Each of us has encountered more than once a situation where water does not go down the drain. The reason, as always, is banal - the bathtub is clogged. What to do? How to clean it at home, especially if the water is standing? The main thing is not to panic. There are several ways independent decision problems, we will talk about them in detail today.
What happened and how to deal with it?
The cause of blockage is the accumulation of fat on the internal walls sewerage, soap and powder deposits, as well as hair and fibers of various fabrics are added here. Where did all this come from, you ask? The fact is that inner surface pipes are not perfectly smooth, this is especially typical for old cast iron structures.
These are the reasons why the drain is clogged
Plastic is also susceptible to similar contamination, although to a lesser extent. Here, plaque formation begins at the joints of pipes and O-rings. In such conditions, it is enough for a plaque to appear in one place, and the remaining particles will cling to it, reducing the internal cross-section of the pipe until they clog it completely. This is the reason why the pipes in the bathroom are clogged. What to do in in this case?
There are three ways to solve the problem:
- using excess pressure;
- chemical method;
- mechanical method.
Let's look at each method in more detail.
Overpressure
Despite the apparent complexity of the formulation, we are talking about using an ordinary rubber plunger. This simple tool consists of a rubber bowl and a handle that the bowl fits onto.
Plunger and metal cable
We install the plunger on drainer so that the handle is located in the center of the latter, then press hard and release sharply several times. As a result of such cyclic actions, excess pressure is created in the pipe, which can push through the resulting plug and thereby ensure at least minimal drainage of the liquid.
See the video below for details.
If the first method does not help, move on to the second - chemical
About the chemical method
Attention! When using various chemicals sewer cleaning, it is recommended to work with rubber gloves and avoid getting the compounds on open areas skin Also, at least a gauze mask will not be superfluous to prevent toxic vapors from entering the respiratory tract.
Before using cleaning products, you will have to scoop out the water from the bathroom using improvised means - a basin, bucket, pan. Then pour the appropriate liquid into the drain hole. These could be “Mole”, “Fairy”, “Tiret Turbo” or something similar.
The chemical "Mole" perfectly removes blockages in the bathroom
The amount of liquid poured into the sewer is individual and indicated on the label of each product. After this you need to wait a while for it to start. chemical reaction. When the cleaner eats away the soap and grease deposits, the water will leave. In addition to liquid products, there are many powders with similar effects. As “grandmother’s recipes” you can use citric acid or baking soda with vinegar.
How this is done in practice, see the video below.
When the drain in the bathroom is so clogged that neither the first nor the second methods help, we proceed to the third - mechanical cleaning method.
Mechanical cleaning - disassembling the structure
Let us immediately warn you that this method is the dirtiest, since:
- the drain will have to be partially disassembled;
- we need to climb into it with our hands, or rather, not really with our hands, but with a special cable that we will hold in our hands.
Don't be lazy to put it on latex gloves, or otherwise it will take you a long time to wash the smell of sewage from your skin.
But don’t rush to disassemble the system in the first place you come across. Firstly, it is troublesome, and secondly, it is not a fact that you will be able to assemble it again without outside help. Do everything competently and without rushing.
Most convenient place dismantling is a siphon connecting the sink to the general sewer system. It fits into the pipe tee and is fixed with rubber seal or (in earlier versions) using a cable.
Cleaning with a cable
Neither one nor the other option will cause trouble, since the pipe can be carefully removed from the rubber seal by first disconnecting it from the sink and turning it slightly around its axis to the right or left. The cable can be carefully removed using a small hook. Rubber, if it is not damaged, can be reused during installation, but a new cable will have to be installed.
After the siphon is removed, we insert a metal cable into the hole of the tee, at the end of which there can be either a spring or a brush. We insert the cable until it hits the blockage. Then, with a progressive movement, we punch through the cork as far as possible and rotate the brush or spring using the handle located at the other end of the cable.
It is better to do this operation together - one punches, the other rotates, although it is quite possible to do this alone. In this case, the cable must be periodically removed and cleaned of dirt.
