My first-floor toilet is blocked, as far as I can see
just after the U-bend.

My local plumbers merchant gave me a jar of sodium hydroxide,
and told me this was as good as anything.
The label on the container warns me to follow the instructions carefully,
but unfortunately the instructions are missing.
Can I safely pour some down the toilet?
Do I have to ensure it will get round the U-bend?

Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail (80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

Our site services used concentrated sulphuric acid, plus some chemical to
enhance the action. Can't remember the name for sure (but "Blockbuster"
comes to mind) but it sure was dangerous as the burns on one of the team
demonstrated.
The safety instructions will be the standard ones for caustic soda / sodium
hydroxide. Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to
skin and eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you in
short order - and you may not feel anything until it's too late.

If it doesn't get round the u-bend, how do you expect it to work?
--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK


Timothy Murphy wrote in message
...
My first-floor toilet is blocked, as far as I can see
just after the U-bend.

My local plumbers merchant gave me a jar of sodium hydroxide,
and told me this was as good as anything.
The label on the container warns me to follow the instructions carefully,
but unfortunately the instructions are missing.
Can I safely pour some down the toilet?
Do I have to ensure it will get round the U-bend?

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 00:01:11 +0100, Timothy Murphy
wrote:

My first-floor toilet is blocked, as far as I can see
just after the U-bend.

My local plumbers merchant gave me a jar of sodium hydroxide,
and told me this was as good as anything.
The label on the container warns me to follow the instructions carefully,
but unfortunately the instructions are missing.
Can I safely pour some down the toilet?
Do I have to ensure it will get round the U-bend?

Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.

You may be better off removing the pan, taking it outside and cleaning
it with a pressure washer or something similar.

Depending on the obstruction, caustic soda may not be all that
effective anyway.

I had the unenviable job of clearing one for somebody not long ago and
the obstruction turned out to be a number of vampire's teabags
gathered in a mass.
It would probably have taken caustic soda some while to dissolve those
sufficiently for them to move.




..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 00:01:11 +0100, Timothy Murphy
wrote:

The label on the container warns me to follow the instructions carefully,
but unfortunately the instructions are missing.

Are you sure they are not on a multi layer label? Packs of Sodium
Hydroxide often have the instructions behind the label on the rear -
you have to peel it off to get at them.

Can I safely pour some down the toilet?

Only with care. You must add caustic soda to water (not water to
caustic soda) because when it dissolves it generates considerable
heat. If you simply pour the crystals in the pan the heat generated
locally around the pile of crystals can crack the ceramic pan. You
need to mix it a separate vessel or take great care to stir as you
are adding the crystals.

Bear in mind that Sodium Hydroxide is really quite dangerous and
that alkali burns, especially to the eyes, are far more dangerous
than acid burns.


--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

Andy Hall wrote in message . ..
On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 00:01:11 +0100, Timothy Murphy
wrote:

My first-floor toilet is blocked, as far as I can see
just after the U-bend.

My local plumbers merchant gave me a jar of sodium hydroxide,
and told me this was as good as anything.
The label on the container warns me to follow the instructions carefully,
but unfortunately the instructions are missing.
Can I safely pour some down the toilet?
Do I have to ensure it will get round the U-bend?

Any advice or suggestions gratefully received.

You may be better off removing the pan, taking it outside and cleaning
it with a pressure washer or something similar.

Depending on the obstruction, caustic soda may not be all that
effective anyway.

I was about to say, surely it's got to be worth a go with it first,
rather than removing the pan without trying? But I suppose if it
doesn't work, and stays 100% blocked, then when he does have to take
the pan off, then he's left with all that caustic liquid slopping
about - not fun. Does the OP have a clue what's causing the blockage?

OP - for what it's worth, the instructions on my pack of caustic soda
for cleaning a drain (in pellet form) read "wear suitable gloves/eye
protection add 100g to 1 litre cold water in a bucket, stir constantly
til completely dissolved, carefully pour entire solution down drain.
Leave for 30 mins and then use plunger."

It also points out never to add water to caustic soda, always the
other way round, and notes that solution will heat up when dissolving.

In the light of what another poster mentioned (using sulphuric acid)
I'd also add, for heaven's sake don't mix it with any other
cleaners/unblockers (esp sulphuric acid) as the results could be
nasty!!).

