewer system in private homes. The principle of its operation is absolutely no different from that in high-rise buildings. The difference is that in apartment buildings, the sewer can become clogged due to the fault of any of the residents, and in private buildings it can only be due to the fault of their owners. What to do if such a nuisance happened? How is sewer cleaning done in a private house? There is nothing catastrophic in this situation. To return the working state to this good of civilization, you can do it in two ways. The first is troublesome, but cheap. It lies in the fact that the homeowner will clean the pipes on his own. The second method creates almost no trouble, but requires material costs. It lies in the fact that employees of companies specializing in the provision of such services will clean the sewer system. Let's consider both methods in more detail.

What affects the clogging of sewer pipes

To begin with, we note that in the private sector, sewerage is extremely rarely centralized. The vast majoritycases, it is built by the homeowners themselves. The concept of a sewer system includes not only a pipe leading from a toilet bowl to a drain pit, but also pipes from sink drains, a bathroom, a kitchen sink. All of them in the indicated places are connected into one common pipe, which removes all impurities from the house. Its diameter should be as large as possible, but not less than 100 mm. Each pipe used in the sewer system inside and outside the house must be at some slope (ideally, it is 0.03 meters per 1 m of pipe). In addition, it is important to consider that plastic pipes are less susceptible to corrosion, therefore, they are less likely to clog.

If these rules are followed, sewerage cleaning in a private house will be very rare.

Causes of blocked pipes

If there are small children or residents with mental disorders in the house, they can accidentally or intentionally throw any object into the toilet that will block the sewer pipe. But such situations are extraordinary. Most often, the culprits of blockages are:

• Fat. It enters the sewers mainly from the drain of the kitchen sink.
• Paper, especially newsprint, thrown into the toilet in large quantities (generally, even a small amount of used paper is best thrown into the trash, as it tends to swell and stick to surfaces).
• Hair. They enter the sewer system, as a rule, from the bathtub drain, less often from the washbasin drain.
• Animal wool.
• Rags (mayaccidentally enter the system when pouring water down the toilet after hand washing).
• Sand, soil.
• Tree roots. Do not be surprised, plants planted close to the sewer system, over the years, are able to penetrate the roots into the pipes and clog them.

All these substances and objects (except roots) form blockages in cast-iron pipes faster than in plastic ones. This is explained by the fact that the surface of cast-iron pipes, due to metal corrosion, becomes rough, so everything that moves along it sticks to it more easily.

Pipe cleaning with hydraulic machines

Each type of blockage requires the use of different means to clean the sewer. In particularly difficult cases, specialists use an apparatus, popularly referred to as the "Torpedo" (the German unit is called KERN Torpedo 300, so some homeowners say "torpedo"). In Omsk, sewerage cleaning in private homes with the help of this device is carried out by many private companies that provide such services. Here are just a few:

• StroyTaxi.
• SanteHprof.
• City Service.
• ChP Trifonova.

Prices in each company are different, from 150 to 400 rubles per 1 running meter. The complexity of the work and the diameter of the pipe are taken into account. The smaller it is, the lower the price.

The "torpedo" machine is able to cope with blockages of any complexity. Its work is based on the principles of hydrodynamics. The unit consists of a powerful pump, a drive (runs on gasoline or from the mains), a hose and a nozzle with water holes (jets). A hose with a nozzle at the end is inserted intoclogged pipe (necessarily higher than the blockage so that sewage jets do not fall on the worker). Further, water is supplied to it under high pressure, which erodes the blockage. At home, you can try to clean the pipes in this way on your own, without inviting the masters. This will require a powerful car wash. The disadvantage of this method is that too much dirty water is blown out of the pipe during the cleaning process, which must be collected immediately. That is, it is not very convenient to use a "torpedo" indoors.

