DIY plastic sewer pipe repair

In detail: do-it-yourself repair of plastic sewer pipes from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

Reliable operation of the sewer system is a guarantee of a comfortable stay in any room, regardless of whether it is an office or a residential building. That is why it is so important to monitor the health of the collector and eliminate possible risk situations in time. But what to do if the repair of sewer pipes was suddenly required, and it is impossible to call the master for some reason, or there is simply a desire to cope with the problem on your own? In the material below, we will analyze in detail how to repair sewer pipes with our own hands and at the same time do everything correctly.

Important: self-repair of the collector can only be carried out if the system is plastic. Repair of a cast-iron sewer pipe can only be performed by professionals, since this part of the communication is heavy and requires certain skills.

Important: very often, sewer and water pipes are hidden behind decorative panels and shields. That is why, in the event of leaks or blockages in any of the communications, you will have to dismantle parts of the wall cladding in order to identify the exact place of the malfunction.

The most common breakdowns that happen to a sewer or plumbing are:

  • Congestion and plugs in the sewerage system. In this case, clear evidence will be stagnation of water with feces in the toilet or wastewater outlet in one of the other plumbing fixtures.
  • Leak in certain areas of a sewer or water pipe.
  • Cracks in plastic pipes.

Important: in any case, the repair must be started immediately, otherwise it threatens a global catastrophe both for the residents of a private house / apartment and for neighbors (in a high-rise building).

Video (click to play).

This type of malfunction is the most common, especially if the manifold is old or not used properly. That is, traffic jams and blockages in this case are formed not so much in the central pipe as in the siphons under the bathtub or sink. Hair and other fibrous debris usually form the blockage. Connecting with sebum and dirt, they cling to the bridges of the siphon and prevent the outflow of water. If this occurs in your sewer system, then a simple plunger can be used to clear the system.

  • Water is collected in the sink or bathtub. The device is installed in such a way that its rubber cap fits snugly against the drain hole, and sharp and firm movements begin in the up and down direction. The vacuum that the plunger creates must either pull the debris out or push it further down the system.

Important: if there is an overflow in the sink and bathtub, then they must be closed during the plunger treatment. Otherwise, it will not be possible to create a vacuum.

  • If the plunger does not cope with the cork, then you can use an aggressive chemical agent that will simply corrode the cork formed in the system. The drugs must be used very carefully, exactly following the instructions. As a rule, the dry product is poured into the drain of a sink or bathtub and poured into a glass of water. The electrolyte mixture is left for 30-40 minutes, after which it is washed out with very hot water. The jam should go away.
  • As a tool to clear the blockage, you can use a flexible wire with a ruffled tip. It is launched into the sewer pipe and promoted until the blockage. With a rotating motion, the cork is crushed or taken out. Sewer pipes are flushed with plenty of water.

Important: for cleaning plastic pipes, the tip on the cable must be rubber or similar de plastic. Otherwise, there is a risk of scratching the pipe from the inside and after that, debris will accumulate in it.

If you find a leak in one of the sections of the sewer pipeline, then you should urgently take measures to eliminate the problem.

As a rule, most often the leak is formed at the joints of the cuffs and corrugated sections of the pipeline. This indicates an inaccurate and leaky fit of one element of the system to another. In this case, you just need to replace the rubber gasket and properly tighten the connection. To be sure, the joints need to be covered with sealant.

  • A leak in a section of a plastic pipe can be eliminated by replacing a section of the line and its high-quality docking with the main manifold using couplings and seals. After that, the pipe does not leak.
  • If a leak is found on a section of a cast-iron pipe with cement putty, then the work here will be a little more difficult. First of all, the entire layer of cement is completely knocked down. Residual pieces of packing are removed from the slots and the place is thoroughly cleaned of debris. Now you need to lay a new layer of packing made of a mixture of cement, asbestos and water. The solution is prepared in a ratio of 7: 3 plus the amount of liquid that will allow you to obtain a suspension of the consistency of soft plasticine. The top of the cast-iron pipe joint can be covered with cement mortar, which is kneaded in proportions of 1:10 (cement: water).
  • Lead pipes (if they are leaking) are treated like cast iron pipes. Only here all the old lead is removed from the joint and new pieces of material are laid. It is very convenient to use it with just a chisel.

Important: Lead or asbestos packing for cast iron pipes can be replaced with a liquid glass gasket. It is made from standard bandages and a mixture of cement and liquid glass. The technology of work looks like this:

  • The cleaned joint of the sewer cast-iron pipe is wrapped with a bandage soaked in the prepared mixture. Considering that liquid glass dries very quickly, you need to work without delay. After a couple of months, such a winding can be successfully painted in any color.

A crack is the most dangerous of sewerage problems. At first glance, such a small nuisance can bring very big problems in the form of a gradual increase in clearance and an unexpected burst of the sewer. Needless to say what will follow next? Therefore, it is better to replace the pipe section immediately after detecting a crack. Especially if it's plastic. To replace cast iron pipes, you will have to invite professionals.

If there is no time or opportunity to replace the pipe section at the moment, then you can cover up the crack for a short time. But for the shortest possible time.

  • For a plastic pipe, a sealant is used with which the gap is treated. From above, the crack is closed with tape.
  • The cast-iron pipe will have to be "treated" more seriously. To do this, you need to widen the gap and degrease it. The resulting lumen is coated with a mixture of phosphoric acid and copper in a ratio of 2: 3.

In this case, doing the repair of sewer pipes with your own hands will be more time consuming, since a larger section of the collector is located in the ground. And here, in case of leaks, you will have to replace the worn out collector of the outer part either with the implementation of voluminous earthworks, or with the use of one of two technologies:

  • Berstlining. In this case, the old sewer pipe is dug out of the ground and simply cut lengthwise in place. Sections of the disassembled collector are pressed into the walls of the soil, and a new pipeline is installed in the vacant space.
  • Relining. This method is even simpler. In this case, a corrugated pipe of a smaller diameter is pulled into the inside of the worn-out pipe directly in the ground.

Thus, it is possible to quickly and reliably eliminate the depressurization of the outer part of the collector directly in the ground.

In order to avoid the forced and costly repair of the water supply or sewerage system in the event of a leak, it is better to take preventive actions in time with respect to the system. Namely, observe the following rules for the operation of the sewage system:

  • Do not flush into the system bulk construction materials such as cement, asbestos, sand, small stone fragments, etc.
  • Do not run rags and personal hygiene items into sewers.
  • Place grease traps under the sink and dishwasher.
  • Periodically clean the pipeline using hydrodynamics (water supply under high pressure), thermal (hot water) or chemical (aggressive drugs) treatment. This is done by specialists.
  • If cracked, the pipe section must be replaced as soon as possible to prevent leakage.
  • It is advisable to change the old cast iron sewer system in an apartment building to a plastic one, since plastic has a lot of advantages, such as durability, inertness to aggressive media, ease of maintenance and installation, environmental friendliness and strength.

And remember, it is always better to prevent a leak than to correct its consequences.