Re: drain cleaners


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Posted by wallyd on January 13, 1998 at 09:52:24:

In Reply to: drain cleaners posted by greich on January 07, 1998 at 14:23:22:

: Can you please tell me how liquid drain cleaners work
: on hair clogs?

Liquid drain cleaners used to be sodium hydroxide solution
(lye) which makes them a strong base. I suspect
that modern ones are still mostly lye (or another strong base)
with some additives. Anyway, hair is made
primarily of protiens, and protiens are made of
amino acids. All other things being equal
(which they rarely are), acids and bases will
react with one another. I don't recall enough
of the chemistry of protiens to give a great
amount of accurate detail, but the amino acids will
react with the hydroxide and in doing so the bonds
between the amino acids will be broken, thus
dissolving the hair.

Drain cleaners should also work on grease clogs.
Fats will react with sodium hydroxide to make soap.
Yes, that's right: soap. This is basically the
same chemistry that your great great grandmother
used when soap was made on the farm, not purchased
at the store. This is called a saponification
reaction. The soap dissolves in water and the
grease clog can wash away. (This is also the reason
why your skin feels slippery if you get a sodium
hydroxide solution (or drain cleaner) on your hands;
the oils on your skin are converted to soap. I
DON'T recommend this as an experiment).

So, there is basic chemistry at work here and
drain cleaners should work. Why don't they work
better? If you have a real clog, the drain cleaner
can reach and react with and dissolve the part of
the clog that is closest to the fixture. If the
clog is large, it takes a very long time for the
drain cleaner to get through the clog and react
with the stuff on the downstream side. While you
are waiting for that to happen, the drain cleaner
is also being diluted by any standing water in
the fixture so it becomes less effective. So,
even if you are patient, it may not work.

Be very careful with drain cleaners, they can be
very hazardous. If you add a drain cleaner, and
later decide to remove the p-trap don't let the water
that comes out of the fixture contact your skin
and be absolutely sure that it doesn't get in
your eyes. Wear heavy rubber gloves,
use a bucket to catch the water that runs out,
and don't stick your head up underneath while
you are doing your disassembly.

Finally, if you decide to call a plumber after
adding drain cleaner, BE SURE TO TELL THE PLUMBER
SO THAT PROPER PRECAUTIONS CAN BE TAKEN. A smart
plumber should always assume the worst and take
appropriate care when fixing a "simple"
clogged drain 'cause you never know what's in
there.


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