On Sat, 31 Dec 2005 16:39:24 +0000, sponix wrote:

On 31 Dec 2005 04:34:14 -0800, wrote:

I have recently seen the sulphuric acid to clear blocked drains.
Having googled around, it seems I should not mix the 2. I am trying
the caustic soda today followed by boiling water and detergent.

If that fails, how long should I wait before i move on to the acid?

In future, tip a cup of soda crystals down the plug hole, followed by
a pint of boiling water. Repeat this every week of so and it keeps the
drains clear.

sponix

Thats essentiall what I do to any drain the seems not to be draining as it
should.

With showers, I pull the thing up from the trap and clean that first.
Usually they work once all the pub(l)ic hairs are removed. But a dose of
hot casutic (I don't use boiling water unless I have to. Caustic geysers
are fun, but they do case localised damage to hands and clothes, and
sometimes othere localised objects).

All the ******** about 'never add water to caustic, always do it the other
way' applies to chemistry lessons, where what you want is a safe reliable
way to dilute the stuff. And you are dealing with testosterone infused
teenage brains scarcely able to concentrate on what they are doing, and
whosw parents will sue if little jonny gets a nasty hurty splash on his
yummy tum.

WE are looking here for the most violent pressure generating way to get
scaldingly hot caustic in a soil pipe.

The only serious danger is to your eyes. That is really really serious, and
needs massive cold water instantly.

Otherwise skin gets scalded, and cold water will reduce that to a minor
itrritant in a minute.

Respect your caustic. Like your circular saw, your router, your chainsaw,
your consumer unit, its capable - not of killing you at least where the
others WILL..,but of damaging your eyes...but on a scale of dangerous
things I have done its well down the list ..

Acid is actually more dangerous.,especially in eyes.

Amminia is more instantly incapacitating.

The nearest I have cimne to killing msyelf is petrol used to start a
bonfire. Hint. Being 8 feet away on a hot summers day and ligthting the
match there to light a bit of paper to throw at it, is no help. Petrol
vapour is dense and heavy and travels a LONG way on te ground..

The second near miss was failing to let the router bit stop turning before
allowing it to swing back into my jeans. Fortunately the jeans stopped it a
couple of mm from the femoral artery. Jenas are more replaceable ...

Chuck keys left in lathes are another one I remember.

ALL DIY is potentially dangerous and also lethal. Falling off ladders,
electric shock, severe trauma from power tools - ask your A & E..hernias
from lifting sacks, back pain...tetanus and other raging infections from
scratches splinters and cuts in the garden...

Caustiic burns? I doubt they see one a year.