Drain Cleaner (Caustic Soda?)
philthy
Being the time of year for falling leaves to fall into drains, I've got
a blocked kitchen drain, outside the back door the roof guttering &
Bath/sink also drain into this. So everytime a bath or sink is emptied my
garden gets a good watering(not really needed at the mo) thank god for my
other halfs love of organic bath products.
I'm guessing it's minor & relates only to this drain as the bog flushes
& fine with no problem. I've tried all the usual off the shelf solutions for
unblocking this to no avail. I hear caustic soda is great for dissolving
this type of blockage & I'd like to give it a shot before I have to get
someone out to rod the thing at a redicculous cost. So where can you buy
Caustic Soda from these days, as Chemist aren't what they used to be.
Or any other reccomendations for clearing this type of blockage.
TIA
Phil
PS the drain does now have a cover on it, bit it didn't when I moved in a
couple of weeks ago.
Paul D.Smith
Second suggestion, B&Q sell Caustic Soda. Be careful to read the
instructions and follow them, and wear hand and eye protection. I tend to
pour down the drain until it fills, leave to drain a little and keep topping
up until its all gone. Then a bucket of hot water (top up for a while to
flush down the caustic) and the plunger again.
BTW, I had a similar problem when I moved into my current house. I started
with a stick to stir the horrid water (straight roof drain, leaves etc) and
was surprised when a large frog jumped out. Presumably he'd made the nice
moist drain his home and was not happy with me whisking it up.
Good luck.
Paul DS.
"philthy" <philipD...@unn.ac.Uk> wrote in message
news:ar01tv$dt61p$1...@ID-163057.news.dfncis.de...
Tony Williams
philthy <philipD...@unn.ac.Uk> wrote:
> Hi,
> Being the time of year for falling leaves to fall into drains,
> I've got a blocked kitchen drain, outside the back door the
> roof guttering & Bath/sink also drain into this.
It helps if you just get your hand down there
and heave the slimy stuff out, You will also
shift out a load of stony/gritty stuff that
caustic would not touch. Have a bucket of water
handy to rinse your arm off when done. Only
when that is done think about using caustic.
I like to mix it in the bucket first and tip
the hot mixture down the drain.
--
Tony Williams.
stuart noble
Tony Williams wrote in message <4b954c1...@ledelec.demon.co.uk>...
> It helps if you just get your hand down there
> and heave the slimy stuff out,
overrated as a drain cleaner. It would take an age to break down that kind
of blockage.
Peter Ashby
"Paul D.Smith" <p...@x-dataconnection.com> wrote:
> Second suggestion, B&Q sell Caustic Soda. Be careful to read the
> instructions and follow them, and wear hand and eye protection. I tend to
> pour down the drain until it fills, leave to drain a little and keep topping
> up until its all gone. Then a bucket of hot water (top up for a while to
> flush down the caustic) and the plunger again.
Also be aware that dissolving Caustic is exothermic so the solution will
be hot on its own.
> BTW, I had a similar problem when I moved into my current house. I started
> with a stick to stir the horrid water (straight roof drain, leaves etc) and
> was surprised when a large frog jumped out. Presumably he'd made the nice
> moist drain his home and was not happy with me whisking it up.
Most likely a toad rather than a frog I suspect.
Peter
--
Peter Ashby
Wellcome Trust Biocentre
University of Dundee, Scotland
Reverse the Spam and remove to email me.
Mike Faithfull
> Being the time of year for falling leaves to fall into drains, I've
got
> a blocked kitchen drain, outside the back door the roof guttering &
> Bath/sink also drain into this.
(snip)
Yes, clear the rubbish out manually first, but note that the commercial
'drain unblockers' are actually based on strong sulphuric acid, not caustic
soda which is alkaline.
Tony Williams
stuart noble <stuart'no...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> Caustic is much overrated as a drain cleaner.