We carry out the action until we feel that the cable is going into emptiness. Repeat on each side of the tee.
In some cases, a flexible cable allows you to break through the blockage directly through the bathroom drain.
More details about the process can be found here.
A small note– the so-called “dead” level of water always remains in the siphon and when dismantled, all this disgrace will rush out, that is, onto the floor. Therefore, before starting to disassemble the unit, lay down rags, newspaper, plastic film, - in general, everything that you don’t mind throwing away later.
The siphon is made, as a rule, in the form of an S-shaped pipe, one end of which is connected through a flange and a union collar to the drain hole of a bathtub or sink, the other, as mentioned above, enters the tee of the sewer pipe. There is also a rubber O-ring under the union nut.
Although, there are also a little more complex designs, such as here:
Approximate siphon diagram
After completing the work, we assemble the system and check its tightness by opening the cold or hot water tap for a short time. All listed methods can be used in different sequences and combinations.
As you can see, this procedure– not the most pleasant, so we will give some tips on how to avoid it over a certain period of time:
- Periodically open the cold or hot water tap, so to speak, “idle”, allowing the clean flow to flush the drain with its energy.
- Once a week or two, pour grease solvent into the siphon and also rinse, but
preferably hot water. This will be more useful. - Do not use in such operations washing powder because he doesn't have time
completely dissolve in water and contribute to the worsening of the situation.
That's basically all we wanted to tell you. We hope that the material was useful to you and helped resolve the problem. If it’s not difficult, share the article on in social networks with your friends - they will certainly find it useful. The editors will be very grateful to you :)
Nowadays, a bathtub is one of the mandatory conditions for comfort, but even if you use it as carefully as possible, over time the question will still arise of how to remove blockages in the bathtub.
The drain, which connects the bathtub and the common riser through a pipe, can become clogged at the most various reasons.
One of the main ones is the ingress of various debris into it, ranging from hair and wool to all kinds of threads, rags, pieces of washcloths and the like.
All this settles in the pipe over time, accumulates and as a result forms a plug, which is not always easy to get rid of.
In addition to the fact that the fluid stops draining normally, it may also appear bad smell, which is the result of decomposing debris stuck in the sink or bathtub.
Meanwhile, you can eliminate blockages in the bathroom and sink yourself without the help of specialists.
In order to quickly clean a bathtub or sink, you should use one of the proven methods, which will be discussed below.
Main causes of blockages
First of all, you should figure out what can lead to a clog in the bathtub or sink.
One of the most serious causes of clogs in the bathtub or sink, which will not be easy to eliminate, is a design error.
Even at the repair stage, when laying sewer pipes, craftsmen could have placed them at the wrong angle, which influenced the formation of a traffic jam.
In this case, of course, you can clean the bathtub or sink, but soon the problem will arise again.
In order to completely eliminate the cause of any blockage in the bathtub or sink, you will have to redo the problematic sewer pipe.
Also, quite often, foreign objects that get into the drain for various reasons lead to the formation of a blockage in the bathtub. In this situation, you will have to use the mechanical method.
Another reason for the formation of an internal blockage in a bathtub or sink can be various contaminations of the pipe system, or rather its inner surface.
Most in the best possible way In this case, the problem can be eliminated by using special compounds.
Very often, blockages in the bathroom or sink are caused by the residents themselves, who neglect basic preventive measures and rules for caring for sewer systems.
In any case, you will have to deal with the traffic jam in the bathroom or sink using all available means.
Mechanical methods
The most common way to clear a clogged pipe is to use a plunger.
People have been using this simple device for many years, and if a blockage in the bathroom has formed directly near the drain, then a plunger will help to quickly remove it.
The video below shows how to clean a bathtub drain.
Before starting work, the rubber part of the plunger should be thoroughly lubricated with Vaseline so that it seals tightly with the drain.
In some cases, in order to clean the drain hole, this simple procedure will have to be repeated several times.
In severe cases, with serious pollution, you can try to clean the drain not with air, but with water.
