Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is a strong acid that is commonly used to dissolve clogs in drains. This acid works by breaking down organic materials such as hair, grease, and soap scum that can accumulate in pipes and cause blockages.
Using a snake is also more invasive and time-consuming than using a chemical cleaner is, and can often become a dirty job. When it comes to getting at and removing major clogs or clogs that are deep down in your pipes, however, a plumber's snake is your best bet.
Mr Muscle Max Gel: Best all-around drain unblocker
A single dose is usually enough to clear gunk including hair and greasy food build-up, but you're safe to give it another go if necessary, or leave it overnight before flushing with hot water.
Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is the most common acid used by plumbers to unclog drains. Although this component can be found even in your own stomach, as part of the digestive acids, its pure concentrated form can only be purchased from certain stores if you carry a plumber's license.
The Santeen Sulfuric Acid Drain Opener proved to be the most potent among all the chemical drain cleaners we tested, effectively dissolving 80% of the hair, 80% of the organic matter, 40% of the grease, and 76% of the paper products.
Carefully pour ¼ cup (59.15 mL) of acid into the water.
Always add acid to water; never add water to acid. If you get it backward, an explosive exothermic reaction will occur! Pouring undiluted muriatic acid down the drain can ruin your pipes.
One way to try to clear a clogged sewer drain is to create a solution out of vinegar and baking soda. Mix 1/3 cup of each and pour them down the drain lines immediately, while they're still fizzy. The chemical reaction should help break down any build-up that could be causing a sewer clog.
Stubborn Sewer Clog:
If not, a plumber will always bring tools such as a drain snake or auger that has the reach and power to dislodge items further from the drain opening or near the sewer cleanout. This is the most common method used by a drain cleaning service in nearly every state.
A manual drain snake, also known as a plumber's snake or a drain auger, is a small boring tool that rotates slowly as it's physically pushed through a stubborn clog. The terminal end of the device is a corkscrew-shaped hook that is fed into a clogged drain or toilet.
Chemicals Used by a Plumbing Company
Drain cleaners often contain potassium hydroxide to transform grease into soft soap, and thioglycolic acid to dissolve hair. Other common ingredients include sodium hydroxide, lye, or sulfuric acid. Some of these ingredients are toxic and require special care.
You may be surprised to learn that pouring soda down the drain does work for some clogs. To be specific, you need a dark-colored cola (such as Coca-Cola or Pepsi). This type of carbonated beverage usually contains a good amount of phosphoric acid, which given enough time, can eat away at some types of clogs.
Drano is not only ineffective, but it's also extremely damaging to your plumbing system. The heat created by the chemical reaction is more than your drains are designed to take. Corroded, aging plumbing can easily breakdown. Pipes can split and the glue holding them together can disintegrate.
If your snaking session yields plenty of hair and soap scum, but still leaves you with a slow drain, there's a good chance that the P-trap is still obstructed. To clear it, plug the overflow hole with a rag and fill the tub drain with hot water, which will help to soften and loosen soap scum.
You need to make sure that you've securely tightened thumbscrew(the piece that secures the cable inside the drum or handle). If the thumbscrew is loose, the cable will not rotate at all when you twist the handle. The cable rotation is how the drain snake picks up debris, so if it can't do this, your auger won't work.
If water starts coming out of the drain in a main floor tub or shower, or if the toilets start filling up when you use a drain or run the washing machine, most likely you have a main sewer line clog.
For an easy clog, your plumber may get the job done in mere minutes. For a more stubborn or deep-seated clog, the process may take multiple hours.
A lot of folks know the baking soda and vinegar trick. Simply pour some hot water down your clogged drain and follow it up with equal parts baking soda and vinegar (baking soda first), cover the drain with a plug if you have one, let it sit for 20-30 minutes, then follow it up with more hot water to clear the clog.
With time, baking soda and vinegar may work as a natural drain cleaner on weaker drain clogs, and the benefits of regular drain cleaning can help keep your drains free of clogs. But for tough drain clogs that need to be dissolved right away, you may want to use a stronger drain cleaner, like Liquid-Plumr.
Basic clogs are by far the most common cause of sewer lines backing up. They are typically the result of not being careful with what goes down your drains. Failing to clean up hair from the shower drain, pouring oil down the sink, and using “flushable” wipes are the most common paths to backups.
Residential Main Line Drains: Pour entire bottle into any first floor toilet. Flush to distribute product through pipes. For Sinks and Tubs: Pour one-half quart to one-quart of the liquid slowly into drain.
Muriatic acid will damage metal pipes over time, but not PVC pipes. Please remember that muriatic acid should be poured into water to avoid the acid splashing up.
Like any strong acid, muriatic acid can irritate your skin (prolonged exposure can even cause burns). Gloves will help you avoid direct contact. If you do get muriatic acid on your skin, wash the area with clean water right away (it's a good idea to keep a garden hose or a bucket of clean water nearby).
These drain cleaners sit in pipes and generate more heat and chemical reactions than some pipes were designed to withstand. They react with corrosion that already may exist in your pipes and they can do so in an unpredictable way. They can create cracks in joins and old pipes and over time can cause PVC pipes to break.
Sulfuric acid is very simple to use and will unclog a drain within an hour, usually within seconds if it's not completely plugged up. Sulfuric acid is naturally occurring and is sewer and septic safe as it is diluted in its journey down your pipes.