Cleaning pipes with mechanical machines

In addition to hydraulic, there are also mechanical machines for cleaning sewers in private homes. The device of such units is very simple and consists of a drum with a steel cable wound on a reel and a drive. At the end of the cable there is a nozzle. In some machines, the cable is designed so that the nozzles can be changed depending on the complexity of the blockage. Cable length up to 150 meters is allowed. The algorithm of actions is as follows: a cable is manually inserted into the supposed place of blockage (as much as possible), then the mechanical feed of the cable is started with its simultaneous rotation. When the cable hits what caused the blockage in the pipe, the rotation speed is increased so that this plug can be pushed through or divided into smaller fragments. There are times when it makes sense not to push the blockage, but to hook it and pull it out. Do this with the help of an appropriate hook attachment. There are also cases when, for better cleaning of the pipe into itsimultaneously with the cable you need to pour hot water. The disadvantage of the method is that the nozzles, when rotated, damage the pipe walls.

Cleaning sewer pipes in Russian cities

In all large settlements of Russia there are companies that carry out sewer cleaning work in private homes. In Ufa, for example, the city's plumbing service, located at Natalya Kovshova Street, 6, enjoys trust among the population. Its specialists quickly leave on call, work very carefully, and clean up all the garbage after themselves. In addition to providing pipe cleaning services, the company also sells tools and supplies that homeowners may find useful when maintaining a sewer system. This company has a group on the VKontakte social network. Members receive discounts on all services.

Sewage cleaning in private houses in Saratov is carried out by city services or private LLCs. One of the popular companies working in this area is Channel Service. Its specialists not only clean pipes, but also defrost them, pump out the contents of cesspools and septic tanks, sand, silt, water, and dispose of waste products.

Sewage cleaning in private houses in Voronezh, Ryazan, Tula, Orel and other cities of the European part of the country is carried out according to the same principle.

Prices in each locality and in each company are different, but in general they are 150 rubles per 1 m of pipe for mechanical cleaning and 200 rubles for hydraulic cleaning.

Southern and northernregions

In principle, the methods of cleaning sewer pipes in the southern and northern regions of the country are identical. Such services can differ only in price. For example, sewerage cleaning in private houses in Krasnodar costs 150 rubles per 1 linear meter when using a mechanical method (manually or automatically) and 200 rubles when using hydraulic mechanisms. One of the companies that are in demand in the city is Yuzhvodoprovod TC. The specialists of this company can not only clean the pipes, but also replace the old sewer with a new one, draw up a project for its installation, offer hydraulic and mechanical devices for purchase or rent.

In the north of the country, due to the long period of cold weather, sewer and water pipes laid at insufficient depth into the ground can freeze, which also creates blockages. Due to the particularly difficult conditions of the work, their prices are slightly higher. For example, in Izhevsk, cleaning sewers in a private house mechanically costs from 160 to 300 rubles per 1 linear meter, hydraulically - 250 rubles, and diagnosing the condition of pipes using video equipment - 195 rubles per linear meter. The most expensive thing is defrosting. Its price is 1100 rubles per linear meter.

Pipe cleaning services in Ukraine

Not only in Russia, but also in other post-Soviet countries, sewer pipes are cleaned using mechanical and hydraulic techniques. In Ukraine, these works are performed by public utilities upon the conclusion of an appropriate service agreement with them, andas well as private firms, whose specialists go to the place on demand. The prices for such services are quite reasonable. For example, in Kharkiv, mechanical sewerage cleaning in a private house costs 20 hryvnias (approximately 60-80 rubles) per 1 linear meter, and hydraulically - 40 hryvnias per linear meter. At these rates, many homeowners would rather hire a handyman than deal with clogs themselves.

Clean sewer pipes with chemicals

Despite the well-organized service, many people clean the sewers in a private house with their own hands. On sale now there are many ready-made preparations that allow you to get rid of small blockages in sewer pipes. The most popular ones are:

• Krot.
• Mr Muscle.
• Sanoks.
• Potkhan.
• "Anti-clog".
• "Selena Antizasor" and others.

