DIY: drano

[pelham456]

why does drano (pipe unclogger, usually a gel) warn "For sinks only...do not use in toilets!"?

i always assumed that was related to the fumes building up in a CLOSED SPACE (toilet with lid down), but as long as u leave the lid UP, is there any material diff with a sink? or does it have something to do with lack of a TRAP, in that drano will affect toilet pipes somehow diff from sink pipes? (durnt make sense to me; just putting it out there)

jug of straight bleach just warns "keep lid up and ventilate area". and yet, drano won't even allow for that.

[alexora]

From the horse's mouth:

One and only one Drano product

There is only one Drano® product recommended for use in slow-running toilets: Drano® Max Build-Up Remover.

Source:

http://drano.com/en-us/explore-clog-basics/how-to-deal-with-a-slow-running-toilet

So be sure not to use regular Drano® on your toilet.

This is why:

What Happens If You Put Drano Down The Toilet?

When you think of a clog in your drain, chances are you immediately think of Drano. Drano is one of the oldest chemical clog cleaners on the market today. If you were alive in 1923 to hear the original jingle to promote it, you would have heard, “Once every week, Drano in every drain.” While most of us today would realize that advice is misleading, how about using it every time you have a clog?

Is Drano safe to use on a clog in your toilet?

Drano Isn’t Meant for Toilet Clogs

Let’s start with the size and shape of the toilet. Looking at the different fixtures throughout your home, it’s easy to see that a drain in your kitchen or bathroom sink is not the same as a drain in your toilet. Each fixture is designed for a specific use. Each fixture carries different items back into the system.

Drano was designed for sink clogs, meaning its chemical makeup was designed for reaching clogs that form in the pipe structure underneath your sink. Because a toilet’s drain is constructed differently, Drano’s chance of reaching the clog is limited at best. And that’s where the real problem begins.

Because the clog won’t go away, you might decide to try other things. Pull out a plunger, and you risk splashing up water and Drano onto your skin or into your eyes. If you add another chemical to the mix, you risk everything from a chemical reaction to poisoning or even creating something explosive. If you use bleach regularly to clean the toilet, combining Drano’s active ingredient, ammonia, with it will produce a toxic gas called chloramines. You can quickly feel symptoms such as eye irritation, chest pain, or difficulty breathing.

Additional Risks of Putting Drano Down the Toilet

As if serious health risks were not enough of a problem, Drano can actually cause serious problems with the pipes and toilet itself. Drano works by dissolving the item clogging the drain using an oxidizing chemical reaction. This process generates heat. In a sink drain, this is not too big of a problem. In a toilet, especially since Drano does not work quickly on toilet clogs, it creates a serious issue. The heat generated from this chemical reaction can crack the porcelain of the toilet or soften the PVC of the pipes. So, not only can Drano hurt you, but it can also hurt your toilet and cause costly damage.

So, can you put Drano down the toilet? You shouldn’t if you want to protect your plumbing.

Drano Down the Toilet Is Not Worth the Risk

A clog in a sink drain is different from a clog in your toilet. A sink may have things like hair, soap scum, skin oils, or possibly food scraps in the kitchen. Clogs in the toilet contain human waste and toilet paper along with things you shouldn’t flush like wet wipes and feminine products—which create their own unique set of conditions.

Drano is designed to work on problems found in sink drains—hair and soap scum—neither of which are generally responsible for toilet clogs.

What’s more, we never recommend Drano or any harsh drain-opening chemicals at all. They can really hurt a sewer system, not to mention the harmful impact on the environment.

If Not Drano, How Do I Unclog My Toilet?

So, what can you do if you have a toilet clog that just won’t go? The best solution is always to call a licensed plumber, who will quickly tell you that putting Drano down the toilet is a bad idea.

If you want to try to unclog the toilet on your own first, grab a flange plunger. Place it over the hole at the bottom of the bowl, and pump up and down a few times. If you are successful, the drain will clear on its own.

If the plunger is not working, use a toilet auger, also known as a drain snake, to try to reach the clog. If this does not work, then the clog is likely somewhere farther down the sewer line, and you’re going to need a pro to help.

Source:

http://rsandrews.com/put-drano-toilet/

[pelham456]

how is that "the horse"? he's some 3d party who eventually mentions that he would never recommend it for use in SINKS either! (b/c of putting toxic chemicals into the sewer system)

nonetheless, he certainly does seem to know his stuff. only problem is he doesn't EXPLAIN very well. MOST of the reasons he gives against using in toilet apply equally well to sinks as well. afaict, the only real distinction he draws is that the toilet clog is likely "further down". the rest of his cautions about fumes and heat and mixing chemicals together seem equally applicable to sinks as to toilets, despite his occasional use of "clearly different".

maybe someone could sum up better?

[Gwynd]

Originally Posted by pelham456

how is that "the horse"? he's some 3d party who eventually mentions that he would never recommend it for use in SINKS either! (b/c of putting toxic chemicals into the sewer system)

nonetheless, he certainly does seem to know his stuff. only problem is he doesn't EXPLAIN very well. MOST of the reasons he gives against using in toilet apply equally well to sinks as well. afaict, the only real distinction he draws is that the toilet clog is likely "further down". the rest of his cautions about fumes and heat and mixing chemicals together seem equally applicable to sinks as to toilets, despite his occasional use of "clearly different".

maybe someone could sum up better?

