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Plumbing Question, Pros & Cons of Drano

St. Phatty

Active member
I have 1 toilet and maybe 3 sinks that needs some assistance getting un-clogged.

What I'm not sure about is, using a Drano type product.

What if the Drano doesn't work ? Then the person using the snake or unbolting pipes, has to deal with not only sewage, but sewage with Lye (or acid) mixed in.

That seems like a real bad situation for whoever has to face it.

I asked a guy at the gym and we talked and agreed, I could always wear a welding mask if I have to work on the drain when it has a caustic substance mixed in. Safety glasses always fog up on me.

They sell dilute Drano type products at the $ store.

Do any IC Mag members with experience fixing plumbing problems have strong feelings about using Caustic substances like Drano ?

Good to use, bad to use, favorite product, any guidance would be appreciated.

You guys are my front line for home improvement ! :woohoo:

I'm trying to not call a plumber, but if I do call a plumber I would rather not hand them a sh-t situation with difficult substances involved.


I admit I'm being kind of generic when I say "Drano". Reading the labels, most of them are alkaline, and a few are acidic.
 

green404

Member
Drano is a weak version of some kind of acid many time/most times it doesn't work.

What is clogging your drain ? do you know ?

After a few drain problems I invested in a 30ft "snake" for around $15. it has saved me a few times from hiring a plumber who will usually bring a "snake".
 

igrowone

Well-known member
Veteran
a multiple clog situation sounds nasty, separate clogs or 1 big one?
lye does make a bad situation worse if it doesn't work
i've used lye with very good results, but that's because i'm was sure lye would work on the clog
my vote is no lye until you're sure what you're dealing with
 

St. Phatty

Active member
Drano is a weak version of some kind of acid many time/most times it doesn't work.

What is clogging your drain ? do you know ?

After a few drain problems I invested in a 30ft "snake" for around $15. it has saved me a few times from hiring a plumber who will usually bring a "snake".

Bathroom sink drain - Baking Soda. I rinse my teeth with alkaline water because I have problems with acidic plaque.

Toilet - Poop Plaque ? Is that a thing ? Sure sounds smelly. :blowbubbles:

Kitchen Sink - don't remember. There was a problem and I worked around it.

I think I need to concentrate on a fundamental skill, running the plumbing snake. Just jam it in every plumbing orifice it will go in, turn the crank, get comfortable using it.

It's like I'm afraid of it because I never use it !

I think a good work mode for home handyman folks is TRAINING people like me.

I don't mind wrestling with a problem, if I know I will get to the finish line. Having a "Handyman Coach", that's what I need.

a "Handyman Coach" who will take Cannabis in partial payment for their time ... Hmmm. :)
 

igrowone

Well-known member
Veteran
ok, sounds like multiple problems
and if it's slow running that's significant because you can flush through the chemical, if you choose that route
(note) - slow running can become stopped with chemical because some is dislodged and can clog a small opening
there is the 'foaming pipe snake' stuff, that can be useful where you have a layer that is slowing down the drain
as for cons, i will give you one con for lye
lye burns to the eye will not heal well, lye in the eye and it's game over
an eye might recover from an acid burn, depends on the particulars
 

redlaser

Active member
Veteran
Snake is the better way to go, even if you had acid strong enough it would never do as good a job as the snake. Much cheaper than any service call.

Just stick it in a few inches, crank it to make it spin, go farther until you think you got enough. Return if still stuck. Worse part is keeping the area clean when removing snake, black stinky stuff will coat snake
 

Switcher56

Comfortably numb!
... an ounce of prevention is worth a # of cure. Drano is a "maintenance" component vs a fix it thing. It is normally used with excellent results. I tbs/month down the drain (as prescribed) and no need for a snake. Bathroom drains? Take the P trap off and get rid of the "hair" in there. Usual colprit :)
 

green404

Member
I have used stronger sulfuric acid to clear out drains, it is hard to find. The acid will eat soap and grease, maybe even hair. I have never had luck with "draino" only with the concentrated sulfuric acid but I can't find it anymore.