If you do use it, I'd certainly leave it longer than 30 mins though.
Overnight probably. It would be worth removing as much water from the
loo bowl as you can first, to avoid unnecessary dilution of the
caustic soda.

hth
David

Malcolm Stewart wrote:

Our site services used concentrated sulphuric acid, plus some chemical to
enhance the action. Can't remember the name for sure (but "Blockbuster"
comes to mind) but it sure was dangerous as the burns on one of the team
demonstrated.
The safety instructions will be the standard ones for caustic soda / sodium
hydroxide. Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to
skin and eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you in
short order - and you may not feel anything until it's too late.
It very bad for eyes.

I hace got loads on my skin, It burns and te skin tirns to soap. You
most certainly will feel it before its too late. Fortunately the
antidote is lots of clean fresh water.


My use o it is cabvalier, and considered dangerous by most of teh
pansies on this group.

I would in fact do the folwing.

Tip half the power or crytals int the loo, and follow up with a kettle
of boiling water, making sure that any splashes and hisses happen
inside. Best way to enbsure that is to slap a sheet of something like
polystyrene over the top of it all till the witches cauldron ceases.
Wipe up any splashes on anything with copious cold water.

Then have a cup of coffee.

Then come back and flush the loo.

If it even drains sklightly this caustc will generally clear it BUT.

If teh blocakge is clelluose material (paper or tampons) then sulphuric
acid may actually be a better bet.

Any household should have (tho not accessible by kids) a 5 litre
container of brick aciod (hydrochloric) drain cleaner (sulhuric) and a
few kg of caustic soda.

There is little ethat will survive attack by a series of chemicals like
that. Bricks glass abd sand beig the exception.







If it doesn't get round the u-bend, how do you expect it to work?
--
M Stewart
Milton Keynes, UK


Timothy Murphy wrote in message
...

My first-floor toilet is blocked, as far as I can see
just after the U-bend.

My local plumbers merchant gave me a jar of sodium hydroxide,
and told me this was as good as anything.
The label on the container warns me to follow the instructions carefully,
but unfortunately the instructions are missing.
Can I safely pour some down the toilet?
Do I have to ensure it will get round the U-bend?

Peter Parry wrote in message
Only with care. You must add caustic soda to water (not water to
caustic soda) because when it dissolves it generates considerable
heat. If you simply pour the crystals in the pan the heat generated
locally around the pile of crystals can crack the ceramic pan. You
need to mix it a separate vessel or take great care to stir as you
are adding the crystals.
I think that's a bit alarmist. Caustic heats cold water to boiling for a few
seconds, but hardly a threat to a ceramic pan.
The main problem with pouring it straight into water is that the crystals
form a solid mass which then takes a long time to dissolve.
In any case it's highly unlikely to unblock a WC, which IME usually has
something solid stuck in the soil pipe. Last one I did was a combination of
a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants, and a piano castor.
The mind boggles.

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...

snip
Last one I did was a combination of
a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants, and a piano
castor.
The mind boggles.


Yikes - a previous user of that particular facility must have had serious
medical and/or psychological problems!

--
Richard Sampson

email me at
richard at olifant d-ot co do-t uk

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 11:52:18 +0100, "RichardS" noaccess@invalid
wrote:

"stuart noble" wrote in message
...

snip
Last one I did was a combination of
a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants, and a piano
castor.
The mind boggles.


Yikes - a previous user of that particular facility must have had serious
medical and/or psychological problems!


Especially buying underwear in Marks and Spencers.


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Malcolm Stewart wrote:

If it doesn't get round the u-bend, how do you expect it to work?

My first-floor toilet is blocked, as far as I can see
just after the U-bend.

I must say I wondered that.
The toilet does drain slowly,
taking maybe 30 minutes after flushing.
So I guess the sodium hydroxide should slowly get round the bend
if the level in the toilet is slightly above the U-bend.
I'll try it anyway (with gloves and goggles!)

--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail (80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

Subject: Clearing blocked toilet with caustic soda
From: Timothy Murphy
Date: 22/07/04 13:59 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

Malcolm Stewart wrote:

If it doesn't get round the u-bend, how do you expect it to work?

My first-floor toilet is blocked, as far as I can see
just after the U-bend.

I must say I wondered that.
The toilet does drain slowly,
taking maybe 30 minutes after flushing.
So I guess the sodium hydroxide should slowly get round the bend
if the level in the toilet is slightly above the U-bend.
I'll try it anyway (with gloves and goggles!)

Might be worth trying a length of rubber hosepipe shoved round the U bend and
try to push the blockage out.
--
Dave Baker - Puma Race Engines (www.pumaracing.co.uk)
Regione interior.....Scorchio
Regione exterior....Scorchio
Costa...................Scorchio
Chalfont St Peter...Cumulo bloody nimbus as per usual.

