Everyone knows the situation when the water from the kitchen sink suddenly refuses to drain and the unpleasant smell of sewage spreads throughout the apartment. The thing is clear - a blockage in the siphon or pipe, which will have to pretty tinker with. Our house is about sixty years old. The old, outdated water system every day brings new surprises. Therefore, I know exactly how to eliminate clogging in the sink, and for this I use boiling water, a plunger, a mixture of soda and vinegar, I clean the siphon and pipes myself with the help of a plumbing cable, and only in extreme cases I turn to the help of plumbers.
How to clean the pipe with boiling water?
Any plumbing can become clogged, however, this happens most often with a kitchen sink. The fact is that fat, food debris, pieces of dirt left in the sink after washing plates and products periodically get into the drain. The pipes and the inner surface of the siphon are overgrown with layers of solidified fat, and the outlet of the drain hole narrows to a minimum size. And if the water is still slowly leaving, but a specific “aroma” has already floated around the apartment, urgent measures must be taken to eliminate clogging.
First of all, I try to break the cork with boiling water. To do this, I heat the kettle to a boil, pour the liquid into the drain hole and wait for the result. If the blockage is formed close to the siphon and consists mainly of solidified fat, then success is guaranteed. For fidelity, pour boiling water two to three times.
It must be said right away that this method is suitable exclusively for metal pipes. If the system consists of plastic components, you just need to let hot water (not more than + 60 ° C) under low pressure and rinse the blockage. Sometimes it helps to quickly deal with the problem.
Vent plunger cleaning
If the reception with boiling water failed, I take out a plunger and try to push through the cork with the help of this "miracle of engineering." I think every home has this plumbing tool that even a weak old woman can use. It is a wooden or plastic handle with a rubber dome fixed at the bottom.
The water supply system of a house or apartment is a single circuit in which the law on communicating vessels applies. Therefore, before cleaning, I plug all the drain points, namely, in the bathroom (sink, bathtub) and in the toilet I close the toilet lid. Then I act as follows:
- Fill the sink with hot water to 1/3 of the volume, and cover the drain hole with a plunger dome.
- The overflow hole located in the upper part of the kitchen sink is also covered with a rag and clamped by hand.
- Pressing the plunger with force, I try to pump water into the pipe and squeeze the cork.
- I repeat several times until the water begins to leave freely.
This is a very effective cleaning method and in most cases a plunger will most likely help to cope with the problem. If it is necessary to eliminate blockage in a sink consisting of two compartments, it is necessary to have two plungers and use them simultaneously.
We remove the cork with soda and vinegar
If after all of the above actions the cork remains in place, I call for the help of my most faithful helpers - soda and vinegar.
- I pour half a glass (100 g) of tea soda into the drain hole of the sink. Usually, water remains in the drain, and the powder does not want to pour through the small holes of the grate, then I push it with a toothpick.
- I take the same amount of table vinegar (9%), pour it into a ladle, slightly heat it over low heat and pour it into the sink.
- I cover the drain hole with a rag, sponge or plunger.
Almost instantly, when soda and vinegar are combined, a chemical reaction begins with an active hiss and a foam. After waiting about fifteen minutes until the product works, I spill the sink with hot water. Under the influence of soda and vinegar, the fat deposited on the walls of the pipe dissolves and the cork disappears. For a better effect, I clean the sink with a plunger again.
Lemon acid
Another effective tool for cleaning the sink and eliminating clogging in the pipe is citric acid. I also often use this tool to prevent contamination and disinfection of the inner surfaces of pipes, to eliminate unpleasant odors.
Pour about 1 liter of water into a saucepan, bring to a boil and pour two bags of citric acid (40 g). The mixture is poured into the drain hole, covered with a cork or a damp cloth and left for a couple of hours, then spilled with hot water. It is good to carry out such cleaning in the evening and leave the solution in the sink overnight.
Coca-Cola against blockage
An exotic way to clean sewer pipes, which sometimes brings very good results. I pour a large bottle of "Coke" into the drain hole and after a few hours I wash the sink with hot water.
The composition of carbonated drinks Cola, Sprite, Fanta contains phosphoric acid, and in such large quantities that they can safely be used to remove grease plugs and other contaminants.
