A Drain Cleaner that Works!

[Red Horse]

Well after spending a lot of money on drain cleaner to correct a slow shower drain, I tried "Liquid PlumR" by Clorox. The stuff works. I guess the tip off is the container is divided down the middle-so the components don't work until you dump it in the drain. And let me tell you, I had been trying to snake this out with wire etc. Nothing worked-except this stuff.

 

[Ductape]

Whats in it ?

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Whats in it ?

The active ingredients in Liquid-Plumr (and in Drano) are sodium hydroxide and sodium hypochlorite. The product is used by pouring it into a clogged drain. The ingredients react with water and break down material they come into contact with. As it travels down the pipe, the heavy fluid releases heat and dissolves grease, soap, hair and other foreign matter that commonly collects in household drains. The sodium hypochlorite (bleach) also dissolves hair and other organic matter. The active ingredients break down quickly so as not to do any corrosive damage to sewer and septic systems. The product is rated safe for metal and PVC pipes.


Read more: Active Ingredients in Liquid Plumber | eHow.com Active Ingredients in Liquid Plumber | eHow.com

 

[k0ua]

Whats in it ?

Liquid-Plumr is a chemical drain opener made of 0.5–2% sodium hydroxide and 5–10% sodium hypochlorite, and a surfactant, produced by the Clorox Corporation


So sodium hydroxide=lye and sodium hypochlorite = bleach. and a surfacant= some kind of soap/dirt dissolver.

your welcome

James K0UA

 

[k0ua]

well heck I am 3 minutes late... again..

 

[Ductape]

Well, I haven't been impressed with any of the over-the-counter stuff I've tried so far. Must be my wife's wirey hair. Don't tell her I said that. !

 

[Ken45101]

I guess they have it diluted enough to be safe (????) but mixing bleach with lye will release chlorine gas and is dangerous. When I was a kid experimenting with chemistry, I did that and it was not fun! I even did it outside and still got gassed. Pay close attention to the directions!

Ken

 

[Deere Dude]

The problem with using chemicals is having to work on the drain if the chemicals don't work. What works best for me is to stuff a water hose in the hole and seal it with a rag, good and tight, and let it rip.

 

[Ken]

The problem with using chemicals is having to work on the drain if the chemicals don't work. What works best for me is to stuff a water hose in the hole and seal it with a rag, good and tight, and let it rip.

This doesn't always work the way intended.
At work a man asked how to get the commode drain unstuck. and I suggested the water hose and old towell wraped around the hose to keep from messing up. He did and next day could tell he was out of good feelings toward us so asked what is wrong. His reply was opened bathroom window brought water hose in and stuck in commode Wife turned on the water in a few minutes she started to yelling and saying words he didn't know she knew . released the hose it squarted water over the bathroom then the commode erupted into a return flow of water from the vent pipe to again flood the room. the water filled vent pipe ran down the valley and lit on top of his wife outside waiting to be told to turn off the hose.
This is the reason I said not always works as planned.
ken

 

[Red Horse]

My guess is that what separates Liquid Plumbr from the rest of the products (labels all read pretty much the same) is the fact that the ingredients are separated by the baffle that splits the bottle in two. It would seem that you then benefit by the immediate chemical reaction that occurs when the components come together. Like I said-it worked after ..."pouring a lot of money down the drain":thumbsup:

 

[Ken45101]

My guess is that what separates Liquid Plumbr from the rest of the products (labels all read pretty much the same) is the fact that the ingredients are separated by the baffle that splits the bottle in two. It would seem that you then benefit by the immediate chemical reaction that occurs when the components come together. Like I said-it worked after ..."pouring a lot of money down the drain":thumbsup:

They have to separate them in the container or the reaction would occur on the packing line in the factory

But they mix in the drain line and I would be worried about the outgassing. It's been 50 years since I mixed those two chemicals and I learned my lesson

Ken

 

[2LaneCruzer]

I guess they have it diluted enough to be safe (????) but mixing bleach with lye will release chlorine gas and is dangerous. When I was a kid experimenting with chemistry, I did that and it was not fun! I even did it outside and still got gassed. Pay close attention to the directions!

Ken

You are so right! Back when I worked in the grocery store, we had a stack of cleaners fall in the back room; bleach in those days was in glass bottles; some broke and mixed with the spilled (solid) Drano, which was mostly Sodium Hydroxide. It created a nice little cloud of Chlorine. Nasty, nasty stuff.

As you may know, lye, (Sodium Hydroxide) when mixed with animal fat makes lye soap. That's why it works so well on plugs of grease in the drain; it makes a kind of soap that of course will dissolve in water.

 

[CBW1999]

Years ago, I had a stubborn drain and nothing was working, chemical or mechanical- to open it.

