A plunger is a device driven by or against fluid pressure. In plumbing, the term plunger commonly refers to handheld tools used to clear blockages in drains and pipes. Plumbing plungers consist of a rubber

suction cup A suction cup, also known as a sucker, is a device or object that uses the negative Pressure#Fluid pressure, fluid pressure of air or water to adhere to Porosity, nonporous surfaces, creating a Vacuum, partial vacuum. Suction cups occur in nat ...

attached to a stick (''shaft'') usually made of wood or plastic. A different

bellows A bellows or pair of bellows is a device constructed to furnish a strong blast of air. The simplest type consists of a flexible bag comprising a pair of rigid boards with handles joined by flexible leather sides enclosing an approximately airtig ...

-like design is usually constructed of plastic. Alternate names for plumbing plungers include ''force cup'', ''plumber's friend'' or ''plumber's helper''. In musical performance, tools called plungers are used to mute

trumpet The trumpet is a brass instrument commonly used in classical and jazz musical ensemble, ensembles. The trumpet group ranges from the piccolo trumpet—with the highest Register (music), register in the brass family—to the bass trumpet, pitche ...

s and

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

s. A plunger may also refer to a component of a device that generates fluid flow, such as in a medical

syringe A syringe is a simple reciprocating pump consisting of a plunger (though in modern syringes, it is actually a piston) that fits tightly within a cylindrical tube called a barrel. The plunger can be linearly pulled and pushed along the inside ...

or a

French press A French press, also known as a cafetière, ''cafetière à piston'', ''caffettiera a stantuffo'', press pot, coffee press, or coffee plunger, is a coffee brewing device, although it can also be used for other tasks. The earliest known devi ...

coffee brewer.

History

The plumbing plunger was invented in 1874 by New York confectioner John Hawley, with the flattened rim added in 1876. The invention is referred to in the patent as a "vent-clearer", and was marketed as a "force cup".

Applications

Plumbing

Use

For the common plunger, the cup is pushed down against the drain opening, either pressing hard into the drain to force air in or pushing down until the rubber cup is flattened. The cup is then pulled out, creating a vacuum to pull blockage material upward and dislodge waste or other material.

Shape and function

The cup of a kitchen plunger looks like a rubber ball cut in half with a flared edge, while the toilet plunger's cup looks more like a distorted bowl, tapered on one half, with a large opening on the bottom. A plunger is much more effective with water in the pipe, as water does not compress and thus transmits more of the applied

force In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an Physical object, object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the Magnitu ...

than does air. When a plunger alone is ineffective, it can be supplemented by a chemical

drain cleaner A drain cleaner, also known as drain opener, refers to a person, device, or product used to unblock sewer pipes or clear clogged wastewater drains. This term typically applies to chemical, enzymatic, or mechanical tools such as commercial chemical ...

for sinks and tubs; or a

plumber's snake A plumber's snake or drain snake or drain auger is a slender, flexible auger used to dislodge clogs in plumbing. The plumber's snake is often reserved for difficult clogs that cannot be loosened with a plunger. It is also sometimes called a toi ...

for stubborn clogs, and clogs of the main line or toilet. Labeled syringe

Syringes

syringes A syringe is a simple reciprocating pump consisting of a plunger (though in modern syringes, it is actually a piston) that fits tightly within a cylindrical tube called a barrel. The plunger can be linearly pulled and pushed along the inside ...

, plungers are constrained to linear motion as they are pulled and pushed within an outer tube or "barrel." The plunger allows the syringe to take in or expel fluid through an orifice at the open end of the barrel. In disposable syringes, the plunger is often made of plastic with a rubber tip that seals between itself and the barrel.

References

External links

* * {{Plumbing Plumbing Simple machines Hand tools