To do this, you should take a certain amount of water into the bath, preferably hot, after which they begin to pump it into the pipe itself with a plunger, and then suddenly pull it out.
This is repeated several times until the drain is completely cleared.
If it was not possible to break through the blockage in the bathroom with a plunger, it is recommended to use a special cable.
As a rule, its use allows you to break through even the most severe blockages in the bathroom.
However, if the sewer pipes connecting the drain to the riser are made of thin plastic, they can be damaged, and therefore the work should be done as carefully as possible.
To begin with, the end of the cable must be carefully straightened so that it can catch the debris that is stuck in the system.
At the moment when the main obstacle is removed, you should make several sharp pushes along the pipe and let hot water. The cable itself, together with the resulting dirt, must be pulled back.
Other cleaning methods
To quickly and effectively clear blockages in the bathtub, you can use special chemicals, which are offered in a huge range in specialized stores.
Usually, good remedy makes it possible to deal with the problem and clear the blockage in the sewer system in a matter of minutes without any effort.
This product is especially effective in dealing with so-called operational blockages that are of organic origin.
Below is information on how to clean your home drains and pipes.
Such compositions are produced in various forms, ranging from powders and gels to liquids and special foams.
The most popular today include the “Mole” or “Mr. Muscle” product, but you can also find others in the store that help to effectively clean the pipe and get rid of organic blockages.
To eliminate the problem, these products should be used according to the instructions for use, which, as a rule, come with the composition.
You can eliminate and completely remove the blockage in the bathroom using traditional methods.
In most cases folk remedies Only mild organic blockages can be removed.
One of the simplest is considered to be ordinary boiling water, which can dissolve almost any fat accumulated in the sewer system, but it is not suitable for dealing with more serious blockages.
More serious blockages can be dealt with using vinegar and soda. To do this, you need to pour a glass of soda into the drain, then pour a glass of vinegar into it.
The material below describes how to clean pipes at home.
As a result, a violent chemical reaction will occur inside the pipe with abundant foam formation, which will allow the pipe itself to be cleaned. In order for the foam to go inside the pipe directly to the blockage, it is recommended to close the drain with a stopper.
After about twenty minutes, the sewer system should be thoroughly rinsed with hot water. Sometimes they fight blockages in the bathroom with the help of ordinary lemons.
To do this, squeeze the juice from the fruit directly into the drain hole itself and leave for several hours, after which they are washed abundantly with water.
If you decide to clear the resulting blockage using a cable, then you can quite simply make it yourself.
To do this, take a high-quality flexible wire and bend one of its ends slightly to a round shape.
In turn, the second end of the wire is tightly wrapped in a piece of fabric, resulting in something like a handle.
When using cables, remember that they can damage the plastic or chrome surface.
It is also necessary to use various chemical compounds with extreme caution.
For the most part, such products have an aggressive effect on the surface and can lead to deformation and failure of the internal part of the pipe.
To prevent blockages from forming in sewer systems, it is recommended to regularly perform preventive measures.
So, it is advisable to install on stock metal mesh, which will collect all the main debris from the bathtub.
In addition, you should use all kinds of special compounds, which prevent the formation of blockages in the bathroom.
If water begins to drain slowly in the sink or shower stall, then there is reason to believe that the pipeline is clogged. To fix the problem, you need to know how to clear a clog in the bathroom with soda, vinegar and other available means.
To fix a problem, you must first determine the cause of its occurrence. If you often bathe your pets in the bathtub or clean fluffy textile products- then they are the cause of clogged sewers. In this case, a lump of threads, hair, grease, and soap residues has formed in the bend of the pipe, which not only interfere with the normal flow of water, but are also sources of bacteria and an unpleasant odor.
Photo: clog in bathroom drain pipe
If you have metal pipes, then perhaps they are clogged due to mineral build-up. This happens mainly in houses old building, because previously only cast iron or steel pipes. If you are sure that the problem is precisely the “overgrowth” of the internal diameter, then you cannot do without the intervention of a specialist.
