Had a somewhat heated discussion about the side effects of a plumber using muratic acid to clean a drainage pipe (clogged by washer discharge, mostly). I maintain that this is tempting to use but could cause damage to the pipes leading to some fairly serious repair work. Do plumbers actually resort to this harsh chemical often enough that a layperson would know about its use?

Hey George,
Not the best of ideas. Dangerious to say the least. When I was a boy in Beloit, Wisconsin I worked summers in my fathers shop. We had a bad lime problem in my area and the toilets had lime buildup in the bowl. We would pour muratic acid in the bowl and let the acid boil out the lime deposit. While it's never bothered me my lungs are permanently scarred from the acid fumes and I did this out in the open. If you use it inside to clear a clog you're courting disaster. However, there is a product that is only sold to licensed plumbers called Blast Out consisting of pure hydrochloric acid. To be used ONLY outside in a well ventilated area such as a roof vent. A few years I lost a good friend when he poured Blast-Out down a open closet bend in a closed bathroom. It killed him, he collapsed before he could get out to fresh air. While I don't think muratic will hurt the pipes unless they're paper thin I can't say the same for the plumbers lungs if he uses it. That answer your question? Regards, Tom

... my question and sorry to hear about your friend. Thanks, Tom!

Muratic acid has its uses, but I doubt it would help much with a clog from grease and clothing fibers. The conventional caustic drain cleaners might be more effective, but a snake might be best yet. Muratic acid will do a fine job on lime, rust, iron, and other active metals, but not much on other materials. I don't think it would have much effect at all on copper, PVC, ABS, or clay tile. There are safer materials for lime and so forth. One of the best is an oxalic acid based radiator cleaner. As Tom says, nasty stuff.