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Ivantherussian03
09-30-2006, 08:14 PM
I was just wondering. Does anyone know of a simple homemade draining solution?


I know this forum is just a massive data base. I am working on my "Honey Do List". I just recaulked the bathroom, and I am informed that the drain is not so good. I have vague memory a solution of baking soda and vinager being used, and causing simple chemical reaction that cleans drains.

This is how I justify my involvement in this forum to my wife, so any help would be great! Plus, I cant go shooting till it is done.:roll:


:Fire:

44woody
09-30-2006, 08:38 PM
Ivan real simple vinagar and bakeing soda followed by boiling water might have to do this 3of 5 times to get it up pluged waite about 15 minutes before putting in the hot water :castmine: 44Woody

Ricochet
09-30-2006, 08:40 PM
Red Devil Lye is the best stuff.

It's disappeared out of the grocery stores lately. Doggone drug cops have scared retailers out of carrying lots of things that COULD be used in making meth. I HATE that approach. It's just like restricting gun sales because they COULD be used in crime.

Can't get strong ammonia solution, for the same reason.

Duckiller
09-30-2006, 09:29 PM
Drano (lye) will turn grease to soap then lots of HOT water to get the soap to go down drain. Not sure where in western Alaska you are at but a local hardware store may have good strong acid to clean drains. Home Depot/Lowes has weak stuff that just takes more. Pour down drain then go shooting. Tell wife just waiting for it to react.

carpetman
09-30-2006, 09:34 PM
Ivan---I know you are in the boodocks of Alaska and have probably not heard of Lowes,Wal Mart etc. So you may have to order one--but a Drain King is a device that fits on the end of hose and you put it in drain and it swells up when you turn the water on. Let it run a bit and then disconnect it from the hydrant and it unswells and you pull it out. Not as easy as chemicals but seems to work better.

Explorer1
09-30-2006, 11:20 PM
Please remember do NOT mix ammonia and chlorine!

KYCaster
09-30-2006, 11:21 PM
Ivan: I'm a self-employed Master Plumber, have been for almost thirty years. My recommendation.......call a plumber[smilie=1: (I just couldn't resist) Second choice is get a drain snake and learn how to use it.

If you have metal drain pipes (copper, brass, cast iron, steel) lye and Drano will eventually destroy it, but it will not damage PVC or ABS plastic. Like Duckdiller said, Lye plus grease equals lye soap. Some of the worst clogs I've dealt with have been soap made with Drano.

Question.....if the drain is clogged and doesn't run at all, how does the Drano get to the clog to disolve it? (Hint......it doesn't)

Question No. 2.....Drano is basically lye and to limit personal injury libility is diluted to the point that it will not cause severe burns without prolonged contact with skin. If its diluted that much, how effective can it be on drain clogs? (Hint......not very)

Carpetman's suggestion, the Drain King, can work very well, but it can have unintended consequences, like blowing dirty water out another fixture rather than down the drain, so be carefull with that approach.

So, best bet is a drain snake. They can be very frustrating, especially on kitchen drains, but bath tubs and lavatories are usually pretty easy. Just be sure you take lots of time to get the job done, make a lot of noise and odor while you're working and leave a huge mess for the lady of the house to clean up and the customer ("Honey" in your case) will be so happy to get you out of the house you can pretty much charge any price you want.:mrgreen:

Good luck
Jerry

omgb
10-01-2006, 01:24 AM
A snake is the only way to go. The other stuff is like putting a band aide on an arterial bleed. A good inexpensive one (under $20.00) can be had that permits you to hook your cordless drill to the back of it. This really get the job done a whole lot better than the basic hand crank models. Wear gloves and don't bite your nails for a fortnight or two:mrgreen: It will bring up a ton of black nasty so be prepared to do some serious cleaning and disinfecting when you are done. However, it will open your drain and the little lady will once again smile.:drinks:

Ivantherussian03
10-01-2006, 02:04 AM
Well, the bathroom tub is the one draining slow. The nearest Lowes is 5 or 600 miles away, and they wont be building here anytime soon. I have both baking soda, pure lye, and vinager. The pipes are plastic. I will reread the responses in the morning, and move toward a solution. I rather solve the problem on my own, than waiting, or ordering something. I want to be bird hunting by sun up at 9am in the morning.

:Fire: = :-D

bruce drake
10-01-2006, 10:17 AM
Ivan,

Do you have a pop-up drain? Sometimes these get clogged up with the dear spouses long hair. Don't ask me how I know....

Easy to clear with the plumber's q-tip (a barbed flexible plastic wand). You shove the wand down about 16" and pull it back up out of the drain. Do this several times to clear the blockage. The barb's pull all that hair back up out and then you get should be able to clear up the drain without the DRANO.

If this tub was installed recently, check the drop in the drain line. You should drop 1/4" per 12" until it hits the main drain. Less than this will also create a slow drain over time as muck accumulates.

Bruce

MT Gianni
10-01-2006, 03:31 PM
Un-do the two screws that hold the drain adjustment plate on the top of the tub. Take the drain out and pull the top adjuster all the way out. Run Hot water as fast or as slow as the drain will take it. If it is reallly slow put a washrag over the top hole the screws went into and plung away with a toilet plunger. Tubs being close to the toilet usually have a short drain and the problem is hair, greasey bathoils and such. 25 gallons of Hot water will make a huge difference. Gianni.

Ivantherussian03
10-01-2006, 05:17 PM
Thanks for the input. I used the vinager and baking soda, with the hot water. In the future , when I am brave, I will use the lye and get it really cleaned out. The bathroom is looking good, draining water nicely. The wife is happy her man has skills!!

I was hunting by 930, but only because my partner slept in. No birds today, but did some plinking. Somebody is building a cabin up that way, so I checked it out. Weather came in and we headed back. Still nice to be out:-D

mag_01
10-01-2006, 07:37 PM
I like to use bleach--easy and works for me---Mag

454PB
10-01-2006, 10:20 PM
My wife taught me this.....use electric dishwashing detergent. It's powerful stuff, but won't damage the pipes, and it's cheap!

Ricochet
10-02-2006, 11:05 AM
A big pot of boiling water will often do wonders on a plugged toilet, too.

Edward429451
10-02-2006, 11:51 AM
Tub drains are usually hair & soap so you got lucky. As was stated though, nothing beats an electric snake for clearing most clogs.