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Dissolve celery

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JackTrax

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Dec 6, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/6/98
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I put celery down the disposal and it plugged up the plumbing. (Yeah dumb, I
know). I know how tough cellulose is. Do you think those enzymatic drain
cleaners will work? I'd like to avoid caustic.

William R. Penrose

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Dec 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/7/98
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Don't expect too much in the way of help from chemistry. Cellulose
isn't going to be affected much by enzyme drain cleaners or caustic.
Get yourself a good snake. If that doesn't work, get a powered snake
from the rental shop. Get some old cloths and rubber gloves and nose
clips while you're at it.

Bill (veteran of home ownership and dozens of clogged sewers)


JackTrax

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Dec 7, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/7/98
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>>Get yourself a good snake<<

Thanx, Bill....I just discovered that cellulose is no match for Fe with about
1% carbon. A good cigar helps too.

Frank Logullo

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Dec 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/8/98
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In article <19981206182819...@ng-cr1.aol.com>, jack...@aol.com (JackTrax) wrote:
>I put celery down the disposal and it plugged up the plumbing. (Yeah dumb, I
>know). I know how tough cellulose is. Do you think those enzymatic drain
>cleaners will work? I'd like to avoid caustic.
My advice is take trap apart and snake out. I think strong acid works best on
cellulose. Isn't that the way they clean wool?
Frank

JackTrax

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Dec 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/8/98
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>>My advice is take trap apart and snake out. I think strong acid works best
on cellulose. Isn't that the way they clean wool?<<\

I read the ingredients on one of those enzymatic drain cleaners. One of them
is cellulase. That at least suggests it can attack cellulose. After all,
don't cows digest cellulose?


David Hemmings

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Dec 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/8/98
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One of their stomachs bacteria does, although not that efficiently -
evidence for this is what comes out the other end.

DH

JackTrax <jack...@aol.com> wrote in article
<19981208000255...@ng152.aol.com>...

Bill Walker

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Dec 8, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/8/98
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As I thumb my nose at the EPA and all other sniveling woosies everywhere, I say
that there just ain't no better drain cleaner for REALLY tough clogs than a
good 400-500 mL of nitric acid.
Open the windows to vent the oxide fumes that are sure to jet violently from
the drain, and make sure there's plenty of splash guard devices in use before
pouring that stuff down - then run.
Come back in 1/2 hour and flush the shiny clean drain pipe with hot water for a
few minutes.
I just about guarantee that the particular drain you do this to will NEVER clog
again in your lifetime.

HMMMMmmmmmm. Come to think of it, some concentrated sodium hydroxide and
carbon disulfide should dissolve any cellulosic material, AND dissolve the
grease. It still won't remove the built up scale on the inside of the pipe
that helps cause the clog in the fist place though...

Bill

JackTrax

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Dec 9, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/9/98
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>> I saythat there just ain't no better drain cleaner for REALLY tough clogs
than agood 400-500 mL of nitric acid.<<

I recall a drain cleaner that uses sodium percarbonate. Sounds a bit more EPA
freindly.


Harold Lindaberry

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Dec 12, 1998, 3:00:00 AM12/12/98
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JackTrax wrote:

> >>My advice is take trap apart and snake out. I think strong acid works best
> on cellulose. Isn't that the way they clean wool?<<\
>
> I read the ingredients on one of those enzymatic drain cleaners. One of them
> is cellulase. That at least suggests it can attack cellulose. After all,
> don't cows digest cellulose?

Mostly hemicelluloses the rest winds up in the cow pie

“ Nature limits what we can do, Science limits what we understand,
Theory what we can think, and Religion what we can hope “ Lindaberry 1998

Harold Lindaberry reply E - mail har...@epix.net
visit OXGORE website at http://www.epix.net/~harlind
RESEARCH GOES WHERE RESEARCH LEADS

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