In article , Dave Baker
writes
Subject: Clearing blocked toilet with caustic soda
From: Timothy Murphy
Date: 22/07/04 13:59 GMT Daylight Time
Message-id:

Malcolm Stewart wrote:

If it doesn't get round the u-bend, how do you expect it to work?

My first-floor toilet is blocked, as far as I can see
just after the U-bend.

I must say I wondered that.
The toilet does drain slowly,
taking maybe 30 minutes after flushing.
So I guess the sodium hydroxide should slowly get round the bend
if the level in the toilet is slightly above the U-bend.
I'll try it anyway (with gloves and goggles!)

Might be worth trying a length of rubber hosepipe shoved round the U bend and
try to push the blockage out.

Or improvise a plunger with a wad of cloth in a bin bag. (or even use a
real toilet plunger).
--
Tim Mitchell

Tim Mitchell wrote:

Or improvise a plunger with a wad of cloth in a bin bag. (or even use a
real toilet plunger).

I have tried a plunger -
seems more suited to a sink drain though,
as I don't think it seals on the loo.
Also tried a flexible drain cleaner.

Am just about to try the hydroxide method ...


--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail (80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 11:01:15 +0100, "stuart noble"
wrote:


Peter Parry wrote in message

If you simply pour the crystals in the pan the heat generated
locally around the pile of crystals can crack the ceramic pan. You
need to mix it a separate vessel or take great care to stir as you
are adding the crystals.

I think that's a bit alarmist. Caustic heats cold water to boiling for a few
seconds, but hardly a threat to a ceramic pan.


Someone I know tried to use it to clean an old Belfast sink. They
filled the sink with cold water and poured the contents of a plastic
bottle of fine caustic soda crystals into the sink and then went to
find a stirrer - a few minutes later the sink was in two halves
neatly sheared through the pile of caustic soda crystals.

Last one I did was a combination of
a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants, and a piano castor.

Errr.... I think caustic soda would be the least of your worries!!

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

In article , Timothy Murphy
writes
Tim Mitchell wrote:

Or improvise a plunger with a wad of cloth in a bin bag. (or even use a
real toilet plunger).

I have tried a plunger -
seems more suited to a sink drain though,
as I don't think it seals on the loo.

Toilet plungers have a big flat rubber sheet about 8 inches diameter
--
Tim Mitchell

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 11:52:18 +0100, RichardS wrote:

Last one I did was a combination of a large cooking apple, a pair
of St.Michael underpants, and a piano castor.

Yikes - a previous user of that particular facility must have had
serious medical and/or psychological problems!

Or the household had a young child...

--
Cheers
Dave. pam is missing e-mail

Tim Mitchell wrote:

In article , Timothy Murphy
writes
Tim Mitchell wrote:

Or improvise a plunger with a wad of cloth in a bin bag. (or even use a
real toilet plunger).

I have tried a plunger -
seems more suited to a sink drain though,
as I don't think it seals on the loo.

Toilet plungers have a big flat rubber sheet about 8 inches diameter

Late one Christmas Eve I discovered a similar blockage. Forced
to improvise, I screwed the rubber backing pad for my sanding
disk onto the end of a broomstick. A few vigorous pumps later,
all was well.

Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK


Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.

Last one I did was a combination of
a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants, and a piano
castor.

Errr.... I think caustic soda would be the least of your worries!!
Forgot to add that these items had all sucessfully navigated the u bend and
the soil pipe, and were lodged on a bend about 3ft beyond the inspection
chamber on their way to the main sewer. IME most blockages are nothing to do
with the WC itself. If your on shared drains, it could be halfway down the
street.

"stuart noble" wrote in message ...
In any case it's highly unlikely to unblock a WC, which IME usually has
something solid stuck in the soil pipe. Last one I did was a combination of
a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants, and a piano castor.
The mind boggles.

What no cuddly toy?

An acquaintance of mine recently had to cure a blocked manhole.
Having opened it up, he eventually managed to withdraw a man's shirt
(bit poo-ey but in otherwise good condition) and a large bath towel;
that seemed to sort it out. Nobody recognized the items or had a clue
how they got there.

David

"Malcolm Stewart" wrote in
message ...
Our site services used concentrated sulphuric acid, plus some chemical to
enhance the action. Can't remember the name for sure (but "Blockbuster"
comes to mind) but it sure was dangerous as the burns on one of the team
demonstrated.
That stuff really does work as its in gell that makes it sink to the source
of the blockage
Whereas in my experience bog standard caustic soda crystals don't...

