AKB: Best Drain Cleaner

[cment]

I know I am going to get flack for this post and should have saved it for the offseason, but my kids are are clogging up the drain with hair. Used to be able to get some great stuff called “Rootor” from the Amish store down the road that was pure evil on drains, but they stopped selling it. The wife says shaving their heads is off-limits.

 

[Delco Lion]

Go to Lowes and get lye. I put it in my kitchen sink drain and tub drains when needed.

 

[Statewise]

I know I am going to get flack for this post and should have saved it for the offseason, but my kids are are clogging up the drain with hair. Used to be able to get some great stuff called “Rootor” from the Amish store down the road that was pure evil on drains, but they stopped selling it. The wife says shaving their heads is off-limits.

Amazon product ASIN B007EUXIJ4

 

[paulrandythomas]

I know I am going to get flack for this post and should have saved it for the offseason, but my kids are are clogging up the drain with hair. Used to be able to get some great stuff called “Rootor” from the Amish store down the road that was pure evil on drains, but they stopped selling it. The wife says shaving their heads is off-limits.

Pour one half cup baking soda, then one cup white vinegar. Repeat if necessary.

 

[Nitt1300]

Pour one half cup baking soda, then one cup white vinegar. Repeat if necessary.

and block drain-forcing the reaction down

 

[Art]

What kind of pipes do you have?

 

[manatree]

If your kids are clogging it, why not make them clean it. Gotta learn some time.

Get them one of these drain cleaners and they’ll have it cleaned out in a few minutes. Follow up by a good dose of baking soda and vinegar and it will be fine.

Amazon product ASIN B06Y44KJV8

 

[Nostraduzzi]

I know I am going to get flack for this post and should have saved it for the offseason, but my kids are are clogging up the drain with hair. Used to be able to get some great stuff called “Rootor” from the Amish store down the road that was pure evil on drains, but they stopped selling it. The wife says shaving their heads is off-limits.

Buy a plumber's snake.

 

[paulrandythomas]

Buy a plumber's snake.

My wife tried the Alabama Black Snake to fix her plumbing, she never went back.

 

[cment]

What kind of pipes do you have?

I know it is PVC, but the house was built in 2008 and they did a shoddy job with the guys, with the exception of the foundation and trusses.

 

[cment]

I know I am going to get flack for this post and should have saved it for the offseason, but my kids are are clogging up the drain with hair. Used to be able to get some great stuff called “Rootor” from the Amish store down the road that was pure evil on drains, but they stopped selling it. The wife says shaving their heads is off-limits.

Buy a plumber's snake.

Snake won’t fit through the post screen drain slot. Duh! Should probably find a smaller diameter snake. I am an idiot and sometimes it comes to fruition!

 

[cment]

If your kids are clogging it, why not make them clean it. Gotta learn some time.

Get them one of these drain cleaners and they’ll have it cleaned out in a few minutes. Follow up by a good dose of baking soda and vinegar and it will be fine.

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I actually did make them come up and help. When the bath tube is a teaspoon from overfilling is not the time to tell me there is a problem!

 

[Fox Chapel Lion II]

Plumber snake is the way to go. Physically remove the clog and get rid of it and the residue (hopefully) goes through the system.

Lye is a chemical called sodium hydroxide which is the active ingredient in Draino and most probably the Amish stuff. It is a caustic designed to dissolve fats and organics. Doesn't work ideally on hair especially if there is a whole lot - hair is a protein called keratin and it's pretty tough.

For safety sake don't do lye AND the snake. You will pull lye solution back up along with the snake and it is very corrosive. If it can dissolve shiz like bacon grease, it's not good for your skin either. Lye also produces heat (a LOT of heat) when it reacts with water. If your pipes are old and thin you can actually wind up with a hole in a thin spot.

The vinegar (acetic acid) and baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) will give you a fizz action with carbon dioxide gas. If you put the drain stopper in MAYBE the pressure will blow the clog through. The good news is it's harmless.

Go with the snake. No chemical hazards, reusable (dry with a rag and a couple drops of oil) and cheaper in the long run.

 

[pointingdogsrule]

DRANO "CRYSTALS" not the liquid crap.

 

[tboyer]

Try one of the thin little snakes that has velcro-like fuzz on the outside. Maybe 5 bucks on Amazon. They're about the width of two pipe cleaners and they are great at pulling up hair. Usually the hair is in the u-trap just 4-5 inches below the drain.

Another option is to just go under the sink, put in a bucket, and unscrew the u-trap. Especially if it's PVC down there it's easy to disassemble, remove the hair, and re-assemble. Teach the kids to do it.

There really shouldn't be any reason to put lye or Liquid Plumber down the drain. If you do, get the gel type, give it 30 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly and use a sink plunger to make sure all the gunk is cleaned out. (Protect your eyes eyes in case any lye splashes during the plunging.)

But only go to chemicals if the mechanical techniques don't work. The little mini snakes are really awesome for sinks.

Snake won’t fit through the post screen drain slot. Duh! Should probably find a smaller diameter snake. I am an idiot and sometimes it comes to fruition!

 

[ILLINOISLION]

What kind of pipes do you have?

