#389894 - 07/19/05 06:43 PM
thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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theblue1
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[Completely ignorable vent/rant. Just trying to keep myself from wasting a half hour trying to complain on a corpo website.]
Okay... the funky Von's chain supermarket near my house only carries Drano so I've been using it for periodic maintenance on my kitchen and bathtub drains. It works.
Today I dragged my backside up to the superstore and stocked up on a bunch of stuff I'd been putting off. (It's utterly amazing how much cheaper this [Kroger's] Food 4 Less store is on a lot of stuff -- even, or especially, over their sister chain, Ralph's.
Some products are less than half what they would be at Ralphs, which I recently vowed to stop shopping at when my favorite TV dinners (I'm a batchelor, yeah?) went from the $2.40 they had been t he last couple months to $3.89 to $4.19 literally overnight. (The same dinners were only $1.99 at F4L!)
Anyhow, they didn't have Drano but they did have a huge 80 oz bottle of Liquid Plumr for a little under $8. I figured, what the heck, it wouldn't hurt to have a stock.
Normally, I would have bought a single $3 bottle (I'm thinking 28 oz) of Drano and split it between the two drains.
It says, use 1/5 bottle or 2/5 for tough stoppages. The kitchen was definitely a problem so I dumped about 2/5 in it and the shower was just sluggish, so I put 1/5th in it.
I gave them the 15 minutes recommended and an extra ten for the kitchen as recommended and then started to flush them with hot water.
The bathroom seemed virtually unchanged. The kitchen was only a tiny bit better.
So I made another application, splitting the remainder between them, with an emphasis on the kitchen.
I waited even longer before flushing the drains.
Almost no improvement in either.
A $3 Drano treatment would have done the trick, based on previous experience -- but almost 3 times the ammount of Liquid Plumr barely made a dent.
I'm giving Liquid Plumr an F-
[Geez... I really am turning into an old crank.]
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#389895 - 07/19/05 06:57 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Bejeeber
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In my search for a non toxic drain opener I've found that the type that just clears the drain with a nice'n hefty 'ol blast of pressurized air works better (so far) than anything else - toxic or otherwise - that I've tried in the past.
_________________________
Just a pinch between the geek and chum
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#389896 - 07/19/05 07:11 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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theblue1
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I've had good -- if occasionally messy -- luck putting a hose down the drain in question and sealing around it as best as possible with an old rag and hand pressure. But that's not feasible where I am.
If I had a little better drain action, I could use the stop-and-go flushing technique, which seems to break up normal blockages pretty well most times.
This is clearly problematic as it now appears to be worse than it was before I started!
I'm thinking that the LP 'melted' some of the gunk which then proceeded to clog a narrow passage way... or something.
But it really sucks... er... doesn't suck.
So, maybe you're right, maybe it's time to try blowing. I'm not familiar with the treatment you describe. I take it you get it you get it at the hardware store?
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#389897 - 07/19/05 07:58 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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HiRoller
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I use the powder stuff, like Red Devil Lye. Its only a few bucks and a tablespoon will usually do the job.
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#389898 - 07/19/05 08:04 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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theblue1
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Well, it's clear that from here on out I have to watch what I do... combining some of these chemicals can be, shall we say, hazardous to your health. Right now, I'm giving the demon of the drainpipe his due, a little peace and quiet until I feel like he won't be taking my fixin's and mixing up a nice big toxic highball to shove back out in my face... I have no desire to look like a minor Dick Tracy villain.
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#389899 - 07/19/05 10:36 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Bejeeber
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I take it you get it you get it at the hardware store?
It does warn about danger of becoming a minor Dick Tracy character if used while lye or acid is in there still. 
_________________________
Just a pinch between the geek and chum
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#389900 - 07/19/05 11:13 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Lee Flier
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Originally posted by Bejeeber:
In my search for a non toxic drain opener I've found that the type that just clears the drain with a nice'n hefty 'ol blast of pressurized air works better (so far) than anything else - toxic or otherwise - that I've tried in the past.
Blue1, quit wasting your time with the nasty chemicals. Get this stuff called "Power Plumber" which comes in an aerosol type can with a large cap on top that you place over the sink or tub drain, push down on the can and voila! It blasts pressurized air into the drain. Works instantly, non toxic and works much better than the toxic crap.
They don't always carry it in the same section of the hardware store as liquid drain openers, either; I've found it hidden away sometimes where they sell plungers and stuff like that. But really. Try it. You'll never go back.
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#389901 - 07/20/05 11:37 AM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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DC
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A plunger is your best bet. If it's just impossible you might have to take the trap apart and physically scrape it out. The shower drain should be much larger. Never heard of one getting clogged or slowing down. Might have to snake that.
