Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

David
wibbled on Saturday 26 June 2010 12:52

Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

Hi,

Caustic is good for fats and some organic scunge.

Acid is good for scale, which might be acting as a physical anchor for fats
and scunge.

So either may be effective, or one might work better than the other for
certain blockages.

Personally, I've always stuck with caustic for drains as it's usually fat or
organic matter that's causing the problem.

--
Tim Watts

Managers, politicians and environmentalists: Nature's carbon buffer.

On Jun 26, 12:52*pm, David wrote:
Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

bit more info
http://wiki.diyfaq.org.uk/index.php?...nblock_a_Drain


NT

On Jun 26, 6:52*am, David wrote:
Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

Acid eats metal, if its a real bad clog and the acid sits for days you
will weaken the pipes. Ive ruined a few P traps with acid. The acid
will also eat the porcelin finish if it sits, if safe drain cleaners
fail it time for a rodding.

Tim Watts wrote:
David
wibbled on Saturday 26 June 2010 12:52

Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

Hi,

Caustic is good for fats and some organic scunge.

Acid is good for scale, which might be acting as a physical anchor for fats
and scunge.

So either may be effective, or one might work better than the other for
certain blockages.

Personally, I've always stuck with caustic for drains as it's usually fat or
organic matter that's causing the problem.


Just make sure you don't try a bit of each :-) At 91% that would be some
violent reaction.
I always reach for the plunger first, then take the trap off, then shove
a hose up the waste pipe. Never needed a drain cleaner yet

Tim Watts wrote:
David
wibbled on Saturday 26 June 2010 12:52

Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

Hi,

Caustic is good for fats and some organic scunge.

Acid is good for scale, which might be acting as a physical anchor for fats
and scunge.

So either may be effective, or one might work better than the other for
certain blockages.

Personally, I've always stuck with caustic for drains as it's usually fat or
organic matter that's causing the problem.


Just make sure you don't try a bit of each :-) At 91% that would be some
violent reaction.
I always reach for the plunger first, then take the trap off, then shove
a hose up the waste pipe. Never needed a drain cleaner yet

David wrote:
Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

You are dead right about both ends of the ph scale. Caustic is very good
for fats, so I use that for kitchen blockages.

I use the One Shot 96% sulfuric stuff fairly often, much more effective than
caustic soda on paper based blockages & hair build ups. Its very nasty
stuff, much nastier than caustic.

Dont let it come into contact with plated wastes, it will ruin them. Use a
small funnel to get it into the pipe. It will take the surface off of GRP
baths as well.

Its very effective albeit a bit scary.


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk

"ransley" wrote in message
...
On Jun 26, 6:52 am, David wrote:
Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

Acid eats metal, if its a real bad clog and the acid sits for days you
will weaken the pipes. Ive ruined a few P traps with acid. "The acid
will also eat the porcelin finish if it sits", if safe drain cleaners
fail it time for a rodding.

Wrong: it is alkalis that etch glazed finishes: acids, with the exception of
hydro-fluoric - which, hopefully, most people would not be able to obtain -
do not dissolve glassy things. Alkalis - even mild ones - do etch glazes,
and I have plenty of ruined glasses and pyrex dishes as the result of SWMBO
insisting on putting them in the useless heap of wasted space & stainless
she calls a dish washer.

Caustic soda and other alkalis, will certainly damage porcelain finishes -
which is why detergent packets always say not to be used in a traditional
bath tub. The main reason caustic can be effective in unblocking sinks is
that it dissolves hair - as you will find if you ever try to 'restore' an
old bristle paintbrush with caustic: you end up with just the handle.

As we have noted here before, caustic granules/flakes (if these can still be
got) can be pretty effective at blocking drains themselves, as they tend to
weld themselves together into one solid chunk that takes vast amounts of
water to wash away.

One place where an acid flush might help is in the pipe that the washing
machine empties into: this is nearly always full of undissolved powder that
has set into a semicircular lump down the whole length of the pipe - in my
experience: but I find the quickest way of removing this is to run the
garden hose (the stiff kind) up the pipe from the other end. Has to be done
a couple of times a year: it announces it's necessity when the sinks start
gurgling. (Thinks! That could be another explanation for the mystery
flooding washing m/c question...)

S

"The Medway Handyman" wrote in message
news:CpsVn.84487$w51.21496@hurricane...
David wrote:
Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

You are dead right about both ends of the ph scale. Caustic is very good
for fats, so I use that for kitchen blockages.

