11 Things Plumbers Don't Want You to Know About Your Drains (#8 Is Warping Your Pipes)

The baking soda and vinegar volcano is an acid and a base cancelling each other out. What's left in your pipe is carbon dioxide, water and a little salt water. It'll lift some slime and knock back a smell — it will not touch hair or grease. And the kettle of boiling water most people reach for next is 212°F going into pipe the manufacturers rate to 140°F. SOURCES — so you can check me Pipe manufacturer specifications — PVC drain pipe maximum temperature rating of 140°F Benjamin Franklin Plumbing — drain cleaning myths, including PVC softening and joint failure from repeated boiling water Balkan Plumbing and other plumbing contractors — why baking soda and vinegar doesn't clear grease or hair clogs Enzyme drain treatment product labels — monthly maintenance dosing, safe for PVC and septic systems THIS WEEK Put a mesh hair catcher in every shower and bathroom sink. Stop pouring grease down the drain, and stop chasing it with hot water. Take the P-trap off the bathroom sink with a bucket underneath and clean it out. Then start a monthly enzyme treatment — a dose in each drain last thing at night, flushed with lukewarm water in the morning. Tell me in the comments what state you're in and how old your house is. I read every one — the age of the house tells me more about what's in those pipes than anything else. SAFETY Educational content. Never mix drain products, and never add a second product to a drain that already contains one. If you've used a chemical drain opener and it didn't clear, tell your plumber before they open the trap — that liquid is caustic. Main sewer line work and pipe replacement are licensed jobs. #Plumbing #DrainCleaning #HomeMaintenance