How To Unclog Pipes In A Mobile Home
Whether you live in a mobile home or you’re an RV enthusiast, you must take good care of your sewage and plumbing. Remember, it is not just a truck or a vehicle; it is your home after all.
Due to the dense architecture of the structure, every small problem becomes amplified in a mobile home, nothing more so than plumbing. The plumbing in your mobile home is not all that easy to see, clean, or repair. If you’ve got a drain in your mobile home that wouldn’t unclog or the water keeps backing up, we’re here to tell you how to fix it.
Don’t worry; it’s not rocket science. Clearing up clogged drains can be quite easy. All it takes to get the job is a plunger, a drain snake, a home-made mixture of vinegar and baking soda, some persistence, and a lot of patience to follow through with trial and error techniques.
Do you want to know how much it costs to set up a mobile home? We’ve described the whole matter in detail for our readers.
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Where Is The Clogging?
The first step when you are faced with clogging in your mobile home is to locate the clog. Is it the shower drain? Is it the sink? Is it the toilet?
Let us suppose you have a clogged shower drain. Every time you take a shower, the water pools up. Once we’ve established that, how do we go about fixing it? Learn more about how to move a mobile home for free in 5 easy steps!
How To Unclog A Shower Or Sink Drain
There are several steps you can take to unclog these drains. However, some actions will require you to use common sense and your gut instinct:
Step 1: Pour boiling water into the drain
Please make sure you have metal pipes before trying this. Please do not – in any case – try this on PVC pipes as the joints may loosen. Heat water in your kettle till it starts boiling and pour it down the drain. The hot water will help loosen up any soap or scum that has accumulated.
It should be said that hot water should not be dumped down drains during the winter, especially if your mobile home is not winterized. This can lead to pipes freezing, which then you will need to reverse.
Step 2: Use Vinegar and Baking Soda
For a simple clog, it is recommended to use a mixture of vinegar and baking soda. Mix a third of a cup of vinegar and baking soda and pour it down the drain. Let it sit for 20 minutes, and be sure to cover the drain opening with a cloth. After 20 minutes, pour hot water down the drain, and you will be fit to go. If it doesn’t work, try this next step:
Step 3: Use a plunger
Attach the plunger mouth onto the drain opening. If your sink has an overflow opening, be sure to plug it up. Pump the plunger inwards 15-20 times. Wait for 1-2 minutes and repeat the process. There should be around an inch of water in the sink or shower floor to allow the rubber cup to be covered for enough suction.
Step 4: Plumber’s Snake
The last step should be to use a plumber’s snake. Push the end of the snake into the drain and keep lowering it further down. Keep pushing until you feel resistance. Rotate the snake till you feel the resistance break up and the snake moving downward freely. Then pull it out and pour hot water in the drain to test it. Do not overdo the rotation a lot as you can clog it even more.
Step 5: Coat Hanger
If you don’t have a plumber’s snake, you can substitute it with a coat hanger by straightening it out. It wouldn’t be as long enough as the snake, but in most cases, it will reach the clog. Take care not to scratch or damage your pipes with the hanger.
Step 6: Clean the P-trap
For a kitchen sink, it may be necessary for you to clean your P-trap. This is located under your sink below the drain. Place a bucket under the pipe and unfasten the P-trap to clear whatever is stuck. Then reconnect it and run the water to check if it is removed.
How To Unclog A Mobile Home Toilet
These days mobile home toilets are not different from toilets in regular brick and mortar homes. The flushing and plumbing mechanism is pretty much the same in both. Unfortunately, clogged toilets can be an embarrassing affair. Let us tell you how to tackle such a situation if it arises.
Step 1: Close the Flapper
Your priority should be to stop water from overflowing. If you feel that is about to happen, pull the tank lid and close the flapper immediately. This will prevent the water from flowing from the tank into the bowl.