How to fix
The easiest way that can be done at home is to fill the hole in the pipeline with soda and add vinegar. You will need:
- Half a pack of regular baking soda;
- Half a glass of vinegar;
- Hot water – as much as possible.
First, you need to pour soda into the drain hole, then wait 10-15 minutes and pour vinegar there. Be careful, there will be a chemical reaction that will create fumes. To protect yourself from their influence, after pouring vinegar, you should not be directly above the drain hole. After half an hour of exposure, you need to pour several liters of boiling water into the pipe and wait. Most often, simple blockages dissolve very quickly.
If the problem is serious and the hairball cannot be dissolved by soda, then you can use special cleaning products. Any store sells "Mole". This is a powder intended for cleaning pipelines. It consists of serious chemical reagents, therefore it is able to dissolve almost any blockages (except mineral ones). You just need to pour it into the problematic drain and wash it off with hot water after half an hour.
Video: Blockage in the bathroom. How to fix it?
Very effectively eliminates odor and at the same time cleans the Domestos water passage. This product dissolves not only fatty blockages, but also hair and dirt. To have an effect, you need to pour two caps of detergent into the bathroom pipe and leave for the maximum possible period of time. Best of all - at night. In the morning, rinse the communication with hot water. This method cannot clear a clogged pipe if it is made of plastic - active substances can dissolve the molecules of the material and over time the pipe will leak.
How to remove a blockage with a cable
Sometimes you can clear the lump that caused the blockage in the bathroom manually.
Diagram: How the cable works
- It is necessary to remove the cover that protects the drainpipe from foreign objects;
- Then insert a special plumbing cable ik. Unlike the wire that is used for the toilet, the cable for the sink or bathtub pipe has a smaller diameter, respectively. It is more flexible;
- When inserting, you need to gradually screw in the wire so that it can pass along the bends of the pipeline to the place of the blockage;
- All that remains is to push the debris towards the main pipe. According to SNiP, the drain leading from the sink has a smaller diameter than the main one sewage pipe. Therefore, if garbage gets into a large communication, it will simply be problems will pass and free the pipe.
At home, craftsmen also use cables with a hook on a horse. They are not designed to push through the blockage, but to get it out. This technique is very effective for blockages located close to the surface of the drain.
- You need to take the wire and bend it at the end;
- Insert the cable into the pipeline and twist it lightly;
- Gradually push it in; as soon as you feel resistance, turn the wire and use the tip to catch the blockage.
If you need to quickly clear a small clog in the bathroom caused by hair, you can’t do without a plunger. This universal tool, which copes well with any type of mechanical contamination.
- Fill the sink, bathtub, or shower tray with some water;
- Place the plunger over the water drain hole, then press it so that it sucks air from the pipeline;
- After this, make several movements that promote the movement of the blockage inside the pipeline. It is very important, when you finish work, to sharply release the plunger so that water under a certain pressure enters the pipeline.
After this, you can use improvised means that will remove the inside pipes, residual grease and debris.
How to clean a siphon
Sometimes the problem is not a clogged pipe, but a dirty siphon. In this case, it is necessary to clean this part of the sewer directly. Before removing it, you need to place a container under your knee to collect water.
Using necessary tools, remove the nut and gasket that hold the siphon to the elbow. When removing it, water will flow out of it, which has lingered in the pipe, so it is better to work with latex gloves. Afterwards, remove the debris from the knee and rinse it detergents and hot water, be sure to wipe the inside of the pipe with a brush - this will remove hair and other contaminants from it. Reinstall the siphon.
After installing the elbow, it is advisable to spill it with a solution of vinegar and hot water - this will eliminate the unpleasant odor from the pipeline. Sometimes DIYers use bleach, but it destroys sewer materials.
A sewer blockage (the most common is a blockage in the bathroom) is accompanied by a cessation of water drainage and, as a result, flooding.
Slow drainage of water through the holes indicates that there is a blockage. It is necessary to quickly eliminate this nuisance, since using such a bathtub is extremely unhygienic. You also don’t have to wait for the blockage to disappear on its own over time.
