Sulfuric Acid In Drain Pipes

It isn t safe for cast iron or galvanized steel pipes though so it s best not to use it if you have older plumbing.

Sulfuric acid in drain pipes.

Acidic drain cleaners made of sulfuric or hydrochloric acid are powerful enough to clear heavy duty hair food grease soap scum or paper based clogs in 15 minutes or less. Do not use sulfuric acid with stainless steel aluminum chrome or galvanized steel pipes. It s been about an hour and a half since i first poured in the acid now and the pipe doesn t appear to be draining any faster. Sulfuric acid quickly eats through paper rags sanitary napkins food scraps and all organic matter it will melt ice and liquefy grease.

Although the chemical itself is colorless the sulfuric acid based drain cleaning products that you ll find in hardware stores will vary in color. Acid cleaners have either hydrochloric acid or sulfuric acid as their active ingredients. Oxidizers have sodium hypochlorite as their active ingredient whereas caustic cleaners come with sodium hydroxide as their active ingredient. Acidic drain cleaners.

About sulfuric acid used as a drain cleaner. Sulfuric acid is a chemical that can unclog blockages in drain pipes. Also i m not sure if this matters but the pipes around all the fixtures are pvc but the actual drain pipe outside is cast iron. Even once a clog has been cleared sulfuric acid drain cleaner could still cause problems.

This is because many brands will mix the acid with other chemicals such as foaming agents. Liquid lightning drain opener is a buffered sulfuric acid solution that cleans scale and dissolves pipe clogs. A 93 inhibited virgin sulfuric acid drain opener with metal inhibitors quickly dissolves grease hair paper food rags and other organic obstructions use in toilets sinks and drains. I have found sulfuric acid to be the best drain cleaner.

It is safe to. The drain cleaners that soften pvc pipes are oxidizers caustics and acids. Any help is appreciated. It has the potential to kill the necessary bacteria in a septic system and it can cause pipes to corrode.

There are caustic cleaners that use lye sodium hydroxide or potash oxidizing cleaners that use bleach or peroxide and acidic cleaners that use sulfuric or muriatic acid to clean pipes.