View source for Plunger

{{Short description|Tool to clear blockages in drains and pipes}}
{{About|the plumbing tool}}
[[File:Plopper.jpg|thumb|Plumbing plunger in a sink]]

A '''plunger''' is a device driven by or against fluid pressure.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dictionary.infoplease.com/plunger|title=Meaning of plunger {{!}} Infoplease|website=dictionary.infoplease.com|language=en|access-date=2017-12-11}}</ref> In plumbing, the term plunger commonly refers to handheld tools used to clear blockages in [[plumbing|drains and pipes]]. Plumbing plungers consist of a rubber [[suction cup]] attached to a stick (''shaft'') usually made of wood or plastic. A different [[bellows]]-like design is usually constructed of plastic. Alternate names for plumbing plungers include ''force cup'', ''plumber's friend'' or ''plumber's helper''.<ref>{{Cite web|publisher=Harper Collins Publishing |title=The American Heritage Dictionary entry: plunger |url=https://www.ahdictionary.com/word/search.html?q=plunger |access-date=2017-12-11 |website=www.a dictionary.com}}</ref>

In musical performance, tools called plungers are used to [[mute (music)|mute]] [[trumpet]]s and [[trombone]]s. A plunger may also refer to a component of a device that generates fluid flow, such as in a medical [[syringe]] or a [[French press]] coffee brewer. 

== History ==
The plumbing plunger was invented in 1874<ref>{{cite patent|country=US|number=158937A|title=Improvement in vent-clearers for wash-bowls|status=patent|fdate=1874-12-19|gdate=1875-01-19|inventor=John S. Hawley}}</ref> by New York confectioner<ref>{{cite book |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |url=https://archive.org/details/biographicalhist01lewi/page/39/mode/2up |title=Biographical history of Westchester County, New York |publisher=Lewis Publishing Company |year=1899 |volume=1 |page=39}}</ref> John Hawley, with the flattened rim added in 1876.<ref>{{cite patent|country=US|number=186206A|title=Improvement in vent-clearers for wash-bowls|status=patent|fdate=1876-06-06|gdate=1877-01-16|inventor=John S. Hawley}}</ref> The invention is referred to in the patent as a "vent-clearer", and was marketed as a "force cup".<ref>{{cite magazine |author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.--> |date=1875-05-21 |title=Improved Elastic Force Cup |url=https://archive.org/details/scientific-american-1875-05-22/page/n9/mode/2up |magazine=Scientific American |location=New York |page=329 |volume=32 |issue=21}}</ref>

== 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]] than does air.<ref>{{cite book|title=Ultimate Guide to Plumbing|author=Henkenius, Merle|isbn=1580113117|year=2006|publisher=Creative Homeowner Press|page=[https://archive.org/details/plumbingcomplete0000henk/page/216 216]|url=https://archive.org/details/plumbingcomplete0000henk/page/216}}</ref>  When a plunger alone is ineffective, it can be supplemented by a chemical [[drain cleaner]] for sinks and tubs; or a [[plumber's snake]] for stubborn clogs, and clogs of the main line or toilet.<ref>{{cite book|title=Lou Manfredini's House Smarts|page=28|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=O-r-wnVA4mEC&pg=PA28|author=Lou Manfredini|publisher=Random House|year=2004|isbn=0345449894}}</ref>[[File:Labeled syringe.png|thumb|Components of a [[disposable]] syringe including its plunger]]

=== Syringes ===
In [[Syringe|syringes]], [[Plunger (hydraulics)|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.

==See also==
* [[Mute (music)#Plunger|Plunger mute]] for brass instruments

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{Wiktionary-inline}}
* {{Commons category-inline|Plungers}}

{{Hand tools}}
{{Plumbing}}

[[Category:Plumbing]]
[[Category:Simple machines]]
[[Category:Hand tools]]