Storm sewer cleaning methods

Recommendation points

• The first method of cleaning storm sewers is mechanical
• The second method of cleaning storm sewers is under the pressure of water
• The third method of cleaning storm sewers is thermal, steam
• The fourth method of cleaning storm sewers is chemical reagents

All owners of private houses have to deal with the issue of arranging storm sewers. Our advice site wrote what it should consist of. During operation, the storm sewer must be periodically cleaned to avoid the appearance of various problems. We will tell you how you can do it.

Clogs of storm sewers are fraught with the appearance of puddles near the house and drips on the walls after heavy rains and melting snow. Therefore, the entire system must be cleaned twice a year – after autumn leaf fall and spring drop..

The causes of rainfall blockages are:

• Incorrect installation. There is no necessary tilt towards the water tank. The required slope is from 20 to 50 millimeters per linear meter.
• The sewer system has many turns, sharp bends. Garbage will certainly accumulate in these places..
• The storm sewer is part of the common house. Problems in this case will also be common..
• Very heavy rains that bring sand, mud, silt, small stones into the water collection system.
• Construction work was carried out on the site, for example, the roof was updated. After such work, the storm sewer must be checked and cleaned of construction debris.

The first method of cleaning storm sewers is mechanical

The simplest one that does not require any special tools. The bottom line is that all pipes, gutters, wells, funnels, drainage channels are cleaned of debris manually. You will need a scoop or shovel, a brush, a ladder to get to the roof drainpipes. You also need a regular garden hose, the choice of which the portal has already written about. It must be connected to a tap in order to check its operation after cleaning the system and remove the remaining small debris.

First, you need to remove all protective gratings in order to gain free access to the gutters. A handy tool for cleaning them can be made from the most ordinary cut plastic bottle. You need to work with gloves to protect yourself from insects that feel at ease in the storm sewer, and sharp fragments of debris. The mechanical cleaning process is simple but time consuming.

The second method of cleaning storm sewers is under the pressure of water

Convenient and also simple way. The only problem is that the water pressure from a regular hose will not be enough to break through all the blockages and flush out the accumulated debris. You need to use a mini pressure washer or rent special hydraulic equipment.

Important! This cleaning method is almost always combined with a mechanical one. Large debris must first be removed from the rain shower manually, and only then flush the system with a strong pressure of water.

The third method of cleaning storm sewers is thermal, steam

This method is used if the storm sewer is part of the common house. In this case, fat build-ups can form in the gutters and pipes. Cold water cannot get rid of them; you need to use hot, special steam cleaners. The method is effective, but first, again, you should manually remove large debris, and use hot water at the last stage of cleaning.

The fourth method of cleaning storm sewers is chemical reagents

They are used in particularly difficult cases, when part of the drainage system is closed, it cannot be reached mechanically, and flushing with water pressure does not give results. The choice of chemicals for cleaning pipes is great, however, only biochemicals should be used for downpouring and make sure that dirty water does not get into drinking springs and garden beds.