I've not heard of the compressed air but that sounds like a way better method than messing with acid. I quit using anything caustic once I started doing my own plumbing. You don't wanna mess with that stuff.
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#389902 - 07/20/05 12:27 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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theblue1
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Actually, the shower did improve, after all. The kitchen finally drained down overnight... I'm gonna go get the aerosol...
Just call me "Meltface"...
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#389903 - 07/20/05 12:47 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Super 8
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Liquid Plumber and Draino suck! They never do anything. I can let them sit, and nothing ever happens.
I picked up some stuff called "The Works", and 20 minutes later, the drains ran fine. It's hydrochloric acid, which I think is non-toxic and safe to drink. I'll try some later and let you know.
That compressed air won't work in my situation, since for some reason I cannot get the drain plug thingies out. What happens is that hair gets wrapped around them, and then gunk starts collecting and slowing everything down.
On occasion, plunging the hell out of it works, but more often than not it just makes a bad situation worse. Plunging isn't really any different than using compressed air.
_________________________
Super 8 Hear my stuff here "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
-- George Bernard Shaw
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#389904 - 07/20/05 01:10 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Lee Flier
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Actually plunging IS different. The compressed air is kinda like plunging on steroids. It's a LOT more pressure.
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#389905 - 07/20/05 01:27 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Tedster
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Originally posted by Super 8:
It's hydrochloric acid, which I think is non-toxic and safe to drink. I'll try some later and let you know.
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"Cisco Kid, was a friend of mine...(WAH WAH WAH WAHHH!)"
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#389906 - 07/20/05 01:31 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Bejeeber
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That compressed air won't work in my situation, since for some reason I cannot get the drain plug thingies out. What happens is that hair gets wrapped around them, and then gunk starts collecting and slowing everything down.
_________________________
Just a pinch between the geek and chum
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#389907 - 07/20/05 01:45 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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coyote
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Mechanical tools do the job far better than any chemical. A plumbing snake never fails.... All thos cemical drain products just destroy your plumbing before its time while never working as well as you'd like.
Bite the bullet. Get a snake, and get dirty while getting the job done RIGHT. It's just plumbing; it ain't rocket science.
_________________________
I used to think I was Libertarian. Until I saw their platform; now I know I'm no more Libertarian than I am RepubliCrat or neoCON or Liberal or Socialist.
This ain't no track meet; this is football.
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#389908 - 07/20/05 02:14 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Lee Knight
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Registered: 10/19/01
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Loc: Encinitas,CA,UNITED STATES
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Get the rubber bladder attachment for your hose. It's about as thick as the hose but slightly thicker and 4" long. When you insert it into a pipe it inflates to fill the pipe and keep any backspray from happening.
Now you've got the power of your garden hose with an airtight seal. About $5 at Home Depot.
It's actually called a....
Blowbag : A drain-cleaning device consisting of a rubber bladder with a hose fitting on one end and a nozzle on the other. The device attaches to a water hose and is inserted into a clogged drainpipe. As water is introduced, it expands to grip the pipe, and releases pulsating bursts of water through the nozzle, forcing water through the pipe to clear the obstruction.
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#389909 - 07/20/05 04:51 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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theblue1
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Lee... that sounds pretty cool. Of course, being a geek, just the notion of using the hose's own water pressure to expand and tightly fit the bladder greatly appeals to me.
But, anyhow, when I went out looking for the aerosol blaster I was disappointed even at the hardware store, where they had an overnight enzyme one or nasty sulphiric acid one... he recommended the acid as the next step before a snake.
Unfortunately... after the first application, I'm afraid we may be headed to snakeville, anyhow. After producing the probperly noxious, melting organic matter smells out from under the recommended protective overturned pan over the drain for the store-recommended 15 minutes -- nada. Still plugged.
So I'm waiting for the water with which I attempted to "flush the drain" (why is that beginning to sound like an unattainable grail?) to slowly ooze through The Clog and then I'll do another 10 oz application. One more of those after that and I'm dropping the dime to a handyman pal...
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#389911 - 07/20/05 07:02 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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theblue1
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Heh... well, looks like my drain is the minor Dick Tracy character now, or rather my trap...
The first application of sulpiric acid did pretty close to squat.
The second application looked like it had worked. I flushed cold water (hot could create a nasty reaction, the bottle said) for at least five minutes at big volume. Groovy.
Then I looked under the sink... where all my cleaning products, etc, are.
Not groovy. Definitely not groovy.
The leak wasn't massive but it was not ignorable (is any leak, really?)
