Pipe cleaning cable: types, how to choose the right one + instructions for use

When chemical means of eliminating blockages in a siphon or sewer do not work, a rigid plumbing cable for cleaning pipes comes to the rescue - with its help you can eliminate the problem in one go.

To work with the equipment, you do not need to have special qualifications; the main thing is to choose the right cable and follow the simple rules for its use. The article is devoted to solving these issues.

We suggest you figure out which tool is best to use in a given situation, and which attachments are suitable for cleaning sewer pipes. The instructions we offer will help you clear the blockage yourself, without waiting for a plumber to arrive.

Types of blockages and their causes

Before purchasing a cable to remove a sewer plug, it is necessary to determine the cause of the blockage, because in some cases it is mechanical and chemicals turns out to be insufficient and the only solution to the problem is to disconnect the pipes.

All blockages are divided into three categories:

• mechanical;
• operational;
• technological.

Mechanical blockages most often occur due to the fault of children who lower large toys or household items into the toilet or bathtub.

They partially block the pipes and trap fibrous structures and hair.Such blockages rarely completely block the flow of water and lead to emergency situations. Eliminating the problem often ends with dismantling the pipes.

Operational blockage periodically forms in pipes with a slight slope and a large amount of greasy waste. The inner surface of the pipes slowly becomes overgrown with fat, to which hair, food particles and mechanical impurities stick.

Over time, the capacity of the highway decreases, and sewer needs flushing. It is best to eliminate operational blockages using cables.

Operational blockages require lengthy cleaning of the entire length of the clogged pipe. During their elimination, it is advisable to ensure that the pipe is constantly filled with water so that the garbage is gradually washed into the sewer riser

Technological reasons pipes being clogged with debris are a consequence of gross design errors and installation of sewer systems. Solid particles and fat deposits quickly accumulate in pipes and bends with insufficient slope.

After eliminating such a blockage, it is important to exclude its cause, otherwise in a few weeks you will have to clean the pipes again.

Each blockage has not only its own cause, but also optimal means of elimination. One of the options for cleaning pipes is the proven mechanical method using plumbing cables of various designs.

Types of plumbing cables

Due to the large number of manufacturers of plumbing cables, the options for making their cords and endings are quite varied. All devices are often united only by a handle for scrolling the cable along the axis. Almost all models are equipped with it.

According to their internal structure, cables are divided into the following types:

• cable;
• spring;
• spring-wound.

These cables are used for various blockages and require more detailed consideration.

Type #1: Rope Wire

The rope type of cable is the simplest solution for cleaning apartment drains. It has the form of a cord twisted from spirally twisted galvanized steel wires. Its thickness rarely exceeds 6 mm, and its length is usually 1.5-5 m.

Such a cable can be made independently from a piece of rope by constructing a device on one side that allows rotational movements.

Features of rope rope:

• Withstands high torque in the direction opposite to the curl.
• Wear-resistant and durable.
• Weak penetration force due to small diameter.
• High probability of dissolution at the end.
• Not elastic, but has good passage through pipes and sewer bends due to its small thickness.

This cable is suitable for clearing small operational blockages in apartments. Poorly cleans fibrous and hair plugs.

Type #2: spring-wound cable

The spring-wound cable is not professional and is used on a par with the rope type for domestic purposes.

It represents a spring wire wound around a central void. The thickness varies between 5-10 mm, and the length is 2-5 meters.

The spring cable is cheap and takes up little space. Thanks to its ribbed structure, it cleans pipe walls well along the entire length

Features of the spring-wound cable:

• Withstands strong torque in the direction opposite to the curl.
• Very flexible, prone to forming loops in wide pipes.
• It is impossible to pull without irreversible longitudinal deformations if the end of the cable gets caught.
• Goes well around sewer bends.
• Not equipped with attachments.
• Difficult to maintain: hard-to-reach dirt accumulates in the internal cavity.

The flexibility of the spring does not allow creating a punching force, but the likelihood of damage to sewer joints is significantly reduced.

It is recommended to use a spring-wound cable to clear soft apartment blockages with a large number of bends in the sewer system.

Type #3: spring cable with core

The cable is a steel core made of twisted wire, which is wrapped around the outside with a spring spiral. The shaft diameter can be up to 30 mm, but the standard values ​​are 13.5 mm and 16 mm. The length can reach 60 meters.