However, don't try the soda first then put the acid in .. the results will
be very dramatic and your pan will probably be cracked from the heat.

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 18:33:17 +0100, "stuart noble"
wrote:


Forgot to add that these items had all sucessfully navigated the u bend

I was more concerned about their navigating the bits beforehand.

--
Peter Parry.
http://www.wpp.ltd.uk/

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 00:01:11 +0100, Timothy Murphy
wrote:

My local plumbers merchant gave me a jar of sodium hydroxide,
and told me this was as good as anything.

Waste of time. Caustic soda is good at shifting kitchen fat blockages
in a fairly dry pipe. But for toilets, go for an acid cleaner instead
- cond sulphuric should be in ny decent plumber's merchant.

--
Smert' spamionam

In article om,
Dave Liquorice wrote:
Last one I did was a combination of a large cooking apple, a pair
of St.Michael underpants, and a piano castor.

Yikes - a previous user of that particular facility must have had
serious medical and/or psychological problems!

Or the household had a young child...

Don't fancy my chances against your kids if they can take a castor off a
piano...

--
*The only difference between a rut and a grave is the depth.

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

(Lobster) wrote in message . com...
"stuart noble" wrote in message ...
In any case it's highly unlikely to unblock a WC, which IME usually has
something solid stuck in the soil pipe. Last one I did was a combination of
a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants, and a piano castor.
The mind boggles.

What no cuddly toy?

An acquaintance of mine recently had to cure a blocked manhole.
Having opened it up, he eventually managed to withdraw a man's shirt
(bit poo-ey but in otherwise good condition) and a large bath towel;
that seemed to sort it out. Nobody recognized the items or had a clue
how they got there.

David

A one time colleague told me that in his road THE AUTHORITIES had to
be called in to unblock the sewer and found ... a garden rake. Since
no one owned up, they were going to fine the whole street (can they do
that?) I didn't hear what happened in the end.

Chris

On Thu, 22 Jul 2004 11:01:15 +0100, "stuart noble"
wrote:

something solid stuck in the soil pipe. Last one I did was a combination of
a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants, and a piano castor.

And this is why, no matter how bad the software industry gets, I'm not
becoming a plumber.

Thomas Crapper used to use apples to test the flushing power of his
cisterns and pans.

A one time colleague told me that in his road THE AUTHORITIES had to
be called in to unblock the sewer and found ... a garden rake. Since
no one owned up, they were going to fine the whole street (can they do
that?) I didn't hear what happened in the end.

Chris

A colleague of mine in Cambridge found a set of drain rods blocking his
drain! Presumably the previous owner had let go at the wrong moment,
devils own job to get out apparently.
Also while working at a tournament at Wentworth a few years back there
was a blockage in a manhole that the s**t tanker driver was emptying the
mobile toilet tanks into, turned out to be a recently dead dog.

I'm sure you wanted to know this!
--
Bill

In message , Andy Dingley
writes

Thomas Crapper used to use apples to test the flushing power of his
cisterns and pans.

Moral of this story is "never accept an apple from a plumber" ??
--
Bill

In article ,
Andy Dingley wrote:
something solid stuck in the soil pipe. Last one I did was a
combination of a large cooking apple, a pair of St.Michael underpants,
and a piano castor.

And this is why, no matter how bad the software industry gets, I'm not
becoming a plumber.

But if they're in demand, they can cherry pick the jobs they want to do.

--
*Money isn‘t everything, but it sure keeps the kids in touch

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

In article , Bill
writes
A one time colleague told me that in his road THE AUTHORITIES had to
be called in to unblock the sewer and found ... a garden rake. Since
no one owned up, they were going to fine the whole street (can they do
that?) I didn't hear what happened in the end.

Chris

A colleague of mine in Cambridge found a set of drain rods blocking his
drain! Presumably the previous owner had let go at the wrong moment,
devils own job to get out apparently.
Also while working at a tournament at Wentworth a few years back there
was a blockage in a manhole that the s**t tanker driver was emptying
the mobile toilet tanks into, turned out to be a recently dead dog.

I'm sure you wanted to know this!

