acid did not go down

chrishuizar · #1 Jul 25, 2006, 05:59 PM

I was told by the guy at the hardware store that if plunging and using a snake dont work, try sulfuric acid. I bought a bottle and followed the instructions, but it didnt seem to work. The instructions say to flush five times when the drain is open, but I dont think it is and I'm afraid of having the acid overflow all over the bathroom. I was told to try pouring in boiling water to try to get it down. What should I do?

RickJ · Jul 26, 2006, 02:49 AM

The guy at the hardware store is, pardon my french, full of baloney.

Slowly pour hot water in there to see if it's eaten the blockage. If the blockage is still there, your options are
1. running a snake until it's cleared,
2. disassembling the plumbing to get to the blockage or
3. calling a plumber out to do one of the above.

Physical removal is far better than acid for tough blockages.

allozier · Jul 28, 2006, 04:05 PM

if you do call a plumber be sure to tell about the acid in the line. I have had several incicents where the homeowner did not inform me and have gotten it in my eyes and face. It is very painful but to answer your question best thing to do is run a snake thru the line if there is alot of soap and grease buildup in the line it may take several attempts to open the line . if possible run hot water in the line at the same time you snake it out if not possible do it as soon as you open the line and reconnect the pipes.

Thomas1970 · Jul 29, 2006, 12:44 AM

I have unclogged some pretty tough clogs for people, by alternating plunging and boiling water with a bit of Drano when necessary. But I would never use acid, particularly sulfuric acid. Not sure about the effectiveness of such, but extremely unsafe in many regards.



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