I (very successfully) blocked a bathroom waste
pipe with caustic. I think what happened was
that the pipe was lined with soap-residue, with
water slowly flowing down a hole in the centre.
The application of caustic through the sink
melted the soap residue at the top, which then
nicely plugged the hole down the centre. What
the hell do you do when you have a blocked pipe
that you know has conc caustic in it?
I had to dismantle the pipework outside until
there was a straight length to the sink, then
poke a garden hose up it.... what a performance.
--
Tony Williams.
Alan Singfield
do this; my arm stank like a sewer for a week!
"Tony Williams" <to...@ledelec.demon.co.uk> wrote in message
news:4b954c1...@ledelec.demon.co.uk...
The Natural Philopsopher
Mike Faithfull wrote:
Acid will eat vegetable matter better than caustic, which is best on
fats and animal tissues.
I generally use both, in approximately equal amounts, one after the
other, to neutralise the dowstream effluent. Don't use both at once :)
>
The Natural Philopsopher
Tony Williams wrote:
Oner of the very best ways to unblock a drain is to probe from a
downstream manhole cover with a hose running full bore. This works
better than the chemistry if its totally blocked - If you can get a
pressure washer up there its even better.
Many happy hours of watching the turds rush by, when living 6" above the
local water table :)
>
Mike Ring
news:ilTA9.4637$B92.6...@newsfep2-win.server.ntli.net:
> See if you can get one of those "James Herriot" arm-length gloves
> before you do this; my arm stank like a sewer for a week!
>
>
I nearly didn't get my arm back at all, lying on my side, arm stuck up to
me shoulder in the drine, Norman next door gone off to over winter in
Spain, it got a bit hairy.
Panicky heave, arm all bruised and scratched, I'll slim a bit before my
next try
Mike R
Dave Liquorice
> I've got a blocked kitchen drain, outside the back door the roof
> guttering & Bath/sink also drain into this.
Manually clear the trap in the drain. As this is a kitchen drain it
probably won't be a very pleasant experience so wear a long plastic
bag. Depending on the previous occupants habits you may find half a
bucket full of congealed fat from many sunday roasts, a healthy dollop
of rotting vegetable matter and scum/fibres from the washing machine.
A cloths peg for the nose might be useful as well...
--
Cheers new...@howhill.com
Dave. Remove "spam" for valid email.
stuart noble
Tony Williams wrote in message <4b95539...@ledelec.demon.co.uk>...
> I (very successfully) blocked a bathroom waste
> pipe with caustic. I think what happened was
> that the pipe was lined with soap-residue, with
> water slowly flowing down a hole in the centre.
> The application of caustic through the sink
> melted the soap residue at the top, which then
> nicely plugged the hole down the centre. What
> the hell do you do when you have a blocked pipe
> that you know has conc caustic in it?
Two thoughts occur (unusual in one day).
If you put the crystals in water and don't stir them, they form a solid mass
which dissolves eventually, but only in plenty of water. If it's stranded in
the waste pipe, it will take a long time.
The reaction of caustic and oil/fat produces a soap which is significantly
larger than the sum of its parts. Although the soap should be more water
soluble, the increased size can make matters worse initially. And how
soluble is a bar of soap? Well, very soluble, but not very quickly.
Better go before a third, and potentially fatal, thought occurs.
Tony Williams
> Better go before a third, and potentially fatal, thought occurs.
Don't sit back and wait, and light up a
Woodbine whilst you are waiting?
--
Tony Williams.
John Schmitt
"philthy" <philipD...@unn.ac.Uk> writes:
[blocked drain]
>Caustic Soda from these days, as Chemist aren't what they used to be.
>Or any other reccomendations for clearing this type of blockage.