The spring cable is used not only for domestic needs, but also for breaking through severe blockages in intra-house risers and even in city sewers.

There are two main modifications of this cable:

• with a core rotating around the shell;
• with a rigidly fixed core.

Rigid-core devices are similar to rope-type cables. They consist of several layers of twisted wire, each of which is wound in the direction opposite to the previous layer. The last layer is wound in the form of a spring

The advantage of a spring cable with a rigid core is the ability to make a “rose” at the end of the rope without the risk of unraveling the overlying wires

The result is a cable that is incredibly strong and resistant to torsion in any direction. At the end there is usually a mount for a nozzle.

The rotation handle is attached directly to the inner shaft, and the cable holding sleeve is fixed to the outer shell

In a cable with a core rotating around the sheath, the last layer is wound with a gap. The end of the core has a mount for a nozzle. The twist handle is attached directly to the core.

This design allows you to push the cable inside the clogged pipe over a long distance and clear the clog with a nozzle only at the exit from the outer shell.

Features of core spring cable:

• withstands strong torque;
• has high penetration ability;
• sewer deposits do not spray out from the cable when twisting;
• not flexible, does not fit into straight bends well;
• does not scratch the entire length of the pipe being cleaned;
• equipped with nozzles.

A spring cable with a rotating internal shaft is often used by professional plumbers, but at home it can also break through a blockage without any problems.

Additional equipment for cables

In addition to the cable itself, there is additional equipment that facilitates the process of clearing the blockage.

It includes the following devices:

• manual spinner with cable drum;
• electric machine for torsion and winding of cable;
• nozzles;
• flexible shells.

Electrical and mechanical drain cleaning devices make the process of twisting and winding the cable easier. Using a drum allows you not to twist the entire dirty cable located outside and not splash dirt around the bathroom.

Electrical equipment for sewer cleaning is used mainly by professionals due to its high cost and the need for special operating skills.

Nozzles on the end of the cable are used to increase the efficiency of eliminating blockages, depending on the type of debris and the diameter of the pipe being cleaned. And the rubberized coating of spring models makes it easier to pass through pipes and speeds up cleaning the product after work.

Sewer cable attachments

Each plumbing cable is equipped with a special tip for cleaning pipes from debris. But at the end of a cheap rope rod, you can make a “rose” yourself by first winding a section 5-6 cm from the edge with copper wire so that the cable does not unravel further.

More expensive models have a threaded tip at the end for screwing on special attachments of the following types:

1. Hook-shaped. Used to clear clogs containing hair and fibrous debris.
2. Loop attachment. It is a widely wound spiral made of spring steel and resembles a kitchen whisk with a chopped off sharp end. Is a universal nozzle.
3. Metal brush. Suitable for clearing dense wall deposits. Steel models strongly scratch plastic from the inside, so it is recommended to use them only in metal pipes.
4. Pincer attachment. It is used to peel off fatty and viscous deposits on pipe walls.
5. Lance-shaped piercing nozzle. Used to pass through dense deposits in highly restricted pipes. The working edge of the nozzle may have teeth to “bite” into the blockage during rotation.

Other types of tips: bottom, “rose”, horn-shaped, auger, etc.

You should ask the store immediately for the availability of nozzles, because the method of attaching them and the thread diameter may differ. The best option would be to purchase a cable complete with “original” tips.

Which cable is better to choose?

Before purchasing a plumbing cable, you need to decide on the factors that influence the choice of model.

These include:

1. Maximum length from siphon to riser. You should not take a cable longer than this distance by more than 1 meter.
2. Diameter of sewer pipes. The wider they are, the wider the cable must be, otherwise it may twist.
3. Number of pipe turns. Most cored cables are designed for cleaning horizontal pipes and do not bend well at right angles.

When purchasing, preference should be given to those models that have a handle, a tip for screwing attachments, as well as an internal and external shaft.

A cable that is too thick will bend poorly at turns in the sewer system, and a cable that is too thin will twist into loops inside the pipe (+)

Cables with mechanical and electrical torsion devices are very convenient, but they are not cheap, so their purchase is determined mainly by a person’s financial capabilities.

Step-by-step instructions for cleaning a sewer with a cable

Working with a plumbing cable does not require qualifications, and to successfully clear the blockage you only need to follow a number of rules discussed in the instructions below.