While working on one of the nation's great outdoor music festivals we
had a similar problem with the bogsucker tanker and it was (eventually)
found to be a dead cow. It was quite a large manhole and it was
suspected that a local farmer had dumped the corpse down there.
--
Tim Mitchell

In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes
Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to skin and
eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you in
short order

Just in case anyone reading doesn't believe this comment - I once didn't
bother with gloves when using diluted caustic soda to clear a drain -
and wondered for a while where the soap on my hands had come from - very
odd sensation, and not what I'd expect to feel when my skin was being
corroded.

--
dave @ stejonda

Darwin Award Nominee on numerous occasions

dave @ stejonda wrote:
In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes

Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to skin and
eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you in
short order


Just in case anyone reading doesn't believe this comment - I once didn't
bother with gloves when using diluted caustic soda to clear a drain -
and wondered for a while where the soap on my hands had come from - very
odd sensation, and not what I'd expect to feel when my skin was being
corroded.

And a good filter mask, not just a dust mask, the fumes when 100%
twaddle hits water, or conc acid, will do your lungs no good either!

I can however recommend a pressure washer flexi attachment, cleaning
chemical drains at work, that usually carry acid/caustic etches so
nothing you can pour in them will shift the residues, its the best
method apart form pigging we've found, and for plastic drains like
vulcathene pigging is almost impossible anyway.

I can well remember the tanker drivers that serviced the private houses
around the maidenhead area museum, anatomically shaped candles and
battery operated devices were quite regularly recovered....

Niel.

Andy Dingley wrote:

My local plumbers merchant gave me a jar of sodium hydroxide,
and told me this was as good as anything.

Waste of time. Caustic soda is good at shifting kitchen fat blockages
in a fairly dry pipe. But for toilets, go for an acid cleaner instead
- cond sulphuric should be in ny decent plumber's merchant.

Well, I have to say - the caustic soda worked.
I left it overnight, as advised.
In the morning the toilet did not appear to be clear,
but I poured about 10 litres of very hot (80deg C) water down,
again as advised, and the blockage suddenly cleared,
and now the toilet appears to be as good as new.


--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail (80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

"Timothy Murphy" wrote in message
...
Andy Dingley wrote:

My local plumbers merchant gave me a jar of sodium hydroxide,
and told me this was as good as anything.

Waste of time. Caustic soda is good at shifting kitchen fat blockages
in a fairly dry pipe. But for toilets, go for an acid cleaner instead
- cond sulphuric should be in ny decent plumber's merchant.

Well, I have to say - the caustic soda worked.
I left it overnight, as advised.
In the morning the toilet did not appear to be clear,
but I poured about 10 litres of very hot (80deg C) water down,
again as advised, and the blockage suddenly cleared,
and now the toilet appears to be as good as new.


--
Timothy Murphy
e-mail (80k only): tim /at/ birdsnest.maths.tcd.ie
tel: +353-86-2336090, +353-1-2842366
s-mail: School of Mathematics, Trinity College, Dublin 2, Ireland

Would/does caustic plus very hot water be (likely to) dissolve a wax toilet
seal???? Just a thought!

Terry wrote in message ...
Would/does caustic plus very hot water be (likely to) dissolve a wax toilet
seal???? Just a thought!
Probably a synthetic wax with a very high melting point, so neither the
alkali or the heat would affect it.

On Sun, 25 Jul 2004 11:49:25 -0230, "Terry"
wrote:



Would/does caustic plus very hot water be (likely to) dissolve a wax toilet
seal???? Just a thought!



I believe that these are a north America thing, Terry. I've seen
them in places like Home Depot in the U.S. where they fit in the waste
spigot in the floor and the pan drops into that.
I assume you have the same in Canada?


..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

dave @ stejonda wrote:

In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes

Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to skin and
eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you in
short order


Just in case anyone reading doesn't believe this comment - I once didn't
bother with gloves when using diluted caustic soda to clear a drain -
and wondered for a while where the soap on my hands had come from - very
odd sensation, and not what I'd expect to feel when my skin was being
corroded.

Inded, since the epidermis is largely dead and has no nerve cells, you
just end up wih a fresh shiny and very clean layer of slighly less dead
skin.
No big deal really.

In article , The Natural
Philosopher writes
dave @ stejonda wrote:

In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes

Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to skin
and eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you
in short order
Just in case anyone reading doesn't believe this comment - I once
didn't bother with gloves when using diluted caustic soda to clear a
drain - and wondered for a while where the soap on my hands had come
from - very odd sensation, and not what I'd expect to feel when my
skin was being corroded.

Inded, since the epidermis is largely dead and has no nerve cells, you
just end up wih a fresh shiny and very clean layer of slighly less dead
skin.
No big deal really.

This guy's an idiot, but each to their own I suppose.