For stearate type blockages and hair, Drano or a similar product
is what you want This is pelleted sodium hydroxide plus some
aluminium shavings. The product gets very hot so watch for the
boiling liquid. Always read the safety warning first. Caustic
hydroxides do not denature human protein like most mineral acids
(don't even think of HF!) but continue to penetrate and cause
generally irreperable damage to eyes. Sulphuric acid can also be
spiteful stuff. Try a web search on vitriol throwing or Nina
Longe to give you a proper respect for it.
John Schmitt
--
Most of what you read in the papers is lies. And I should know,
because a lot of the lies you see in the papers are mine.
- Max Clifford, publicist
Disclaimers apply
phi...@no.spam
wrote:
>Hi,
> Being the time of year for falling leaves to fall into drains, I've got
>a blocked kitchen drain, outside the back door the roof guttering &
I find an Aqua-Vac clears these traps in no time. Rather than trying to dissolve the gunge
or flush it through, the Aqua-Vac just sucks it all out. You probably need a hose pipe
and stirring stick to make sure all the gunge gets into suspension so it can be sucked up.
--
Phil Addison
The uk.d-i-y FAQ is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
Replace NO DOT SPAM with BIGFOOT DOT COM to reply
Simon Avery
Hello philthy
> p| aren't what they used to be. Or any other reccomendations
> p| for clearing this type of blockage. TIA Phil PS the drain
> p| does now have a cover on it, bit it didn't when I moved in a
> p| couple of weeks ago.
Am I missing something here? What's happened to the 3rd option of
buying a cheap set of rods and doing it yourself?
--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK
uk.d-i-y FAQ: http://www.diyfaq.org.uk/
Personal pages: http://www.digdilem.org/
Kirsty and Coxy
and should be available from commercial cleaners.
I use it to strip odd bits of timber I collect out of skips.
Mix caustic soda into water not the other way round- I was
mucking around one day and a Jam jar instantly boiled shooting
caustic soda everywhere
AC
"philthy" <philipD...@unn.ac.Uk> wrote in message
news:ar01tv$dt61p$1...@ID-163057.news.dfncis.de...
geoff
<Kirsty...@Btinternet.com> writes
>Caustic soda is available in 20kg bags- its called Pearl Caustic Soda
>and should be available from commercial cleaners.
>
Or metal platers
--
raden
philthy
> Hello philthy
>
> > p| aren't what they used to be. Or any other reccomendations
> > p| for clearing this type of blockage. TIA Phil PS the drain
> > p| does now have a cover on it, bit it didn't when I moved in a
> > p| couple of weeks ago.
>
> Am I missing something here? What's happened to the 3rd option of
> buying a cheap set of rods and doing it yourself?
Thanks for all the advice,
As it happens I used B & Q caustic based drain cleaner 1 day & then
rodded it with a set of borrowed rods the next, Result, loads of black slime
& a clear drain.
Thanks everyone
Phil
slifkin
> "philthy" <philipD...@unn.ac.Uk> wrote:
>
> Hello philthy
>
> > p| aren't what they used to be. Or any other reccomendations
> > p| for clearing this type of blockage. TIA Phil PS the drain
> > p| does now have a cover on it, bit it didn't when I moved in a
> > p| couple of weeks ago.
>
> Am I missing something here? What's happened to the 3rd option of
> buying a cheap set of rods and doing it yourself?
An even simpler solution is to buy a plunger. This consists of a five
inch disc of firm rubber on a short shaft with a handle. I bought one
forty years ago for about 2 GBP and it has always cleared my blocked
drains.
Chris J Dixon
>An even simpler solution is to buy a plunger. This consists of a five
>inch disc of firm rubber on a short shaft with a handle. I bought one
>forty years ago for about 2 GBP and it has always cleared my blocked
>drains.
Make yourself a plunger by screwing a sanding disk rubber backing
pad onto the end of a broom handle - I had to do it one Christmas
Eve, or face a rather tricky holiday :-(
Chris
--
Chris J Dixon Nottingham UK
chris...@easynet.co.uk
Have dancing shoes, will ceilidh.