I use the One Shot 96% sulfuric stuff fairly often, much more effective
than caustic soda on paper based blockages & hair build ups. Its very
nasty stuff, much nastier than caustic.

Dont let it come into contact with plated wastes, it will ruin them. Use
a small funnel to get it into the pipe. It will take the surface off of
GRP baths as well.

Its very effective albeit a bit scary.
--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk


And wearers of anything natural fibred will find that, no matter how careful
they think they have been at handling the acid, their clothes will be full
of holes next time they come out of the wash. I also find I tend to be
scratching quite a bit afterwards too: it might be psycherlogical but...

S

On 26 June, 20:19, "The Medway Handyman" davidl...@no-spam-
blueyonder.co.uk wrote:
David wrote:
Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?

You are dead right about both ends of the ph scale. *Caustic is very good
for fats, so I use that for kitchen blockages.

I use the One Shot 96% sulfuric stuff fairly often, much more effective than
caustic soda on paper based blockages & hair build ups. *Its very nasty
stuff, much nastier than caustic.

Dont let it come into contact with plated wastes, it will ruin them. *Use a
small funnel to get it into the pipe. It will take the surface off of GRP
baths as well.

Its very effective albeit a bit scary.

--
Dave - The Medway Handymanwww.medwayhandyman.co.uk

Thanks for the information

On 26 June, 20:46, "Spamlet" wrote:
"ransley" wrote in message

...
On Jun 26, 6:52 am, David wrote:

Hi there,

Most drain cleaners I have seen are all just sodium hydroxide based
(alkaline), recently in a plumbers merchant I seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner. Are both ends of the PH scale just as effective? Or are
the acid drain cleaners and caustic soda suited to different kinds of
blockages?
Acid eats metal, if its a real bad clog and the acid sits for days you
will weaken the pipes. Ive ruined a few P traps with acid. "The acid
will also eat the porcelin finish if it sits", if safe drain cleaners
fail it time for a rodding.

Wrong: it is alkalis that etch glazed finishes: acids, with the exception of
hydro-fluoric - which, hopefully, most people would not be able to obtain -
do not dissolve glassy things.

Highly toxic and very corrosive hydrofloric acid is used by one hand
car wash place here, the product is called Autosmart ALi readily
available by a rep who happily serves public and trade. The 25 litre
containers have that scary looking toxic label on it.

In article ,
David wrote:

Highly toxic and very corrosive hydrofloric acid is used by one hand
car wash place here, the product is called Autosmart ALi readily
available by a rep who happily serves public and trade. The 25 litre
containers have that scary looking toxic label on it.




And that's only 5% hydrofluoric IIRC... Scary stuff

http://tinyurl.com/2cwkdwt

Darren

On Jun 26, 12:52*pm, David wrote:
Hi there,

Recently in a plumbers merchant I've seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner.

WTH have you seen that? It's stronger than battery acid.

On 27 June, 09:33, dmc@puffin. (D.M.Chapman) wrote:
In article ,

David wrote:
Highly toxic and very corrosive hydrofloric acid is used by one hand
car wash place here, the product is called Autosmart ALi readily
available by a rep who happily serves public and trade. The 25 litre
containers have that scary looking toxic label on it.

And that's only 5% hydrofluoric IIRC... Scary stuff

http://tinyurl.com/2cwkdwt

Darren

Yes, scary stuff indeed. You can also get another product made by
Sterling called Ali Clean Super which is hydrofluoric acid 24%. See
alternatives to recommend: http://www.sterlingproducts.co.uk/Ex...e/prod_50.html.

On 27 June, 09:38, Weatherlawyer wrote:
On Jun 26, 12:52*pm, David wrote:

Hi there,

Recently in a plumbers merchant I've seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner.

WTH have you seen that? It's stronger than battery acid.

It's something like this: http://www.choiceful.com/choiceful-i...aner-1Ltr.html
(96% sulphuric acid in fact!)

Weatherlawyer wrote:
On Jun 26, 12:52 pm, David wrote:
Hi there,

Recently in a plumbers merchant I've seen a 91% sulfuric acid
drain cleaner.

WTH have you seen that? It's stronger than battery acid.

Most plumbers merchants at around £6. B&Q at around £10.

I Googled for a description, Amazon came up http://tinyurl.com/2fgho5t

Under the heading 'Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought' was a
Phillips Nose Hair Trimmer!


--
Dave - The Medway Handyman
www.medwayhandyman.co.uk