[alligator]

My drains are the opposite of what they're supposed to be. They work great at stopping water, not letting it out of the sink.

I've heard bad things about drain cleaner eating your pipes instead of what they are supposed to eat. Any truth to that?

What kind works the best?

[MaxPower2k3]

I don't have much experience with drain cleaner, but I'd imagine its effects on your pipes has a lot to do with what your pipes are made of. Is it newer PVC plumbing, or old cast iron pipes?

[CMYKid]

your pipes will be fine, really.

however, exactly WHAT is clogging your pipes determines what sort of drain cleaner will work. they definitely arent all the same.

[Gossamer]

Woah...I went from reading about syphilis and curing it in gay men to reading about cleaning pipes...

[CMYKid]

the sulfuric acid cleaner generally works best.

er, on the pipes that is.

[Dakar]

Don't get the bitter tasting kind.

[ghporter]

Liquid Plumr and Draino are both safe for any pipes you might have. Read and follow the directions to the letter and you'll be just fine.

[Mastrap]

It might be easier to get yourself a snake from the hardware store. Cleans everything.

[reader50]

I agree with Mastrap. Pick up a 1/4 inch drill snake from a hardware store and clean the line for real. My experience with drain cleaners has been that they mostly clean out your spare change.

[alligator]

I have a snake, and it doesn't work. First, my drains have something inside that won't let me get the snake in, and when I do get it in, I can't get it out.

[ghporter]

The problem with snakes is that they work best when you can get right at the drain itself, not the drain in the sink mind you, but the REAL drain. That's not always practical-sometimes not even possible for the average homeowner.

I recently used Liquid Plumr's gel product on a bathroom sink. Quick, easy, effective. No smell, no mess.

[smgord]

I used professional strength Liquid Plumbr tonight -- and left it there for two hours instead of 15 minutes. Please tell me I didn't destroy my pipes ... they are the white plastic kind, at least so far as I can tell from looking under the sink. Getting the idea that I don't know what I'm doing?

[Spliffdaddy]

It won't hurt the pipes.

Is the clog in one drain - or more than one drain?

[smgord]

Originally Posted by Spliffdaddy

It won't hurt the pipes.

Is the clog in one drain - or more than one drain?

Thanks for the quick response! It was just one sink that was draining very slowly -- wasn't fully clogged. I poured half a bottle of the professional strength gel stuff down the drain, reminded myself to flush it out in fifteen minutes, and promptly forgot about it for two hours. Brilliant, huh?

BTW, I found this site googling Liquid Plumr, and it cracks me up that it's a Mac site -- I'm a huge Mac geek, but never looked at this forum until my sink got clogged!

[alligator]

Well, I tried 2 different kinds, each one in its own drain. I'd give the stuff a 4 out of 10. It kind of worked, but not enough to eliminate the problem.

[ghporter]

Yikes! I hope those two drains weren't going into the same pipe! You MUST NOT mix drain cleaners, because they often contain chemicals that are pretty incompatible with each other. Once the cleaner gets through a clog and into the main drain pipe, that's one thing, but if you tried two different brands in side-by-side vanity drains, that would be BAD because they actually go into the same pipe right under the vanity!

[Y3a]

DON'T USE A SNAKE on older cast iron drain pipes! If you break a place in one you will be forced to replace all of it with PVC. That is very expensive. Rotor-Rooter sells an organic flush that will eat all the crap clogging your pipes. Home Depot has a pro grade stuff that works great, and won't harm garbage disposals. Use LOTS of HOT water. High pressure sprayers are the best way to clean out sewer drains.

[SpaceMonkey]

If it "sort of worked" then try a plunger. Seriously. The Drain-o or Liquid Plumber or whatever probably loosened the clog up enough to let a plunger completely break it up in a hurry.

In fact, you should always try a plunger before using chemicals.

And you have drain baskets over those drains, right?

[©öñFü$íóÑ]

for ALL clogs, i simply use the plunger.... no chemicals.

It's all a matter of how you plunge into the drain and how fast you tug back the handle. After plunging in really really fast, i tug back equally as fast, but i never let the rubber suction cup leave off the surface of the drain....(i still let it completely cover the drain). I do it repeatedly and in rapid succession. You can think of this as "letting the drain inhale and exhale". It works ALL the time (for me).