How to clean the pipes in the bathroom

The sewage system can become clogged due to improper use and lack of preventive measures. This is a fairly common problem that often affects the pipes in the bathroom. We spend a lot of time there, using the toilet, bathtub, sink and other sanitary appliances. Clogging is accompanied by a slow flow of water, as well as an unpleasant smell from the pipes – this interferes with the normal functioning of the sewage system.

It is not always possible to get by with home methods, because the situations are different: the pipe may be defective or the blockage that has accumulated in it is already too large. In such cases, you should not delay, but rather call a professional plumbing service. Trubolyub company specialists will quickly and inexpensively solve your problem, leaving no mess or dirt behind.

In this article, we will tell you how to clean the pipes in the bathroom at home and how to learn how to determine the complexity, location and cause of the blockage without special equipment.

Content:

1. Common causes of blockages in the bathroom
2. Rules for the use of sewage
3. How to determine the complexity and localization of the traffic jam
4. Popular methods of self-cleaning pipes in the bathroom
5. Cleaning with soda and improvised means
6. Chemical means for combating clogging
7. Plunger, plumbing cable and their use
8. Conclusions

Common causes of blockages in the bathroom

Most often, the owners of sewage systems themselves create the conditions for the formation of blockages when they violate the rules of operation or do not carry out preventive cleaning. The space inside the pipe can become overgrown with rust, plaque, grease, dirt, and hair or any foreign objects can get there.

Due to the fact that the toilet has a wide outlet, many people think that they can throw garbage, leftover food, tea/coffee grounds, and it will all easily push through and be washed away with water. Often, it is this careless and irresponsible behavior that leads to emergency situations: flooding of property, damage, burst pipes.

There are various reasons for the appearance of traffic jams in the bathroom. Let’s analyze what can get into the pipes and clog them:

• Food waste, leftovers.
• Toilet paper, napkins and other hygiene items.
• Animal hair or fur.
• Any foreign objects.
• Biological masses, consequences of human activity.
• Accumulation of plaque (grease, rust, scale, soap) and small debris inside.

There are also other causes, such as frozen pipes or tree growth, broken pipes or improper installation. They can also significantly complicate operation. We considered only those that most often become a reason for stagnation. Most of them can be eliminated on your own.

Rules for the use of sewage

It is possible to reduce the frequency of contamination and its accumulation in pipes with the help of simple preventive measures and compliance with the rules of operation. One of the main rules to learn is that what is meant for the trash can cannot be disposed of in the pipeline. It is desirable that only liquid waste get there.

Here are some helpful tips to prevent bathroom clogs:

1. Buy a special mesh for filtering garbage. It will help prevent excess from entering the sewer system and retain hair/fur.
2. Regularly clean the mesh from accumulated dirt and hair. This should be done after every bath.
3. Flush the drain from time to time with boiling water to dissolve dirt, soap/powder deposits (or hot water if you have plastic pipes).

Regular cleaning of the bathroom plumbing, even once a week, is the key to keeping it clean. This helps to get rid of any blockages that form on the pipes, and also ensures reliable operation of the system for a long time. By doing all of the above on a regular basis, you can greatly reduce the risk of serious drainage problems in the future.

How to determine the complexity and localization of the traffic jam

Clogging in the bathroom can occur at any time. Before you try to deal with them yourself, you should first find out where exactly the accumulation of garbage is located. This will help to choose the best option for its removal. Therefore, it is possible to localize the traffic jam thanks to the observation of the flow rate and logical conclusions:

• If the water does not drain at all . This indicates the presence of a plug somewhere near the drain. To remove it, you need to place a bucket, and then disassemble the siphon and clean it.
• First it goes, then it stops . The blockage probably occurred between the first turn of the pipe and the siphon. You can try to dissolve it by folk or chemical methods.
• The liquid drains very slowly and evenly . Maybe the accumulation of garbage is very far from the drain hole. Mechanical tools (vacuum and plumbing cable) are suitable for its elimination.

It is also important to understand whether the common riser of the house is clogged, because in this case you will not be able to cope on your own. To do this, turn on the water in different rooms that are not connected by the same pipeline and see where there are signs of clogging. If water does not flow in both places, you need to call the special service. Difficulties with the drain in only one room mean that it is a local traffic jam, which makes sense to break through on your own.

All this will help determine the complexity and location of the traffic jam yourself, but remember that it will give an approximate result. Professionals should be called for an accurate diagnosis.

Popular methods of self-cleaning pipes in the bathroom

Each type of pollution has its own cleaning method, which will be more effective. There are proven, popular options that have been widely used by pipeline owners for many years.

In the bathroom, you can usually find such types of dirt as pet hair and fur, soap scum from frequent hand washing, and foreign objects in the toilet.

Let’s briefly consider how to clean the pipes in the bathroom:

1. Popular improvised means that are used as a folk way of cleaning pipes.
2. Chemical preparations sold in any store of household chemicals.
3. Tools for manual cleaning of drains, i.e. a plunger or a plumbing cable.

All these methods of cleaning sewer pipes have different complexity, cost and duration of action, effectiveness and disadvantages. For example, when using a plunger or a plumbing cable, you can pull out a stuck object, hair or wool. Chemical or thermomechanical methods are suitable for dissolving soap and toilet paper clogs. Therefore, before choosing the optimal method for removing the blockage, it is important to determine its type, approximate location and complexity.