Step 2: Plunge
Next, you want to grab yourself a plunger. A funnel plunger with a good seal is ideal for this kind of a situation. Warm-up your plunger and add in some hot water and few drops of detergent. This will help loosen up whatever is clogging up the toilet
Plunge correctly. You should seal the exit hole of the toilet and pump the plunger up and down vigorously. Try this until you feel the water flowing. Repeat till you feel the clog has been cleared.
Step 3: Plumber’s Snake
If the plunger fails, use a plumber’s snake. Drop the snake into your toilet, and keep extending it till you reach the clogged area. You will feel resistance here. Rotate the snake until you feel the resistance giving away and the clog clearing up.
To test if the clog is clear, flush the toilet. If it starts flooding up, close the flapper of the tank, and try again.
If the above steps don’t work, call a plumber, and don’t risk further damage to your toilet.
Why Are Plumbing Issues Common In Mobile Homes?
The plumbing in a traditional house is supposed to go into the floor; there is plenty of space to accommodate the piping. This is not the case with mobile homes, as the piping is fitted into a small space at sharp angles.
All this puts mobile homes at a higher risk for plumbing problems and malfunctions. Also, it is all the more difficult to regularly maintain piping in mobile homes, making them more susceptible to faults.
These mobile homes are meant to be cost-efficient, meaning they use cheaper material, which is less durable and more prone to failure and breakdowns. Instead of copper pipes used in traditional homes, mobile homes normally use PVC piping, which is more likely to crack and leak with time.
What Causes Clogged Pipes?
The reasons for pipes getting clogged in mobile homes are different from why pipes clog up in conventional homes. Let us look at some of the reasons:
- Soap lather is pulled into sinks and shower drains. Over time this accumulates on the walls of the pipe, shrinking the diameter and blocking the waterflow.
- Grease and fat from foods can often clog kitchen sinks. As the oil cools down in the pipe, it collects as fat deposits choking the line.
- One of the most common causes of drain and pipe clogging is hair. With time, hair accumulates in the pipes and hardens, preventing water flow. A way to combat this is to install a hair straining drain cover in your sinks and shower
- Other reasons for clogged pipes can be foreign objects like dental floss and swabs. Since they do not break down with water, they get tangled in the line.
- In the case of toilets, objects like diapers, wipes, and feminine hygiene products can clog up your toilet as well. Most toilet lines are not large enough for these objects to pass through. In some mobile home toilets, even toilet paper can clog up the pipes
Tips To Avoid Clogged Pipes
Here are a few tips to keep you safe from clogged pipes in your kitchen and bathrooms:
- Keep food, coffee grounds, trash away from your sink.
- Keep a container next to your sink to pour liquid grease into. Dispose of this in the trash when it cools and solidifies.
- Install a mesh screen on your shower drain and sink to keep hair and soap scum out of your drain.
- If you have pets and bathe them, place a washcloth over the drain. Matted hair from pets can easily choke any drain.
- Be careful of what you flush in the toilet. Keep feminine hygiene products, baby wipes, and diapers out of your toilet. Avoid disposing of any dense or heavy objects into your toilet.
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Related Questions
How Do I Know If My Plumbing Vent Is Clogged?
Signs that your plumbing vent is clogged: sputtering toilets, a slow drain, and a strong smell of sewer gas.
Where Are Water Pipes Located In A Mobile Home?
Mobile home plumbing runs through the floor of the home. The pipes are located within the bottom-board and are surrounded by insulation. The bottom-board closes the insulation around the piping and keeps everything covered under the home’s flooring system.
Where Is The Drain Vent On A Mobile Home?
In mobile homes, check vents are found only on sink drains. They are generally not found on shower drains and never in a toilet drain. Installing a check vent is easier than installing a pipe that runs through the roof.
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Ian Haynes is a digital marketing specialist and has successfully written hundreds of home improvement guides. Outside of his work, Ian likes fixing old bikes and exploring Brooklyn with his Labrador.
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