I came across this recipe on the TipNut website. Is this a safe drain cleaner recipe?

Thank you, in advance, for your answer.

Homemade Drain Cleaner Recipe:
1 part baking soda
1 part salt
1/4 part cream of tartar
Directions:

Pour 1/4 to 1/2 cup of recipe into the drain and flush with a kettle full of boiling water. Run hot water from the tap for a couple minutes, then turn to cool water and run for another couple minutes. Do this monthly to clear out any fat, grease and nasties buildup that may be beginning to form.

It is certainly a safe drain cleaner recipe... not sure why they want cream of tarter?

Some like baking soda and vinegar... some like other concoctions... let me ask... why do you need the drain cleaner?

If this is to clear sink I may have some better ideas then drain cleaner. I mean this will be great to make a drain smell better... but want to clear a drain.. well... you have our attention... :)

And I can tell you with more info. We can probably come up with some better solutions than just simple drain cleanser... not that it won't help... but there are some neat/easy tricks to clear drains that are clogged.

Anyway, get back to us with DETAILS!!

Thank you.

No, that's not going to hurt your plumbing. They are food items.

I find it so much easier to move the plumbing and go in there and cleaning it out manually with my hands. The plastic modern plumbing makes this very easy. Just loosen the nut and swing the plumbing to one side. And then just swing it back into place and tighten the nut again. Leave the nut loose though. Make sure to have a container underneath to catch the water in the trap.

I use that concoction all the time with vinegar instead of tartar. Just remember to flush the next day with a big bucket of very hot water.

Right now I do not need a drain cleaner. I seldom do but in that event something gets clogged, it would be nice to know if this is safe. I don't like using chemicals. Since I rent, I cannot call a plumber. Am to call maintenance and it takes at least 48 hrs for them to respond (too busy am told).

Am not sure about the cream of tartar either. Maybe the sewer rats need it to bake a cake. Lol.

For who ever reads this thread.

Be assured that the modern day plastic plumbing requires no tools. It can be tightened and loosend with the hands.

I don't have to bother with a plumber who is only interested in scams.

Right now I do not need a drain cleaner. I seldom do but in that event something gets clogged, it would be nice to know if this is safe. I don't like using chemicals. Since I rent, I cannot call a plumber. Am to call maintenance and it takes at least 48 hrs for them to respond (too busy am told).

Am not sure about the cream of tartar either. Maybe the sewer rats need it to bake a cake. lol.

Regarding your original post -- This is more of a maintenance/preventative program than it is a remedy for an already clogged drain.

I follow a similar program timed with the day I pay my phone bill and then follow it up the next day with a kettle of boiling water when I pay my cable bill.

A tad eccentric -- But huffing pipe primers, glues and solvents for a few decades tends to make the brain a bit slow on the uptake.:)

for who ever reads this thread.

Be assured that the modern day plastic plumbing requires no tools. It can be tightened and loosend with the hands.

I don't have to bother with a plumber who is only interested in scams.

Excuse me?

iamgrowler

I clean my own plumbing with my hands only no tools.

I recently had to do some repairs under the bathroom sink and the emplyee at the hardware store told me I should be able to remove the existing hose without any tools that it will be lose enough. I went to the hardware store looking for a tool to remove it and that is what I was told at the hardware store. So I went home empty handed.

He was right. I was able to remove the hose without any tools.

The modern plastic stuff is that way.

iamgrowler

I clean my own plumbing with my hands only no tools.

I recently had to do some repairs under the bathroom sink and the emplyee at the hardware store told me I should be able to remove the existing hose without any tools that it will be lose enough. I went to the hardware store looking for a tool to remove it and that is what I was told at the hardware store. So I went home empty handed.

He was right. I was able to remove the hose without any tools.

The modern plastic stuff is that way.

Fine -- But do bear in mind that you are posting in a forum populated by Plumbers giving free advice based on several decades of experience who may resent the implication that we are "only interested in scams".

IOW, you're about this close (holds forefinger and thumb tightly together) to earning yourself yet another 'Reddie).

Play nice... Or suffer mine and the other experts wrath.

Capiche?

I can start a brand new thread and ask people what their experience is.

You are free to start one yourself.

I can start a brand new thread and ask people what their experience is.

Huh?

If I understand you correctly -- Your answer to being remonstrated for dissing the Plumbers who give freely of their years of experience in this thread and on this board is to start yet another thread inviting folks to this Plumbers, right?

>shrugs<

All right -- If you think that's wise, then knock yourself out.

I don't know how long you have been on the internet giving free advice.

I don't know if you are a real plumber either.

I didn't see you telling this person the information I gave her so she doesn't have to call a plumber.

I also have never read any of your previous posts.

I spend very little time on the internet.

So if this recipe is more of a preventative measure, should it be done monthly, every other month?

So if this recipe is more of a preventative measure, should it be done monthly, every other month?

I do it every month to clear the traps and drains of hair and grease.

Dana, you seem to be down on plumbers so I wonder what brought you to this point of view. Who do you think originally designed and installed your plumbing system? Plumbing is more than opening a PVC trap by hand and I think the term modern is a bit out of line.

Shy, any vinegar will do. You just need a mild liquid acid to get the salt and baking soda to react. Cream of Tartar is a crystallized acid.