We clean the siphon
A siphon is installed under the sink - a special device that prevents the exit of sewer gases and vapors. In the siphon bowl, small debris, bones, hair and other particles are collected that, for whatever reason, did not fall into the sewer.
If after cleaning with a plunger, boiling water and other chemicals, the liquid continues to stand in the sink, then the cork is in the siphon or under it. In this case, it is necessary to disassemble and rinse the siphon.
To perform this work, no special knowledge and talents are required; any housewife will cope with cleaning the siphon on her own. I do like this:
- Preparing an empty bucket and a rag in advance. They will be needed to collect water that spills out after disconnecting the siphon.
- Unscrewing the upper and lower mount, I remove the entire siphon.
- I rinse the device with water and detergent using a long brush. I remove garbage and dirt from the bowl.
- I clean the length of the pipe over the siphon with an iron cable. Perhaps the cork is there.
- I check the patency of the pipe under the sink, for which I pour a little water into it. If the fluid freely flows into the sewer system, then the problem is solved - the problem was in the siphon. Otherwise, you will have to clean the pipe to the end with a special cable.
- I put the siphon in place, tighten the fasteners and check how well the water leaves the sink.
Usually, after such a global cleaning, the drain starts to work normally, the water no longer lingers in the sink and, forming a small whirlpool in the area of the drain hole, rushes down with force.
Work with a plumbing cable
A steel cable with a handle is a wonderful device with which you can certainly get rid of cork and other contaminants in the sewer. Often, after all the means have been tried, I take out a plumbing cable from the pantry.
I just bought this device just in case at a hardware store. It is inexpensive, and it takes up little space when folded. And I never regretted my purchase, since many times the cable rescued me in the most hopeless situations. It is better to take a cable for domestic needs not too long, somewhere around 1.5-2 m. And you also need to pay attention to the diameter, it should pass freely into the pipe.
In fact, there is nothing easier to clean the sewer with such a device, but in order to quickly achieve the desired result and not damage either the pipe or the tool, it is better to know in advance how to do it correctly. I do it as follows:
- I unwind the plumbing cable and carefully insert it into the drain hole. I push the cable until it hits an obstacle. Outside, the contents of the pipe are not visible, so it should be remembered that not every barrier is a blockage. This may be, for example, a joint at the junction of pipes. To make sure that the cable got exactly to the cork, slightly pull it back and try again to push it forward. If it doesn’t pass, then it’s really a blockage.
- I begin to make reciprocating movements so that the end of the cable destroys the particles accumulated in the pipe. I have a cable with a handle for longitudinal rotation. You won’t miss such a cable into the pipe “with ends”, as it is convenient to hold it, in addition, you can immediately push the cable through the pipe and twist the handle. It is very good if during cleaning it is possible to supply hot water to the pipe, which will help soften the blockage and facilitate the advancement of the cable inside the pipe. And it is also necessary to ensure that the cable is tightened. If you loosen the tension, it can twist, which will lead to damage, and in the future it can not be used.
- As soon as I feel that the cable freely passes the problem area, I remove it from the pipe and put hot water into the drain.
Of course, cleaning the sewer is not a pleasant job, but if you do not want to call and wait for the plumbing, which is usually not in a hurry, you have to deal with the problem itself. By the way, if it was not possible to eliminate the blockage even with the help of a cable, it means that the traffic jam is somewhere outside the apartment and you can’t do without a specialist.
How to prevent blockage?
Clogging of the sink is an inevitable problem for any apartment, but I try to prevent its occurrence, therefore I carry out preventive maintenance. To do this, once a week, pour a pot of boiling water into the sink, leave it for 15-20 minutes and then clean it with a plunger.
In addition, I try not to pour the remaining broth and other liquids containing fats into the sink in the kitchen, but send them to the toilet. Before washing dishes, thoroughly clean plates and pans from food residues. I know that if I am too lazy to do this, then in the near future it will be necessary to eliminate the plug in the pipe.
You can eliminate blockage in the sink using boiling water, soda, vinegar and other improvised means or special plumbing fixtures: a plunger and a steel cable.