2 Chemicals That Easily Defrost Your Sewer Pipe: A Good Winter Tip
If the sewage system is laid with an insufficient slope (less than 2 cm per 1 meter) or is at a shallow depth, then when the temperature drops to -15 ° C, it will most likely freeze. There are many ways to defrost sewer pipes, but we will offer you a chemical one, which is one of the simplest and most labor-intensive.
Advantage of chemical defrost
Defrosting a pipe always implies the use of some means. This can be a hose attached to a cable through which hot water is supplied; heating cable or boiler placed in the pipe directly to the ice plug. But all this is quite laborious.
Chemical defrosting requires only access to the pipe - the reagent used will do the rest itself. It only needs to be poured into the pipe and wait a while. With this method, there will be no dirt or smell!
Method one: sulfuric acid
This method can only be used for plastic sewer pipes! It will require sulfuric acid (2-2.5 liters), baking soda (1 pack), protective equipment (gloves, glasses).
Only concentrated sulfuric acid is needed - battery acid will not work! This chemical is not in short supply and can be bought at a construction chemistry store or through advertisements on Avito.
Of course, sulfuric acid isn't on the spice shelf in every home. But if there is a threat that the sewage system will freeze in winter, purchase it in advance so that it will stand and, if necessary, make life easier. This is advice for the future.
What should be done?
First provide access to the pipe. Next, pour 400 ml of acid into the pipe. Wait half an hour. If the plug has not melted, add another 300 ml of reagent. If the ice plug is large, then it is necessary to add 300 ml of acid every 30 minutes. And so on until it is completely defrosted.
Sulfuric acid, when mixed with wastewater, will release heat, which will be used to warm up the ice plug. In addition, this chemical is heavier than water and with constant topping up, it will approach the ice block in the pipe, producing a reaction with the release of heat.
After thawing, dilute 500 grams of baking soda in 10 liters of warm water, pour into the pipe. This will neutralize the acid and remove residues from the pipe walls.
Method two: caustic soda
Caustic soda can also help with ice mash formation. To defrost the pipe, you need 3 kilograms of it. Here, just as in the first case, protective equipment is needed: glasses, gloves and a respirator (if not, a tight bandage covering the mouth and nose will do).
How to defrost?
First you need to warm up 10 liters of water to a temperature of 90–95 ° C. When the water begins to boil, pour caustic soda into the pipe, push it with a stick or wire to a distance of 0.7-1 meter from the neck and immediately pour boiling water.
During this operation, be very careful, as steam will come out of the pipe, which should not get into the eyes and respiratory organs!
Caustic soda also generates heat when it reacts with water. This amount of water and soda should be enough to melt up to 1 meter of the ice plug.