Really strong drain clearer wanted

[Thankyou4calling]

Can i buy something off the shelf stronger than the usual Mr muscle type stuff?

Thanks

[RizzoTheRat]

Go to your local plumbers merchant, mine sold me a bottle of something that the supply inside another plastic bag as they're clearly worried it might eat the bottle did a great job.

If it's a sink or loo that's blocked then a snake can do a good job too
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/like/131486958311?limghl...

[Road2Ruin]

Caustic soda granules. You can get them in most places.

[otolith]

The sulphuric acid based cleaners will go through most things.

[Bluebarge]

I've found enzyme-based cleaners to be the most effective and less dangerous than strong chemicals.

If it's a problem with an external drain and the above doesn't work, then rodding may be the only cure.

[otolith]

Yes, the sulphuric acid based stuff can be dangerous;

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2176839/On...

[Rosscow]

This is what you need.....

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

A well trained female labrador with a good aim

[Risotto]

Most high street DIY stores will sell sulphuric acid, e.g.

http://www.diy.com/departments/one-shot-drain-clea...

It might be marketed as One Shot Drain Cleaner or similar but it's basically sulphuric acid. You could try to find an online supplier but the problem I found was that most wanted a fortune for specialist P&P because...well because it's sulphuric acid.

Be careful with it, or with caustic soda if you try that instead.

Edited by Risotto on Wednesday 22 April 18:07

[Hoofy]

You sure it's something a chemical can deal with? Might be that there's a physical blockage eg sanitary towel. If it can survive in a woman's knickers all day when she's having the painters in, it can survive anything.

[Patch1875]

Tried loads of different stuff on our shower that ran slow all seemed to help for a bit but decided to give it a good doing with a plunger, beat the chemical stuff hands down. Had forgot how well it used to drain before!

[otolith]

Have you seen what conc sulphuric acid does to paper and cotton? Don't think a sanitary towel would stop it.

[HootersGsy]

Caustic soda will dissolve paint and hair, usually does the job for me with drain blockages and is dirt cheap.

Ignore the warnings and give it a kettle full of hot water to help it along

[Hoofy]

otolith said:

Have you seen what conc sulphuric acid does to paper and cotton? Don't think a sanitary towel would stop it.

What about highly diluted concentrated sulphuric acid?

[otolith]

Highly diluted won't work, of course, but the stuff in the drain cleaners is evil. You pick the plastic bottle up expecting it to be the sort of weight of a plastic bottle of water, and it's not - 95% sulphuric is about 80% denser. It sinks, and generates a lot of heat as it mixes with the water, so at the point of the obstruction it's likely to be both hot and concentrated for some time.

[Thankyou4calling]

Thanks for the replies. Can i go in a shop, say a plumbers merchant and buy a bottle of Sulphuric acid or caustic soda cystals ?

I don't really want the one shot stuff as that is pretty feeble.

Thanks

[otolith]

One Shot is 95% sulphuric acid according to the MSDS. I think that's about as concentrated as you are going to find. There are lots of caustic soda based preparations, usually with little shavings of what looks like aluminium in it (presumably to generate some heat in addition to the heat of solution of the NaOH).

[Hoofy]

otolith said:

Highly diluted won't work, of course, but the stuff in the drain cleaners is evil. You pick the plastic bottle up expecting it to be the sort of weight of a plastic bottle of water, and it's not - 95% sulphuric is about 80% denser. It sinks, and generates a lot of heat as it mixes with the water, so at the point of the obstruction it's likely to be both hot and concentrated for some time.

It depends on where the blockage is - 5 ft away from the house, mixed with human waste and water, will it be that effective? Those extending poles would do a better job at dealing with a used sanitary towel, whether stuck down a drain pipe or in an angry woman's knickers.

[otolith]

Yeah, if it's too far away then no chemical treatment is going to work. Call Dynarod to give it a good poking.

Not for your missus.

[mybrainhurts]

[Thankyou4calling]

Thanks for all the info.

It's a sink in the bathroom that's slow to runaway so it can't be a paper product.

I will buy the Oneshot and give it a try.

Thanks all.