Genuinely pelham, I don't believe anyone can sum it up in a way you will understand, but I will try.

I'm not American, so:

I've never bought Drano
I don't know much about American plumbing.

All you need to know is two things:

Heat/Fumes

Time.

Drano, presumably, works by chemical reaction, the chemical reaction clears the blockage, then the drano and the blockage move along the pipe.

So, the 'smaller' the blockage, the less time it takes to clear, therefore the less time for heat/fumes to be built up.

It's the 'difference' between what happens when you a pan of water on a stove on a medium-high heat for 10 minutes, and when you leave it for 2 hours.

[LongTimeLu]

Originally Posted by Gwynd

Genuinely pelham, I don't believe anyone can sum it up in a way you will understand, but I will try.

Good luck with that. After a few years of wrangling with wild assumptions, missed points, irrelevant tangents and plain trolling I actually put someone on ignore.
A pity the forum software doesn't alert anyone that I did it; so I'm announcing it

Here's the horse's mouth: drano.com

Originally Posted by alexora

From the horse's mouth:

One and only one Drano product

There is only one Drano® product recommended for use in slow-running toilets: Drano® Max Build-Up Remover.

Source:

http://drano.com/en-us/explore-clog-basics/how-to-deal-with-a-slow-running-toilet

If you'd check the link they also go on to say ...

It contains microorganisms that break down organic matter in pipes that can slow water flow. (However, it will not open a completely clogged toilet. For that problem, see How to Unclog a Toilet.)

... and provide this guide to unblock a clogged toilet:

http://drano.com/en-us/explore-clog-basics/How-to-Unclog-a-Toilet

Are you able to access these links?

[pelham456]

so you're starting with the assumption the toilet one will be WORSE?

well, geesh, why doesn't he just SAY that?!

my experience is sink clogs are far worse. in part b/c there's a TRAP in the way.

toilet clogs are all or nothing. once u "pop" them with a plunger, they move right along. and the clog's always right at the aperture -- where's he getting this idea of toilet clogs being "further down"?? is that even possible?! once u clear that "aperture", it's a straight down to the sewer line.

but yes, if toilet clogs are indeed "worse" or "further down", your explanation is clear (and far better than his)!!

btw, what is a "slow-running toilet"? mine is slow compared to an AIRLINE SYSTEM, i suppose, but other than that, i didn't know they had speeds. does that special drano work for clogs in REGULAR toilets?

then again, once it clogs, it's a "no-running toilet", so.....

[Gwynd]

Originally Posted by pelham456

so you're starting with the assumption the toilet one will be WORSE?

Common Waste Pipe Sizes in the UK

21.5mm – This is used for overflows and is typically seen attached to water tanks in lofts and from cisterns.

32mm – Found under small hand basins and other low volume outlets.

40mm – Used under kitchen sinks and also bathroom showers/baths.

50mm – Less popular and usually found in commercial buildings, occasionally seen in larger residential dwellings.

110mm – This is the soil pipe, used from the toilet and as a primary drain pipe on the property.

It is fairly obvious, I would hope, that the quantity of 'waste' required to block a 40mm pipe, is a lot smaller than the quantity required to block a 110mm pipe (the 110mm pipe's opening is 7.5 times the size of the 40mm pipe).

[pelham456]

Originally Posted by Gwynd

It is fairly obvious, I would hope, that the quantity of 'waste' required to block a 40mm pipe, is a lot smaller than the quantity required to block a 110mm pipe (the 110mm pipe's opening is 7.5 times the size of the 40mm pipe).

exactly! sink clogs way worse.

i dunno what those others are on about.

[alexora]

In conclusion, best to avoid using chemicals and unblock the toilet the old fashioned way instead...

[aliensexfiend]

in my experience drano has never worked on a clogged sink. not only that, after it fails you now have a clogged drain and water mixed with drano on top, making a caustic liquid that is now a danger to your skin and eyes. the most common clog i see is in the kitchen sink, but these days they all have garbage disposals - so you probably wouldn't want use drano - even though they claim it can be done. there's a rubber seal inside the disposal that ive seen ruined by excessively hot water, nevermind caustic corrosives..

but if its a sink without a disposal, then taking the elbow off and cleaning the pipe above it that goes to the drain is the place i usually start. but i have seen cases where the pvc in the wall is encrusted with a thick layer of greasy shit that has built up and is choking off a good length of the pipe. you could use drano - it is designed to eat away this exact sort of build up - but the better way to go is just to snake it.

with a toilet clog - i used to live with dope fiends who would shit only once every two weeks and would always clog the toilet. i even had a roommate who ate too much cheese and would shit solid bricks that often clogged the toilet. the solution is to use a bucket, filling it with the hottest water you can get in there, and an accordion style plunger. pour hot water in, plunge. not needed but if ur curious you can even feel along the bend of the porcelain to see where the hot water stops flowing and cool porcelain begins - pinpointing your clog. anyway, multiple buckets of hot water help break up the feces and the plunger helps to push it along. it might take a while - one time it took me a full 30 minutes to unclog a cheese-shit clogged toilet.

but one time a girl i had over accidentally dropped her bracelets in the toilet and had flushed it. the only way to fix that was to take the whole damn thing off the bolts and use a coat hanger to reach and pull the bracelets out.. so you need to know what is clogging the toilet before you begin...