Art, why ask about his singing ability?

 

[sunshinedynomite]

Commercial grade bleach

 

[ralphster]

"Cleaning your drains?" So that's what the kids call it these days? You should do that in private.

 

[PS4814]

If it’s hair you could go el-cheapo and get a plastic zip hair snake. They’re like $3 at home depot, disposable, and work fairly decently from when I’ve used them.

 

[Boss56]

If its a powder room or bathroom sink use your toilet plunger. Put a strong tape over the overflow hole, commence plunging.

 

[cment]

This was the stuff I used for a long time, but this Google search gives me pause from ordering online. It seems it was almost all sulphiric acid and I guess that is why Rooto called for safety glasses when pouring it out.


Rooto

 

[Victor E. Bell]

I take a wire hanger and unwrap the thing until it's one long wire. Flatten it out the best you can and take a needle-nose pliers and bend one end into a short hook. Get in there and hook out the gunk, hair, and soap buildup. No pipe wrenches, no caustics. Run some real hot water after. You'll be good for awhile. Stash the homemade hook someplace so you can find it next time (which there'll be one.) Another thing that works well are long hotdog forks for campfires you can buy cheap at a sporting goods store. Same principle.

 

[Art]

This was the stuff I used for a long time, but this Google search gives me pause from ordering online. It seems it was almost all sulphiric acid and I guess that is why Rooto called for safety glasses when pouring it out.


Rooto

Sulfuric acid is the way to go, but you have to know what you're doing and all of the pipe fittings have to be tight and secure otherwise the chemical reaction will blow them apart and you'll have a fine mess on your hands.

Chemical agents are hit or miss depending on what's causing the clog. Regardless of which one you choose, don't believe the recommended time on the label. Ideally, you should let the stuff sit overnight.

I take it from another post, that it's the bath tub that's backing up and you can't get a snake through the drain hole. If so, then remove the lever and other hardware that controls the stopper (be careful when pulling out the inner rod because you don't want it detaching inside). This will give you access to the overflow pipe and you can run a snake down through it and into the plumbing. You might even get lucky. Very often hair wraps around the 90 degree angle where the open/close mechanism goes vertical/horizontal and getting rid of that just may do the trick.

 

[PeetzPoolBoy]

I know I am going to get flack for this post and should have saved it for the offseason, but my kids are are clogging up the drain with hair. Used to be able to get some great stuff called “Rootor” from the Amish store down the road that was pure evil on drains, but they stopped selling it. The wife says shaving their heads is off-limits.

The hair is generally/always entwined around the lavatory sink stopper. There is absolutely no need for chemical drain cleaners. It’s an easy 10 minute repair.

Do you need me to do a step-by-step tutorial tomorrow? Just Google drain stopper removal on YouTube.

 

[Air Force 1]

A pretty young lady in a French maid outfit. That's what I would go with!

 

[91Joe95]

For showers and bath tubs: I've always had good luck with a plunger. They even sell smaller ones just for it. Follow it up with some draino and the fix lasts a long time. Then get a removable and easily cleanable hair catching screen to go over the drain to minimize future clogging.

Sinks: sometimes the above works, sometimes I have to get a drain snake followed by draino. Sometimes (eye liner pencil shavings?!?) I just buy a new p trap since they're cheap and easy to replace.

 

[Art]

For showers and bath tubs: I've always had good luck with a plunger. They even sell smaller ones just for it. Follow it up with some draino and the fix lasts a long time. Then get a removable and easily cleanable hair catching screen to go over the drain to minimize future clogging.

Sinks: sometimes the above works, sometimes I have to get a drain snake followed by draino. Sometimes (eye liner pencil shavings?!?) I just buy a new p trap since they're cheap and easy to replace.

Good advice. Some notes.

1. For a plunger to work on a tub, you have to (temporarily) plug up the overflow. Sometimes this can be accomplished by simply forcing a towel or rags into the openings at the bottom of the tub plate. Other times, the plate has to be removed and a towel forced into the pipe.

Removing the p-trap, the u- or elbow shape a the bottom of a sink drain) is a good start to clearing a sink drain. Sometimes crud will accumulate there. Otherwise, it will give you clear access to the stopper lever, where hair accumulates, above or to run a snake into the horizontal pipe that runs into the wall.

 

[PSU_Nut]

Any tips for removing a rubber ice cream cone toy from a toilet?

 

[fastlax16]

Any tips for removing a rubber ice cream cone toy from a toilet?

Only real solution I can come up with would be getting a dog.

 

[Lion84]

I have 2 teenage daughters and a wife - this thing gets used often and works great to get hair out of tubs and sink drains - you can get it from Amazon but as mentioned Lowes and HD have similar ones.

 

[PSU-Knocker]

Shave your kids heads. Tell wife you won't sleep with her till she agrees. It is better to be proactive and prevent clogs than to have to clear drains after they are clogged.

 

[cntblvitsbutter]

Pequa Drain Cleaner from HD or Lowes always cuts through everything for me.

 

[dbbp]

Pequa Drain Cleaner from HD or Lowes always cuts through everything for me.

I will second that. “It Really Works”.