I don't know how long you have been on the internet giving free advice.

Hence the 'Profile' feature.


I don't know if you are a real plumber either.


Hence the 'Profile' feature.


I didn't see you telling this person the information I gave her so she doesn't have to call a plumber.

The OP wasn't asking if she needed a Plumber.


I also have never read any of your previous posts.

Laziness on your part is no excuse for rudeness.

I assure you -- I read your last 20 posts (using the 'Profile' feature) before replying to you.


I spend very little time on the internet.

This much is very obvious.

Might I suggest you familiarize yourself with the niceties of proper 'Netiquette (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Netiquette)' before venturing any further than you already have?

I'm not down on plumbers.


So if any of you ever say something about your husband that others don't agree on does that mean you are down on your husband?

So if any of you ever say something about one of your kids that others don't agree with does that means you are down on your kids?

I DON'T GO ON THE INTERNET CHECKING OUT ANYONE CREDENTIALS.

I DON'T PAY ANY ATTENTION TO ANYONE'S CLAIMS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THEIR CREDENTIALS.

Back to the actual question from Shy. Shy, if you do this monthly you probably will never have a drain problem again. I do it less often than Growler recommends but he's the plumber, I just do installs and flip houses. Most drain issues involve rotting hair, body oils and skin cells so iguess we have ourselves to blame, that clog is us.

For those who are bashing me:

I HAVE NOT SEEN ANY OF YOU VALIDATE THAT PLUMBING CAN BE MOVED WITHOUT TOOLS AND THAT WE CAN CLEAN THEM OUT OURSELVES.

Why don't you leave your comments on this thread so I can rate you also.


Obviously something I said is pushing some buttons for some people which is totally UNINTENTIONALLY on my side.

Dana, some parts of a drain can be removed by hand, the P trap for instance if you have PVC. Not true if you have thinwall metal traps. However the source of most slow sink drains is higher up near the pop up mechanism and that requires tools. Shy asked about a home receipe forkeeping drains running free and that's what I have tried to stay with, the concoction is better for preventing problems than for fixing them.

Dana2007

So you successfully removed and cleaned you trap, that's hardly 1% of your plumbing system. If that's all you ever have to do, it's because a plumber did it right the first time. Plumbing is hard and usually dirty work, and more complicated than you think. Plumbers don't deserve your statement. Don't tick the plumber off because you are going to need him one day. And I am not a plumber.

The only reason I have to go in there to clean it out is because the plumbers did it wrong. I had the plumbing upgraded to plastic and ever since then I have had to go in there and clean it out on a regular basis.


ANY AMATEUR CAN SEE WHAT THE PROBLEM IS. IT TOOK ME A SECOND TO FIGURE OUT WHY MY SINK GOT BACKED UP BECAUSE THE PLUMBER INTENTIONALLY MADE IT CROOKED. I JUST WENT IN THERE AND CLEANED IT OUT MYSELF.

I UNDERSTAND PEOPLE'S RELUCTANCE TO BE HONEST. BECAUSE THEN THE PLUMBERS HERE WILL REBEL AGAINST YOU AND REFUSE TO HELP YOU IN THE FUTURE.

If you can post a picture of your PVC trap and lateral drain maybe we can diagnois what's wrong with it. Are you finding debris building up in the P trap or where? I do not agree that all plumber should be getting a bad rap, they are like any other tradesman. Some are great, some are average and some don't belong in your home but most don't deserve to be called scammers.

No, not all deserve to be called scammers but some obviously do.

Anyone who refuses to agree with me, has some obvious issues with the word "scammers."

I want to add that when the plumbing is done incorrectly, no amount of chemicals or baking soda or tarter sauce is going to work.

You will need to go in there and clean it out manually.

If you do it manually like i do it, you don't have to spend money on the baking soda or any chemicals.

Guys... gals... can we stop please. Dana2007, I got your reddie :) I was expecting it. So now we are even... ok?

See I think you hit a cord here some of the people on here really really work hard at it. Some of us got involved because we know how hard they work to really help people out in here.

You said it was unintentionally that you insulted some of us... ok. I appreciate that. Can we please get back to helping others.

Thank you.

So that means no pictures I guess. I was trying to help you with your drain issue. PS its Cream of Tartar not Tarter sauce, it's a crystalline acid scraped from the inside of old wine barrels.

Dana, I am trying to understand but your rant is about enough. Honestly, I do not know any scam plumbers. I would be one of the last ones to try and undo my pipes - even if it was easy because if I mess it up - then it falls all to me. Now if I had my own home, perhaps, if I knew a ring went down the drain and it was sitting in the u shaped pipe below the sink.

Thank you for your input but no more bashing, please.

Please read this post very carefully.

There is no need to remove or undo any of the plumbing. Just losen one of the nuts to allow for enough flexibility to move one piece to the side in order to gain access to the inside to clean.
.

Please read this post very carefully.

There is no need to remove or undo any of the plumbing. just losen one of the nuts to allow for enough flexibility to move one piece to the side in order to gain access to the inside to clean.
.

Y'know, I should have recognized the signs a lot earlier.

Someone asked a question and I answered it.

Please learn to read and understand.

I got the answers I needed, thank you very much. I wish I knew how to close a thread because it should be closed, as of now.