Caustic burns do a lot of tissue damage (er, destroy it, really). As a
minimum, wear eye protection and gloves and cover your arms. Also note
this cautionary tale:

I decided to use caustic soda on the lavatory bowl the other day. I've
done this before, but I was in a rush. Instead of pre-mixing it in a
bucket and pouring it in, I just sprinkled "a few" crystals into the
bowl. The phone went and I went to answer it, without stirring the
mixture.

It wasn't a few. The heat of solution (energy released when the crystals
dissolved) caused the mixture to become very hot, at the bottom of the
pan, where the crystals were. The resulting heat cracked the bowl (I
don't know that it boiled - probably did - as I wasn't there). I knew
this happened - once nearly melted the bottom of a plastic bucket in a
similar way - but I didn't think it could hurt ceramics. Silly me.

Moral: when you make up the solution, keep stirring (piece of old lath
or wooden stick is good), and preferably make it up in a metal container
(a galv. bucket is ideal). If you don't break them up, the crystals once
poured-in can form a very hot solid-ish lump at the bottom as they
dissolve, which is what does the damage.

ALWAYS add crystals to water, not the other way around, and plan what
you will do in the event of spillage, especially on you.

Up-side: It's a really brilliant, inexpensive, de-greaser and drain
cleaner, and superb on oven trays and shelves.

Regards,

Simonm.

--
simonm|at|muircom|dot|demon|.|c|oh|dot|u|kay
SIMON MUIR, UK INDEPENDENCE PARTY, BRISTOL www.ukip.org
EUROPEANS AGAINST THE EU www.members.aol.com/eurofaq
GT250A'76 R80/RT'86 110CSW TD'88 www.kc3ltd.co.uk/profile/eurofollie/

"SpamTrapSeeSig" wrote in message
...
In article , The Natural
Philosopher writes
dave @ stejonda wrote:

In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes

Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to skin
and eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you
in short order
Just in case anyone reading doesn't believe this comment - I once
didn't bother with gloves when using diluted caustic soda to clear a
drain - and wondered for a while where the soap on my hands had come
from - very odd sensation, and not what I'd expect to feel when my
skin was being corroded.

Inded, since the epidermis is largely dead and has no nerve cells, you
just end up wih a fresh shiny and very clean layer of slighly less dead
skin.
No big deal really.

This guy's an idiot,

I fully agree.

Caustic burns do a lot of tissue damage (er, destroy it, really). As a
minimum, wear eye protection and gloves and cover your arms. /

IMM wrote:

"SpamTrapSeeSig" wrote in message
...

In article , The Natural
Philosopher writes

dave @ stejonda wrote:


In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes


Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to skin
and eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you
in short order

Just in case anyone reading doesn't believe this comment - I once
didn't bother with gloves when using diluted caustic soda to clear a
drain - and wondered for a while where the soap on my hands had come

from - very odd sensation, and not what I'd expect to feel when my

skin was being corroded.


Inded, since the epidermis is largely dead and has no nerve cells, you
just end up wih a fresh shiny and very clean layer of slighly less dead
skin.
No big deal really.

This guy's an idiot,


I fully agree.


Caustic burns do a lot of tissue damage (er, destroy it, really). As a
minimum, wear eye protection and gloves and cover your arms. /





Well it worked for me. I protect eyes, but the odd caustic burn on the
skin is no big deal. Just wash with water and there you are. Nice shiny
patch of skin.


If you are stupid enough to leave caustic unattended tho, you deserve
what you get.

Cearmics will crack if you put boiling water in them.

I flush it down as soon as it starts to boil, and generally have hot
water in there first to get the bowl up to temp.

"The Natural Philosopher" wrote in message
...
IMM wrote:

"SpamTrapSeeSig" wrote in message
...

In article , The Natural
Philosopher writes

dave @ stejonda wrote:


In message , Malcolm Stewart
writes


Bear in mind that even weak caustic soda is very dangerous to skin
and eyes (full face visor recommended) and will make soap out of you
in short order

Just in case anyone reading doesn't believe this comment - I once
didn't bother with gloves when using diluted caustic soda to clear a
drain - and wondered for a while where the soap on my hands had come

from - very odd sensation, and not what I'd expect to feel when my
skin was being corroded.

Inded, since the epidermis is largely dead and has no nerve cells, you
just end up wih a fresh shiny and very clean layer of slighly less dead
skin.

No big deal really.

This guy's an idiot,

I fully agree.

Well it worked for me.

I still agree you are an idiot.