The way these chemicals are applied may vary slightly. Some of them are used with cold water, others - with hot. This is always written on the packaging. Also, the instructions describe in detail the algorithm of actions. As a rule, it is quite simple - you need to pour the granules (pour liquid) into the drain of the clogged pipe, add water of the desired temperature, wait the specified number of minutes, then rinse the pipe well with water by opening the tap. The advantage of such tools is that they require a minimum amount of effort to clean pipes with their help. The disadvantage is that it is far fromall congestion can be cleared using these tools.

If the sewer system is not functioning due to a clogged siphon under the sink, it is faster and easier to disassemble, clean and reassemble than to use chemical or any other methods.

Folk methods

Sewage cleaning in a private house can be tried with improvised means available in every household.

Method one: pour ordinary baking soda (half a glass) into the pipe, add half a glass of vinegar. The mixture will begin to smoke (gurgle), so the hole needs to be clogged with something and left for a couple of hours. After that, rinse the pipe with plenty of water.

Second method: pour half a glass of ordinary s alt and soda into the pipe, clog the hole and leave for 2-3 hours. After that, rinse the pipe well with water.

In addition to s alt, soda and vinegar, you can try to clean the pipe with boiling water, Whiteness, acoustic soda, citric acid, battery electrolyte.

If the pipe is clogged due to buildup of grease, these cleaning methods should work just fine.

Mechanical cleaning

If the sewer pipe is clogged with small food debris (they fall into the drain from the plates even if there is a grate on the drain hole), hair or wool, chemicals for cleaning the sewer in a private house will not help much. Here you need to use a plunger. The design of this usefulthe tool can be different, but the principle of operation is the same - to create pressure in the pipe, which will push through the resulting plug. The algorithm of actions is as follows: place the plunger pear exactly above the hole, press it firmly against the sink or toilet so that there are no gaps, pump it several times and tear the plunger off the surface with force. The procedure must be repeated if necessary. With a plunger, you can budge not only food waste, but even small rags that have fallen into the pipe. However, it will not cope with larger items.

Rope cleaning

This device helps to get rags, diapers and other items out of the pipe that should not be there. Do-it-yourself sewer cleaning in a private house with a metal cable is an unpleasant task, but the result is usually good. It is important to consider that the effect of the applied efforts will be only if the blockage is formed not very far from the drain, and the diameter of the pipe in this place is not too large. In a wide pipe, the cable will begin to curl up in loops, and if the blockage is located at a decent distance from the drain, it will not be possible to “force” the cable to break through or push the plug out of the waste. The algorithm of actions here is as follows: at the end of the cable, you need to fluff its steel fibers or securely attach a metal hook. At the other end, you need to make a handle. The cable is slowly introduced into the clogged pipe. When it hits a blockage, you need to start rotating it until something that has become a cork (for example, a rag) catches on its hooks. After that, the cable is carefully pulled out. Two people need to do this kind of work. One person must give in to the cable, and the second must rotate it.

Cleaning pipes with plumbing wire or tape

Cleaning sewers in a private house with the help of such devices is identical to cleaning pipes with a cable. The difference is that plumbing wire and tape are commercially available with a ready-made handle and nozzle. In addition, the tape and wire are more rigid than the rope, which increases the efficiency of their use if the blockage occurs at a considerable distance from the point where the device enters the pipe.

Outdoor work

It happens that sewer cleaning in a private house is required to be done not indoors, but on the street. Such actions are reasonable when the blockage in the pipe is located on the side of the cesspool or collector well. If in such cases it becomes necessary to go down into the well in order to insert a cable or wire into the pipe hole, this work must be done without fail with a partner. Dangerous gases, such as methane, released as a result of decay of waste and sewage, can accumulate in the collector well. So that they do not have a dangerous effect on the worker, the well must be ventilated (open the lid). When introducing a cable into a clogged pipe, the worker must be above this place. Otherwise, impurities may pour out of the hole directly onto him.

That's all the secrets of how to clear clogged sewer pipes. Do this work yourself or call the masters - each homeowner decides for himself.