What should I do with my drain cleaner?
do you rent or own?
hehehhehe
As a rule of thumb, don’t trust the packaging when it’s going out of its way to assure you it won’t cause some negative side effect. They have a massive conflict of interest because they want you to buy it, and more importantly they legally don’t have to actually prove it’s factual, the burden is on you the consumer to sue them and prove they’re lying in court if you think that’s the case, and they’re well aware the vast majority of people don’t have the time or resources to do that.
If an online source is telling you it will cause that side effect, I’d be inclined trust that more (assuming the site is reputable and they’re not trying to promote a different product).
Careful. I used drano for a clog in my bathtub and it eroded the pipes and I had to replace them. I’ll add that the clog was complete so the drano stayed in the pipes longer than its intended use. It’s better to just use a snake if you can.
That does not make sense. PVC drains don’t react to caustics, nor do metals.
Full disclosure, the last time I studied chemistry was 20 years ago, and I was not a particularly good student, so take this with a heaping helping of NaCl.
It isn’t the direct reaction of Drano + PVC that causes the issue. Rather, it’s the heat given off from the reaction of the clog and the lye. Apparently it’s significant enough to be an issue. I tried looking up how much heat might be released by the reaction, but I went crosseyed reading the formula, so someone else will have to do the math on that one.
Also, I know you said caustic material doesn’t react with metal, but Google doubts you on that front, for whatever that’s worth. In fact, zinc is specifically called out as a metal with which sodium hydroxide reacts pretty strongly, which is important because many water lines are steel galvanized with, you guessed it, zinc.
Don’t believe copywriting.
It is legal for non-flushable wipes to say “flushable” for some reason.
Because legally the packaging means “these will not interfere with the flushing of your toilet” but people assume it also means “these will not cause any problems with any part of the sewage system past the toilet.”
I’m not sure what you’re trying to do. Do you have slow or clogged drains that you’re trying to fix? Or are you just trying to dispose of them?
If you have a drain problem, I think drain cleaner is supposed to be safe for modern pipes. But if you have old cast iron drains, it can eat through them.
If you’re trying to dispose of them, look up how your town wants you to dispose of hazardous waste. Some places will have a specific place and time you can drop off hazardous chemicals like drain cleaner.
(If you’re trying to dispose of it and don’t have access to hazardous waste removal, it is possible to neutralize the drain cleaner and safely dispose of it. But if you’re asking these sorts of questions, you aren’t qualified to do that. For anyone who might be qualified, don’t forget your PPE 😅)
Does your local government publish advice? Some have a contact who can tell you what is safe to use in their infrastructure.
If you have a mild clog it’s probably worth trying it according to the directions. If it’s severe, just call a plumber. If you don’t have a clog, then just keep it under a sink or something.
If you are feeling adventurous, get some aluminum foil.
I do not feel adventurous when caustic substances are involved, and I am also not adventurous when it’s something I might end up on a list for searching. For the chickenshits, what’s draino do to aluminum foil?
Iirc it’s the main ingredients in a draino bomb.
Draino powder has flakes of aluminum in it.
Make pretzels.
I’ve used them multiple times before without issues and even overnight sometimes. Waste pipes are PVC and heavy flush of hot water after.
I’ve seen draino turn pipes into a mushy gel.
Was it "Dirty Harry, Magnum Force " that introduced us to interesting ways to use draino?
