Drain/Pipe/Clog Fluid?

[TubaTodd]

Back when I lived in the New York, my dad used to buy Pequa to clear a clog in a drain. It was awesome stuff. Now that I live in Alabama, I can't find it anywhere. Are there any other industrial strength highly effective drain cleaners?

[bloke]

Plumbing supply places usually have much better stuff than can be purchased at grocery/hardware stores.

[Donn]

I read that Pequa drain opener is mostly lye. So maybe any other drain cleaner that's mostly lye could work about the same. Some people report that it's hard to find the stuff. May vary from place to place - one of the neighborhood hardware stores carries Red Devil (pure lye that I use to make pretzels as well as clean things) and the other doesn't have anything at all with lye.

[PMeuph]

I have used one of these with much success. The trick is on you have found the clot and pushed though, move back and forth repeatedly to remove the rest of the surrounding dirt. One of these snakes might be good with a chemical product (providing you use caution).

[ShoelessWes]

Red Devil Lye is good stuff. So is rooter.

They have many household uses, including some cooking, soap making, and by golly it is a HELL of a drain cleaner.

[the elephant]

If it is your kitchen sink is getting clogged, plain old RAPIDLY BOILING water - gallons of it - will clear out grease and clean the pipes fairly well. We used this method here when we first moved in about four years back. Nothing worked on the gunk in the pipes and the many tight bends in the 1937 iron pipes made a rooted a No-go. Ten gallons of RAPIDLY BOILING water did the trick and we have had zero clogs, backups or even slow drains since.

[ShoelessWes]

All hot water/chemical cleansing, is probably a bad idea if you have a septic tank. You want to do everything in your power to keep that happy little culture of goodness alive and thriving. If your "grey" water already goes into your septic tank, you are at a big risk anyways (because soaps and stuff from sinks and showers are killing your culture).

[PMeuph]

A more natural trick that I used on a sink drain was vinegar and baking soda. All you have to do is put the baking soda in first and then pour vinegar. As soon as you pour the vinegar it is important to put a stopper or a lid on the opening, that way the pressure will be directed on the clog.

This method is one I us when I am at home and I don't have anything else on hand, as I usually keep baking soda and vinegar stocked in my pantry.

[TubaTodd]

Update:
I tried 2 big pots of boiling water some months back. It definitely loosened some stuff up but didn't really unblock the clog. Over time the clog got worse.

Today I noticed the sink would just fill up during a routine hand washing. I boiled a big TALL stew pot full of water. I poured it down the sink and was amazed at what I saw. In spite of the volume of water and extreme heat, the clog did not budge. While another pot of water was boiling on the stove, I took the trap apart and cleaned it out. With a bucket to catch the water, I ran water in the sink to see if there was a clog in the drain. BINGO! The water just trickled out. I used an old toothbrush and proceeded to clean out the blockage. GROSS GROSS GROSS!!! I ran water through the drain again and it flowed great. I put the trap back and poured in the last pot full of boiling water. The sink emptied like a boss! I disinfected the counter and put everything back. Tada! I now have a working drain.......and my sink back.

[cornholio]

[oldbandnerd]

You have to be very careful using lye on modern pipes. Lye can heat up and actually melt the PVC in the wall . Modern plumbing pipes that go from the sink to the pvc in the wall is made of a even thinner, less durable plastic. It is very "Harry homeowner " friendly and easy to work on. You may just need to pull apart the curved part under your sink ( called a p trap) and clean it out.
Back in the days when everything was cast iron it wasn't such an easy task. You would need at least 2 big pipe wrenches to pull it apart. If it's the modern plastic kind you should be able to spin off the union nuts by hand.