How to Unclog a Drain and Septic Tank : Tips and Tricks

This article will show some ways to unclog a drain with septic tank, tips to fix a slow drain, problems you may face while unclogging a drain and preventive measures to avoid blocked drains and a septic tanks. As well as how to unclog a septic tank and tricks to solve common septic problems you may have resulting from a full septic tank or clogged septic lines.

Your kitchen sink drain or bathtub is connected to a particular branch line and drains more slow than normal.

Reasons for a clogged bath or kitchen drain:

• Dumping food or solid materials into the drains.
• Dumping kitchen grease or sticky stuff into the kitchen sink.
• Dumping chemicals or paints into the drains.
• Hair down the bathtub and shower drains.
• Improper and/or inadequate venting.
• Clogged main drain-line.
• Clogged septic inlet or outlet.

Common Causes of Clogged Drains

Your kitchen sink drain, or bathroom drains can get clogged by many different things, but the most common causes of a clogged drains are still left over food and kitchen grease that get poured down the kitchen sink and hair that gets flushed down the bathtub and shower drain. Another common cause of blocked drains are paints and other chemicals that turn solid inside the drain pipe. Often you will be able to unclog a kitchen sink or clogged bathtub drain yourself.

Ways to unclog a drain:

• Baking soda and vinegar drain unclogging is an alternative and more natural way to remove a blockage from the drain. Vinegar and baking soda don't harm the environment.
• Use a plunger to unclog your drain. This will work for clogs of smaller size and it doesn't cost much. If the clog still persists, call an expert.
• Unclogging a drain with a cable or auger can be very effective to remove solid clogs in the drain and even break through tough roots but costs a little more.
• High pressure water jetting is more effective on clogs caused by pouring paint or sticky and greasy material into the drain.

Before you start with using water jetting as option to unclog your drain, make sure that your pipes will be able to stand the high pressure used with a high pressure jet, or it will rip your pipes apart. Hydro jetting is something best left to your local plumbers.

Ways to avoid clogged drains and a full septic tank:

• Avoid clogging by dumping solid materials or greasy substances into the sink drain.
• Use filters to cover the drains in your toilet and kitchen to keep hair or solid objects out of the draining system.
• Make sure that air vents are provided in adequate numbers and are of the appropriate sizes for all your fixtures.

Problem II: All the drainage lines of your home drain slow, and there is a backing of the drain water from the main drainage line.

Possible causes for a slow drain:

• Part of the main drain line is clogged.
• Part of the drain inlet or outlet of the septic tank is clogged.
• Part of the percolation pipes is clogged.
• The septic tank vent is blocked
• The septic tank or septic vents have frozen due to low temperatures.
• A block in the distribution box.

Ways to unclog a main drain or full septic tank:

• Use a snake or water jetting to unclog the main drain pipe. This is the work of an expert. He knows, through his expertise, how to snake a slow drain, say whether the clog is due to solid waste or greasy substances or roots and use a suitable technique to unclog the same.
• Check the inlet and the outlet of the septic tank for any blockage due to solid wastes, scum and so on. Remove the block and check for easy flow.
• Check the distribution box located between the septic tank and the percolators. Remove blocks, if there are any.
• Check the area around the percolators. See whether it is moist, swampy and stinky. It means that the percolation is not proper. In other works the soil is not absorbing the drain water at the rate of discharge. It could be either because you usage of water has increased of late due to more guests or the soil has become saturated due to moisture from other sources such as rainfall (more than normal) etc. Immediately enlist an expert, the problem requires instant care.
• If the septic tank has frozen due to bad weather seek the help of an expert immediately. If an expert and the tools needed are hard to find, use the septic tank as a storage tank till such time the tank thaws by itself. Judicious use of water will help you hold on for some time. To avoid freezing of the septic tank in the future, winterize before the next winter.

Preventive measures to avoid a blocked main or slow drain:

• Respect your Septic tank. It is designed for the disposal of organic wastes only. Avoid dumping inorganic and non bio-degradable wastes. They are sure to get a septic tank full and block the normal functioning of the septic tank.
• Use filters over the drains in your toilet and kitchen to trap hair and solid objects.
• Winterize the septic tank to prevent it from freezing in winter.
• Empty the septic tank, if you are planning for a long outing.
• Get expert help. Winterization is location, weather specific. A small investment here will save you from all hardships during the winter.

External References

• Naturaly unclog a drain with Vinegar,Baking soda and Water (theGoodHuman.com)
• How to unclog a sink Naturally (eHow.com)