Without taking action to remove the blockage and continuing to use the bathtub, you can only worsen the situation. Eliminating the problem in the future will be more difficult.
In principle, not only a specialist can deal with the blockage; it can be eliminated on your own. You need to know that clearing a clog in the bathroom is more difficult than removing a clog in the sink, since the bathroom has an additional hatch for draining water.
Usually, a clog is caused by improper drainage, although it is very difficult to keep track of everything that goes down the drain.
Causes of blockages
The most common sources of blockages are:
- pellets from clothes,
- hair,
- pet hair,
- small garbage.
These elements form a blockage - a lump in the pipe that prevents water from flowing through it easily.
A plunger is a simple way to clear a blockage
A plunger is the simplest remedy that can clear a blockage. You can use a plunger not only to clear blockages, but also for prevention. It has been proven that periodic use of a plunger will ensure less frequent blockages.
Sequence of actions when removing a blockage:
- You need to place the plunger so that rubber base covered the drain hole.
- The bathtub must first be filled with water, since a stream of water will help push through the debris; in this case, water will be more effective than air.
- Moving the handle up and down, make a couple of pumps with the tool so that air can pass into the drain and push the lump much further. Next, you need to wash off the debris with water.
Since the bathroom has an additional hatch for water drainage, if water overflows, air will leak into the opening. Then the plunger will be useless, since it requires a vacuum to work. To simplify matters, you can use a second plunger to close more small size second drain hole. A rag will not help in this case, since it allows air to pass through perfectly.
Chemicals
The use of various chemicals is another way to remove blockages. This method is used quite for a long time, and today there are improved formulations that are easy to purchase. If you are picking household chemicals for the bath, then best choice will become a product that has the ability to dissolve hair. For suitable for kitchens a product that is supposed to dissolve fat.
Actions to remove clogs with household chemicals:
- Need to choose suitable remedy, it doesn't matter whether it's powdery or liquid.
- Be sure to read the instructions for use and determine whether the product is suitable for the pipes installed in your installation.
- According to the instructions on the package, pour or pour the product into the drain. When using the powder, pour boiling water over the drain.
- For best action You need to wait for the product for the specified amount of time according to the instructions.
- Next, you need to turn on the hot water and thereby flush the pipes, removing any remaining debris.
Siphon cleaning
Usually, before removing blockages, you need to clean the siphon. This will also eliminate the unpleasant odor that occurs due to sediment on the walls of the siphon. This cleaning is also suitable for preventing pipes.
If you do it once a month, you won't be afraid of blockages.
Siphon cleaning steps:
- it is necessary to place material that absorbs moisture under the siphon;
- Place a basin on the material to prevent spillage dirty water on flooring;
- Next, you need to unscrew the shutter nut and remove the flask;
- the liquid that creates the water seal will flow into the basin;
- The siphon must be washed, all debris that has lingered removed, and any plaque present on the walls must be removed;
- assemble the structure, the siphon bulb should not rest on the drain pipe, to preserve the water seal;
- open the tap and fill the water seal with water - this is a check for the tightness of all connections.
Drain cleaning cable
Cables are also used to remove blockages. A plumbing cable looks like a dense twisted wire that is rolled into a spiral. To ensure the torsion of the cable, at the end of the device there is a handle with a plastic or wooden attachment. This tool is suitable for clearing blockages in the bathroom, or rather in metal pipes.
Instructions for removing blockages with a cable:
- install the end of the cable into the drain or pipe outlet;
- It is better not to carry out this action alone, the first person turns the handle and the cable twists around the axis, and his assistant, guiding the cable, pushes it forward;
- By twisting the cable you can easily overcome all turns of the pipe. Also, during this action, the cable is screwed into the blockage, thereby destroying it;
- once the blockage is cleared, the voltage will decrease, so it is necessary to perform several movements of the cable back and forth;
- Next, you need to remove the cable and wash it;
- If a positive result is not observed, then repeat the procedure from the beginning.