Preparatory stage

The first thing you need to do before cleaning is:

1. Inspect the cable for damage, lubricate the bushings on the handle.
2. Put on the nozzle, if available.
3. Change into clothes that you don’t mind throwing away later.
4. Remove nearby items that cannot simply be washed off afterwards.
5. Cover the floor and equipment near the work area with oilcloth or rags.

Then it remains to pull the siphon corrugation out of the socket of the pipe being cleaned

Before cleaning the drain, it is recommended to check for debris in the siphon. This could be the reason why water stagnates in the sink

Before cleaning, it is advisable to fill the clogged riser with hot water. After the work site is completely ready, you can proceed directly to removing debris from the pipe.

Clogging phase

During the cleaning procedure, it is necessary to unwind the cable and slowly, with progressive movements, begin to push it into the pipe.

When resistance appears, it is necessary to switch to translational and rotational movements using the handle.

It is better to carry out the cleaning procedure together: one person should hold the cable and regulate the forward movement, and the second should turn the handle

Rotational movements must be made constantly in one direction against the direction of winding the top layer of wires on the cable. When a blockage is reached, you need to increase the rotation and push the tip into the pipe. Cables with a rotating internal shaft can be tensioned - this increases their rigidity and penetrating ability.

If it is difficult to turn the cable, you need to regularly pull it out and clean it of dirt, otherwise it may twist inside a loop.

The cleaning cable should be pulled out with rotational movements, and in the same direction as when moving towards the blockage

A negative consequence of excessive force when moving the cable can be damage to the tightness of the pipes at the joints with the appearance of leaks.

It is necessary to carry out translational-rotational movements and cleaning the cable until the blockage is completely eliminated.

Metal pipes clog much faster due to the rough structure of their walls, to which food particles and grease easily stick.

You can check the effectiveness of the action using warm water by pouring it into the drain hole from a water hose or a plastic bottle. If the water drains quickly, you can try inserting a siphon drain hose into the sewer socket and supplying maximum pressure of hot water to the sink.

Evidence of clearing the blockage will be the formation of a funnel at the drain hole.

It is not recommended to pour boiling water down the drain: gaskets and sealant at pipe joints may be damaged, which can lead to leaks.

In order to prevent the formation of repeated blockages, it is necessary to install grease trap for sewer, which filters the incoming wastewater.

Final stage

After clearing the blockage you need to:

1. Unscrew the siphon, clean it of dirt and reassemble it.
2. Insert the corrugated drain hose into the sewer pipe.
3. Check the tightness of the siphon and sewer system by pouring hot water into the sink with increasing pressure for 2-3 minutes.

If attempts to clear the blockage with a cable are unsuccessful, you will need to dismantle the sewer and remove the debris manually.

Step-by-step instructions for cleaning a toilet with a cable are given in this article.

Plumbing cable care

Contact of a metal cable with water is fraught with the appearance of rust and subsequent rupture of the wires that make it up. To maintain the functionality of the equipment, it is necessary to follow basic rules for its maintenance and care.

After use, the plumbing cable must be subjected to the following procedures:

1. Use a rag to remove sewage.
2. Rinse with warm water and detergent - the best choice is dishwashing liquid.For cleaning, you can use a brush with metal or hard plastic bristles.
3. Wipe dry and let dry.
4. Lubricate metal parts with universal machine oil. No need to lubricate with vegetable oil!
5. Wrap in paper or place in a dry box.

Following the instructions described above will extend the life of the cable, remove the unpleasant odor coming from it and keep clothes clean when handling it.

If the blockage is not old, then you can try to eliminate it using alternative methods; for more details, see these articles:

1. How to clean a toilet with a bottle: detailed description of the process + alternative methods
2. How to clear a clogged sewer pipe at home: solutions + tips for prevention

Conclusions and useful video on the topic

Videos with practical lessons will help you clearly demonstrate the workflow for clearing clogged pipes using a plumbing cable. They show the specifics of using various equipment models and disclose the algorithm for their use.

Cleaning a sink drain:

Clearing a blockage using a drill and plumbing cable:

Removing a clogged sewer pipe using an electrical installation:

Clearing clogged drain pipes is quite simple. To do this, you should buy the necessary cable and follow the instructions described above. It’s better to take ten minutes to clean out debris from your pipes yourself than to suffer for months from a slow drain in your sink or bathtub.

If you have experience clearing cable blockages, please share the information with our readers. Tell us what tool and what attachment you used, or suggest an effective means for cleaning sewer pipes.You can leave comments in the form below.