On 2/21/2013 2:49 PM, blerg_blerg wrote:
So I had a plumber over to my condo unit (2nd floor) to fix a toilet issue (water spot on ceiling of unit below me). That night, no joke, a baby washcloth went down our bathtub drain. I have tried fishing for it with a plastic drain hook tool with no luck (it doesn't appear to be flexible enough to navigate the pipes). I can see water in the drain pipe, about 3-4" down. When taking a shower now, water fills up to about ankle depth in about 10-15 minutes but then seems to drain within the same amount of time. Some approaches to try that I've read about are various drain clog cleaners or bleach to try and dissolve the washcloth or using a wire hanger (all of ours are plastic) or plumber's snake to fish it out. I've also read that it might be easier to remove the stopper linker and go straight down that overflow pipe. I've tried to read a lot about this but am left wondering how my situation being on the 2nd floor of a condo/former apartment differs from the drain pipe setup o
f a normal house. For instance, my bathtub drain does not feel like it goes straight down very far before it takes a hard turn, presumably toward the wall. I guess I'm just looking for any suggestions/tips. I'm trying to resist calling a plumber since I already spent $250 that I didn't have on one earlier that same day and the guilty party in this case was a family member who was babysitting our daughter and giving her a bath. Thank you.


Sulfuric acid drain cleaner can dissolve/degrade cotton.

Car battery acid did a job on my coat, one time.
I think you've got the right idea.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Frank" wrote in message
...

Sulfuric acid drain cleaner can dissolve/degrade cotton.

Frank wrote:

Sulfuric acid drain cleaner can dissolve/degrade cotton.

Yep. Or a strong base such as lye.

On 2/21/2013 6:36 PM, HeyBub wrote:
Frank wrote:

Sulfuric acid drain cleaner can dissolve/degrade cotton.

Yep. Or a strong base such as lye.



Caustic works better on hair.
Sulfuric acid is actually used to clean wool of vegetable matter like grass.
As I recall cotton is mercerized with strong caustic.

"Frank" wrote in message
...
On 2/21/2013 2:49 PM, blerg_blerg wrote:
So I had a plumber over to my condo unit (2nd floor) to fix a toilet
issue (water spot on ceiling of unit below me). That night, no joke, a
baby washcloth went down our bathtub drain. I have tried fishing for it
with a plastic drain hook tool with no luck (it doesn't appear to be
flexible enough to navigate the pipes). I can see water in the drain
pipe, about 3-4" down. When taking a shower now, water fills up to about
ankle depth in about 10-15 minutes but then seems to drain within the
same amount of time. Some approaches to try that I've read about are
various drain clog cleaners or bleach to try and dissolve the washcloth
or using a wire hanger (all of ours are plastic) or plumber's snake to
fish it out. I've also read that it might be easier to remove the
stopper linker and go straight down that overflow pipe. I've tried to
read a lot about this but am left wondering how my situation being on the
2nd floor of a condo/former apartment differs from the drain pipe setup o
f a normal house. For instance, my bathtub drain does not feel like it
goes straight down very far before it takes a hard turn, presumably toward
the wall. I guess I'm just looking for any suggestions/tips. I'm trying
to resist calling a plumber since I already spent $250 that I didn't have
on one earlier that same day and the guilty party in this case was a
family member who was babysitting our daughter and giving her a bath.
Thank you.


Sulfuric acid drain cleaner can dissolve/degrade cotton.

And how sure are you that the cloth was cotton?

Hydroxides react with grease to form soap.
Sulphuric acid reacts with cellulose, cotton, and sugars to break them down.
If the missing baby item is cotton, sulphuric acid might work.

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"Frank" wrote in message
...
Sulfuric acid drain cleaner can dissolve/degrade cotton.


Caustic works better on hair.
Sulfuric acid is actually used to clean wool of vegetable matter like grass.
As I recall cotton is mercerized with strong caustic.

On Thursday, February 21, 2013 8:50:34 PM UTC-6, Stormin Mormon wrote:
Hydroxides react with grease to form soap.

Sulphuric acid reacts with cellulose, cotton, and sugars to break them down.

If the missing baby item is cotton, sulphuric acid might work.



Christopher A. Young

Learn more about Jesus

www.lds.org

.



"Frank" wrote in message

...

Sulfuric acid drain cleaner can dissolve/degrade cotton.





Caustic works better on hair.

Sulfuric acid is actually used to clean wool of vegetable matter like grass.

As I recall cotton is mercerized with strong caustic.

Just keep in mind that either acids or bases attack metal.

If it's PVC, no problem.

You said a wash cloth went down the drain, so putting in a coat hanger bent to an angle can work wonders in getting it out.

Take care.

If the OPs home is very old there may be no P trap but a drum trap
instead.....