The sink you take apart the goose neck and usually get most of the clog out. If that doesn't fix it,, you need the snake beyond it.

Latex gloves if you don't have them. or find a reasonable plumber, that's the easy route.
 

St. Phatty

Active member
Just stick it in a few inches, crank it to make it spin, go farther until you think you got enough. Return if still stuck. Worse part is keeping the area clean when removing snake, black stinky stuff will coat snake

Oh, so, like cleaning a water pipe !

I've been training for this job my entire life. :woohoo:


I have used stronger sulfuric acid to clear out drains, it is hard to find. The acid will eat soap and grease, maybe even hair. I have never had luck with "draino" only with the concentrated sulfuric acid but I can't find it anymore.

I know people who use heated sulfuric acid to do electrolytic extraction of precious metals. Their process scares me to death.

I've used sulfuric acid to make Nitric Acid. Very serious stuff, a force of nature that doesn't stop for human flesh.
 

Mikell

Dipshit Know-Nothing
ICMag Donor
Veteran
Snake.

Tool rental places usually have a toilet snake. Not too many want a shitty snake on the van or in the shop.

I would familiarize yourself with the smaller sink snakes and watch a Youtube video before attempting the toilet. It is possible to crack the bowl.
 

green404

Member
I know people who use heated sulfuric acid to do electrolytic extraction of precious metals. Their process scares me to death.

I've used sulfuric acid to make Nitric Acid. Very serious stuff, a force of nature that doesn't stop for human flesh.

Probably why it is hard to find on a consumer level.

I had a cheap landlord once I called him about a clogged drain, he stopped by and dropped off a qt of sulfuric acid. I did work.

Made me wonder if a person could crack open a car battery and pour the acid in the drain. What would a tweaker do ? lol

If you are have problems all over your house it could be the main house drain. The places I lived that had drain problems all had main septic line problems, both had tree roots that had grown in the main septic line.
When the water drains slower it has more time to settle and become clogged.

Normal places I just end up running the snake down the shower once every couple of years, I usually find a collection of long female hair.
 

Dropped Cat

Six Gummi Bears and Some Scotch
Veteran
Plumber here.

Your sinks and toilet drain into a main line.

Likely the clog is in the main line near the toilet.

A plunger worked in the toilet can clear loose clogs in the mainline.

Push your plunger into the toilet's bowl and secure
a vacuum and pull/push a few times without breaking
the vacuum.

You'll get the hang of it, a rhythm of pulling and pushing.

If the clog has hardened, and is not cleared with this method,
then uninstall the toilet bowl and employ a snake thru the open waste line.

If you follow this method you'll save some big coin.
 

Switcher56

Comfortably numb!
Probably why it is hard to find on a consumer level.

I had a cheap landlord once I called him about a clogged drain, he stopped by and dropped off a qt of sulfuric acid. I did work.

Made me wonder if a person could crack open a car battery and pour the acid in the drain. What would a tweaker do ? lol

If you are have problems all over your house it could be the main house drain. The places I lived that had drain problems all had main septic line problems, both had tree roots that had grown in the main septic line.
When the water drains slower it has more time to settle and become clogged.

Normal places I just end up running the snake down the shower once every couple of years, I usually find a collection of long female hair.
that happened to my neighbour across the street. What a mess! The sewer backed up into his basement. Can I say not a pretty site!
 
Get on the roof with a snake and go down the roof vents, passed the toilet and sinks and see if you can dislodge whatever is creating a clog. Draino isn’t shit.
 

St. Phatty

Active member
A chemist I met in the hot tub at the Y, suggested making a solution of Potassium or Sodium Carbonate (actually, potassium carbonate would be a lot of wood ash, but I save my organic wood ash for the plants.)

= pH up, in the pool section at Walmart.

Said a solution of that would be forceful on the clog, but not too nasty if I end having to call a plumber or get in there with my hands.

Anybody heard of using vinegar to neutralize the alkaline mix in the toilet/bathtub ?

Of course, mixing an acid and an alkaline can be near-explosive.
 
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