I have a list of simple steps to keep your drains unclogged.
1. Clear Debris
When your drain is blocked, begin by clearing out all the debris. Also, clear out the excess water visible in the drain. Here you will require a pair of gloves and a little flask cover.
After that, check that there is no muck at the bottom of the drain. Then get your garden hose and plug it into the drain as much.
Get any old sheets and put them into the hole. As compact as it possibly can down into the hole.
Once you have done that, turn on the water. You will want to put your feet on the sheet to keep the pressure. You will probably feel it within the first minute or so.
This way, the water will have to push down against the blockage. Since the water can’t come up, keep the sheet in place for about 5 minutes.
Eventually, the water will load onto the sheet used. This is how you will know the drain has been unblocked.
Clearing out all the leaves around the drainage will help keep your drains from clogging up.
This would bring us to a common question.
What Causes Drains to Clog?
One is dumping food and grease into the drains.
The solution to this would be pouring hot grease into a sealable container. Wait for it to cool before disposing of it in the trash.
In case it’s the shower drains that are clogged. Ensure to install a hair cover strainer on your shower drain.
Another cause for drains to clog is ‘flushable wipes and sanitary products. The solution to this would be to flush human waste. Everything else is disposed of in the trash, otherwise, you’ll end up with a smelly septic tank.
Roots are the most notorious cause of pipe clogging. They usually creep in through cracks in the pipes and cause damage.
Although this naturally occurs, it might become hard to control. Taking preventive measures such as taping the drains tight with PVC will help.
As well as refraining to plant the trees where the drains are. Not only will you reduce the amount of debris in the drains. But also avoid the root problem.
When looking to clear the drains, you will know there is a backup if the downspouts are full of water. This is because some downspouts will have water, and some will not.
There is a powerful draining machine that could be used here. It has to have a spring-round cable that is stainless steel. Or use a water hose to flush out the debris.
Send it down through the downspouts drainage. And put it on. It will unclog the debris from the drains, and the water will flow freely to where it’s supposed.
The water catch basins are a great way of keeping your drains clear. It has a grate on top and a drainage pipe that slopes away from the basin.
It is usually set into the ground at a low yard point. They usually help to maintain proper drainage and catch debris. This then prevents pipes downstream from becoming clogged.
How do they work? The water and solids enter through the grate. The solids settle at the bottom while the water drains through the pipe, which directs the water to the sewage plant.
It could serve other purposes like holding and filtering runoff water on your lawn. Catch the surface water as well as that from the gutters.
However, you will be required to manually remove the debris from time to time, especially if it has accumulated up to where the drains are. And the debris is being pumped into the drainage.
For a more permanent solution, put a tee at the catch basin. Then seal tightly with a PVC. This way, you will be able to separate different inlets and outlets. Hence not having all the water collected only at one point.
You could also secure a diameter-shaped wire mesh with the tie straps. Then at the bottom, secure the top of a french drain.
Put it on top of the drainage, and water goes down the drain when it rains. You will not have a debris compound on top to block it off. The good thing with this mesh is that it is reusable.
About a quarter inch square of the wire mesh will filter out enough debris to keep the flow.
How can dirt and clay dissolve in clogged drain pipes? The older sewer drains are made of clay pipes, while the modern sewer lines of PVC discharge waste into clay drainage.
The products that dissolve the dirt in pipes can also compromise the pipes. Therefore the best way to dissolve the clay in the pipes is by unblocking it.
The dirt gets into the drains either through the underground mortar joints. Or from the wastewater after washing gardening equipment with dirt. The flower pots or gardening clothes.
Use Sulphuric Acid
One of the most preferred products for unclogging the drain line is using sulphuric acid.
Drain openers made of sulphuric acid contain over 90% acid. And a small amount of corrosion prevents compound metal drain pipes from getting damaged.
Sulphuric acid works by disintegrating organic matter, such as tree roots, soap scum, rags, hair, sanitary napkins, paper, grease, fats, and food residue.
Once the organic matter disintegrates, it can easily be flushed by water. Consequently, the dirt that had been trapped gets cleared.
However, sulphuric acid should not be used to unclog sewer pipes made of stainless steel, aluminum, chrome, and galvanized steel.
Use Hydraulic Acid Drainage Openers
Hydraulic acid drainage openers can also be used to unclog pipes. However, it can only be used in sewer lines made of plastic.
Or to unclog sewer lines made of metallic components other than aluminum and galvanized steel.
The solution comprises about 30 percent acid in addition to compounds that inhibit corrosion and suppress foaming.
The hydraulic acid works by disintegrating solid fats and mineral deposits. Those usually accumulate from urine, hard water, scale, and rust.
The acid also dissolves plaster, ground, and concrete deposits in the drains.
You can find acid-free products for destroying roots designed to unclog the drains.
Roots can be dealt with by using herbicides combined with foaming surfactants. This combination not only destroys roots but also prevents them from re-growing.
In conclusion, avoid solid matter from getting into the drainage pipes. They can easily block down the sewer line because they are meant to drain down appropriate waste matter.