So then I run the water for, maybe 30 seconds, to check the leak... Not too bad. But... not ignorable. Then I look in the sink. As I'm watching, all of a sudden, it goes from a torrential drainflow to... nada... a swirling tornado of a drain to nothing like snapping your fingers.
So now I have a sink full of water (at least I got my dishes done for the first time in 3 days) and a slowly filling pan under the drain trap.
[Sigh. Friggin' sigh.]
Snake good. Acid bad...
It said it was safe for plumbing when used per the directions, which I did. Oh friggin' well.
Here and I thought I was over frenzied calls to the handyman when I sold my house... but I ain't gonna tell the LL that I dissolved his pipes...
PS... Oh, yeah... and now the faucet has started dripping no matter how hard you jam the spigot closed.
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#389912 - 07/21/05 11:16 AM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Jeff Leites
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Originally posted by theblue1:
PS... Oh, yeah... and now the faucet has started dripping no matter how hard you jam the spigot closed.
Plumbing 101 -
Jamming the spigot is not the answer. Unless it’s a cartridge facet (in which case the cartridge needs to be replaced), the water is shut off by a small and very inexpensive rubber washer that the spigot presses down against the seat (that the water flows through). In most cases, you just take it apart and replace the washer (they wear out). If you don’t you’ll ruin the seat, which is also inexpensive, but then you need a seat wrench to remove and replace it. It’s all cheap…. Unless you get lazy like me… last time I worked on mine, I was too lazy to take the time to go back to the garage to get my plumbing socket wrenches to remove the faucet stem to get to the washer. I used an inappropriate tool and ruined the threads on the faucet stem. I had to go buy a new one, a $1 repair became a $15 repair plus the trip to the store time.
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#389913 - 07/21/05 11:52 AM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Super 8
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Originally posted by Lee Flier:
Actually plunging IS different. The compressed air is kinda like plunging on steroids. It's a LOT more pressure.
Yes Lee! I dare challenge your plumbing credentials!!! 
_________________________
Super 8 Hear my stuff here "The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man."
-- George Bernard Shaw
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#389914 - 07/21/05 01:57 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Lee Knight
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I don't know if it's been mentioned...
BE CAREFUL IF YOU SNAKE WITH CHEMICALS IN THE DRAIN!
Spattering acid... not cool, not groovy. You'll look like Peter Gabriel from the "drippy face" album. Or that eyeless Christ-dude from the Alice In Chains video.
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#389915 - 07/21/05 02:17 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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Lee Flier
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Originally posted by Super 8:
I really don't see how that can be. A good plunging moves quite a bit of air, and it moves it in both directions which I would think helps loosen up gunk better than a one direction blast of air.
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#389916 - 07/22/05 06:24 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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henrysb3
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I wonder if the title of this post has ever appeared in methlab.web., if they had time enouigh to name it.
Our drummer is a plumber, by trade. He has plenty of drain stories, but one of the better ones is from a local college bar. This place had a history of trouble calls on its drain. Seems that the plumbers would go there, snake until the clog cleared, then some time later, the trouble would start up again. Our drummer went there and quickly got the drains running again, but he could feel a slight something that stayed in the pipe, so he worked it back and forth until a long purple comb made an appearance at the opening. We surmised that someone had lost it in the toilet bowl and didn't want to stick his (her) hand into the water to retrieve it. A comb in a drain pipe quickly becomes like the potato in the exhaust pipe.
Henry
_________________________
He not busy being born
Is busy dyin'.
...Bob Dylan
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#389917 - 07/22/05 08:21 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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theblue1
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Henry... I can't tell you what a letdown that purple comb was after that build up. Thank heaven.
Not to worry on the snaking. It's been a couple days (and I'm still waiting for my poetry publisher/handyman to get back to me after I set it up when I caught him at the coffeehouse.) And, of course, I told him the whole story. My work here is through... at least until it's time to cut the check. Don't think I'll be stapling a photocopy to the rent...
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#389918 - 07/23/05 12:01 PM
Re: thoroughly, completely OT: Liquid Plumr vs. Drano
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KB Gunn
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Registered: 11/06/01
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Originally posted by Super 8:
I picked up some stuff called "The Works", and 20 minutes later, the drains ran fine. It's hydrochloric acid, which I think is non-toxic and safe to drink. I'll try some later and let you know.
I own a bridge in NYC. Would you like to buy it??
_________________________
KB Gunn website: http://www.visionoutreach.net ....government is a necessary evil, but it is dangerous nonetheless ... somewhat like a drug. Just as a drug that in the proper dosage can save your life, an overdose of government can be fatal. -Neal Boortz
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