Preventing clogged sewer pipes: simple rules and tips

Clogs in sewer pipes accumulate from the precipitation of grease and leftover food. Sometimes they arise from the ingress of foreign objects: construction debris, food or hygienic waste. There are technical reasons. Consider simple rules that prevent the formation of clogs in drains.

Prevention of accumulation clogs

Most often the pipes clog in the kitchen, because a lot of grease, food debris gets into the sewer. In the bathroom, clogs form because of the accumulation of hair and threads from clothes. There are a few simple ways to keep your pipes clogged:

• Install filters on the drain holes that catch food debris, debris and hair.
• Wash greasy dishes with very warm water. The grease then becomes liquid and easily passes with the water flow into the drain.
• Flush the water and leftovers down the toilet when washing dishes, to avoid blocking the siphon and sink pipes.
• Every two weeks, pour boiling water into the sink to remove any grease that has accumulated on the surfaces of pipes.
• Use a well-soapy dishwashing detergent.
• At the slightest stagnation of water in the sink, use a plunger to remove the small blockage and not let it grow.

It is not recommended to pour acidic or alkaline compounds into the pipes. They corrode the metal and cause corrosion. In especially neglected cases, it will not be possible to clean the sewer system, as it will be too late, and it will be necessary to replace the rotten pipes.

Preventing major clogs

If the water does not leave the bathtub or when draining the cistern for a long time, it means that a large clog has formed in the pipes or in the general sewer system. If the plunger can not cope with it, use a flexible metal rope to clean the sewer pipes. The toilet bowl is cleaned with a hose or other devices. Large clogs can be prevented in several ways:

• Debris accumulated at the inlet to the sink or bathtub drain is removed after each dishwashing or bathing.
• For prevention, the pipes are disassembled periodically to thoroughly flush all accessible elements of the system.
• Used articles of hygiene should not be thrown into the toilet bowl. If the sewer system is old or the pipes in it are narrow, even toilet paper can clog the system. It is better to send any garbage into the basket.

Even if the sewer system has wide pipes, it is not recommended to use paper towels instead of toilet paper. They absorb water worse and don't dissolve, forming trash. This is a frequent problem in shopping and business centers, in such cases only professional sewer cleaning helps.

Prevention of technical clogs

Sometimes the pipes are clogged because of a malfunctioning sewer system:

• The network is installed with mistakes. Improper or insufficient slope reduces the rate of water flow. Debris, grease settles on the walls.
• Pipes are too narrow. Replace them with a line with a wider diameter if possible.
• Install pipes with a smooth inner surface. Corrugated pipe can hold and accumulate grease.
• Trunk line is sometimes excessively curved, which also interferes with the outflow of water and keeps debris in the bends. In these cases, the system is cleaned with cables. To eliminate clogs, errors in the installation of the pipeline are eliminated.
• A bottle-type polymer siphon is installed in the system. It retains debris well and is easy to clean. The inner surface of the siphon should be smooth.
• Check how to install the toilet bowl, whether it has the correct angle of inclination and the pipe, as connected balancing valves.
• Common sewer pipe icing on the inside. This often happens in private homes. The pipe is insulated with insulating material.

To avoid major clogs, it is often enough to regularly hygienize the strainer, the inlet to the sewer from the sink and bathtub. In case of technical problems, it will be necessary to replace faulty elements of the system.