I went to the hardware store (again....) and the worker said "can I help you find something?" At that point, sarcasm was the best I could do.... so I said "I need something in the EPA top ten NOT to use to open a drain".

The immediate reply- "sure, isle 8- I'll show you".............

Now, I am not one to usually get scared in a hardware store but...... Sure enough, Isle 8, bottom shelf. Quart bottle wrapped in plastic with lots of warnings. SULFURIC ACID!

Yes, it worked, and yes- it was actually listed as a drain opener. Still kind of scary.......

 

[2LaneCruzer]

Sulfuric acid is bad stuff! Used to work with in the lab. In concentrated form, it will burn you before you can wash it off. Both Sulfuric acid and lye are particularly dangerous if you get them in your eyes. Sulfuric acid takes up water and gives off LOTS of heat!

 

[mvwicker]

I guess they have it diluted enough to be safe (????) but mixing bleach with lye will release chlorine gas and is dangerous. When I was a kid experimenting with chemistry, I did that and it was not fun! I even did it outside and still got gassed. Pay close attention to the directions!

Ken

Actually, it is bleach+ammonia that produces chloramine gas (NH2Cl), which is toxic. Bleach+acid (like vinegar) produces chlorine gas (Cl2), also toxic. Lye+chlorine makes bleach, not the other way around.

 

[Deere Dude]

This doesn't always work the way intended.
At work a man asked how to get the commode drain unstuck. and I suggested the water hose and old towell wraped around the hose to keep from messing up. He did and next day could tell he was out of good feelings toward us so asked what is wrong. His reply was opened bathroom window brought water hose in and stuck in commode Wife turned on the water in a few minutes she started to yelling and saying words he didn't know she knew . released the hose it squarted water over the bathroom then the commode erupted into a return flow of water from the vent pipe to again flood the room. the water filled vent pipe ran down the valley and lit on top of his wife outside waiting to be told to turn off the hose.
This is the reason I said not always works as planned.
ken

:laughing:At least he had some stories to tell his grand-kids, and us. Not, yawn, I had a plugged drain, yawn, I dumped something in it, yawn, I saw the water go down. Time to go back to watching TV.

I used an air blaster, which was my favorite. It was a tank about a gallon in size with a nozzle that could be sealed to the drain and a trigger to unleash 100 psi air down the drain. That generally worked and was easy. But nothing works 100 % of the time. Sometimes great stories come out of it. I used this master blaster one time in a men's bathroom, One big woof and the water went down. I walked out into the office on the other side of the wall when everyone was screaming and saw that all the muck from the drain come flying out of a sink in that room all over the newly tiled ceiling. But it wasn't boring :laughing:

 

[Johnp33]

I have a portable air compressor, I use an air nozzle with a 1/4 inch copper pipe about 14 inches long adapted into it, a plugged sink fill it with water and insert the nozzle down the drain, use a rag to plug it off and give it a blast of air, even with a vent you can pulse the fluid to dislodge it, release the rag and refill the drain, and do it again. Never had one I could not unplug. No chemicals, I am on septic. The chemicals kill the field and if you do not know it and reactivate it you could be digging it up.

 

[Ken45101]

Actually, it is bleach+ammonia that produces chlorine gas.

Actually it is bleach and many other strong chemicals. But I'm almost 100% positive that I was using bleach and lye. Ammonia would probably do it too.

-------------

As for sulfuric acid being bad, well it depends on the concentration to a great degree (that's true for any of the major acids). Concentrated sulfuric is very bad, but battery acid (weaker sulfuric acid) is bad but not nearly as bad as the concentrated stuff.

Ken

 

[Ken]

:laughing:At least he had some stories to tell his grand-kids, and us. Not, yawn, I had a plugged drain, yawn, I dumped something in it, yawn, I saw the water go down. Time to go back to watching TV.

I used an air blaster, which was my favorite. It was a tank about a gallon in size with a nozzle that could be sealed to the drain and a trigger to unleash 100 psi air down the drain. That generally worked and was easy. But nothing works 100 % of the time. Sometimes great stories come out of it. I used this master blaster one time in a men's bathroom, One big woof and the water went down. I walked out into the office on the other side of the wall when everyone was screaming and saw that all the muck from the drain come flying out of a sink in that room all over the newly tiled ceiling. But it wasn't boring :laughing:

Around 1970 The Kentuky Fried Chicken built a place at Deming N.Mex. The power co. arrived to install new 3 phase power to Resturant. And proceded to drill hole for the power pole came across some water not much so continued to set pole and work on the installation.
The new 3 story motel across street filled with customers and soon complaints of the commodes and bath tubs failing to work. Remembering the power crew called the office and now on overtime they returned to check the problem. Disconnected the hardware from pole and winched to pole out of hole and flushed every commode in the motel at same time. what a mess smell and interesting items laying around the KFC parking lot.
Next day returned to dig new hole and repair the drain line.
ken