Before starting work, you need to pay attention to the tension of the cable. If it is not tight, it can become twisted and damaged.
Prevention
From all of the above, we can conclude that the blockage in the bathroom can be removed with your own hands. But it will be much more effective to take preventive measures against blockages. Performing simple preventive measures will prevent clogging, and the bath will remain clean and suitable for use.
Means for prevention
- Nets that are installed in the drain and prevent debris (hair, wool, dirt) from getting into it.
- Household products which are used for cleaning pipes.
- Plunger as a tool for prevention.
How to determine the cause
The causes of blockage can be different. First you need to make sure whether the problem that has arisen in the bathroom is actually a clog.
If a day before the problem the water drained normally, and after some actions, for example, washing animals or washing a rug, the water stopped running quickly, then you can be sure that it is really a blockage.
If the water flow was slow before, then you need to call a specialist and ask him to first check the height of the drain. The householder bears all responsibility for clogged pipes and keeping the bathtub clean.
If you are not confident in your abilities or your attempts to remove the blockage have been unsuccessful, you need to seek the help of a specialist so as not to worsen the problem. Besides, it’s unlikely that you have everything necessary tools to remove the blockage. Our specialists will easily carry out the required work to remove the blockage, taking into account all the features of the pipes. Of course, calling an employee will incur additional costs, but it will ensure high-quality pipe cleaning and will encourage you to take better care of your pipes.
The consequences of a blockage are not the most pleasant, it can be a breakdown of plumbing, flooding of neighbors, or even a breakthrough internal pipes, which can leave the entire house without water. Therefore, it is necessary to immediately and professionally remove blockages and carry out preventive measures.
Sooner or later, but it happens. A clog in the bathroom is much worse than a clog in the sink, since you can temporarily not use the latter, postponing the cleaning until the weekend. But if the family is large and especially with children, then it is almost impossible to give up a shower for several days. There's nothing you can do, you have to get to work, as they say, immediately.
How to clear a clog in the bathroom
Gets up very important question How prepared are you to do this work? There are some pretty quick ways solutions to the problem:
- Apply a de-clogging agent in the bathroom, such as "Mole". You need to pour the liquid into the bathtub drain hole for several hours, and then rinse well with cold water.
- Another way is to use a classic plunger. Every home has it, and it really helps with small blockages.
- I had an article about various outlandish gizmos that can pull all the dirt through the drain. You can talk about this in detail.
In all three cases special effort no need to apply, and even a woman can solve this problem alone.
But what to do if none of these methods help? There is only one thing left to do - disassemble the pipes and see where the blockage has formed. In the article, I showed how by disassembling the siphon located directly under the sink, you can remove quite a lot of dirt and then ensure normal water flow.
But today I will tell you about a completely criminal case, when disassembling the siphon under the bathroom did not lead to anything. The blockage has formed somewhere far away in fan pipes, which are walled up in the walls. And the only true assistant in this case was the plumbing cable.
Here, of course, a strong male shoulder is very important, since the siphon will have to be disassembled, the cable will have to be pushed into the pipes, and the dirt will have to be removed in large pieces, which is not a very pleasant task.
In any case, I made this video for you, which I am sure will help you cope with such a situation. The camera had to be placed under the bathtub, since that is where all the main work took place. Sit back and watch:
Do not rush to buy a plumbing cable for your bathroom immediately after watching the video. The fact is that this thing is certainly useful and is capable of breaking through a blockage in the bathroom, no matter what it is. But the cable is not cheap, but you can always buy it at a hardware or hardware store. So take it when nothing else really helps.
When choosing, pay attention to the following points:
- Cable length - the longer the better. The drainage distribution in an apartment can be quite long, so it is good if the length of the cable is enough for the entire length of the pipe.
- At the very end, the cable should end in a spiral extension with a hook (see video), which allows you to clear away dirt much more more space inside the pipe, and hook a whole skein of hair, fat, and other things (I don’t want to list) and then pull it out.
That's all. Today you learned how to unclog a bathroom at home.
