Archive through December 27, 2001
The ClubHouse: Archives: I have a dumb question:
Archive through December 27, 2001
Oregonfire | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 02:01 pm     Thanks for all of your responses. I couldn't pull anything out of that drain--it's like friggin' Jimma Hoffa's vault down there (sorry extremely irritated). I bought a plunger--I should have one anyway, and have been plugging away with it, with minimal effect. I just poured some maximum strength Plumr down there and am waiting for results. We'll see what comes next. |
Oregonfire | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 03:01 pm     Slowly but surely the clog is breaking up. I poured some bleach down there too--after most of the water was already down. It's working better now, but will try the baking soda and vinegar combination also after flushing pipes with hot water. I have a feeling that the pipes are metal and are corroding nicely on their own; I had the kitchen pipes replaced three months ago with plastic. Thanks again for the tips!!! |
Weinermr | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 03:22 pm     Congrats Oregonfire!  |
Grooch | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 03:31 pm     Oregonfire, be careful mixing chemicals. Ammonia and bleach makes mustard gas and it can kill you. You already put Liquid Plumber and bleach down there and now you want to add the baking soda and vinegar (which Weiner said could be a dangerous combo in itself.) Glad to hear it is breaking up. Years ago, at my mother's house. The pipes were so old and they were metal that the line outside was rusting away and the tree roots had grown into them. |
Weinermr | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 03:38 pm     Yes I second the motion. Be sure that every trace of one thing is rinsed down and out of the drain before you try adding anything else, or the reaction or the fumes can overcome you and yield VERY BAD results. |
Oregonfire | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 03:44 pm     I tried that ammonia and bleach thing in college; luckily, none of my roommates were home at the time, because the house filled with noxious smoke. I'm being careful to flush hot water through before each new dose of unclog formula. The vinegar and baking soda are already in there, but don't worry, this is the last of the formulas, I promise!! |
Lancecrossfire | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 03:54 pm     Actually adding bleach to certain chemicals produces chlorine gas. (bleach is a 5% sodium hypochlorite solution in water). While not the same as mustard gas, it is very toxic (and corrosive to mucuse membranes). It is corrosive to skin in the presence of moisture (HCl(gas)+water = hydrochloric acid). Mixing baking soda (sodium bicarbonate), a base, with vinegar (a 4-10 percent acetic acid solution in water), an acid. Upon mixing you get water, sodium acetate (an organic salt) and carbon dioxide (a gas). (you will notice a lot of bubbles if you do this in a clear container. It is the carbon dioxide that provides for the potential problem. It you havea closed system, the carbon dioxide will increase the pressure within the system. if you have a weak closed system, it will rupture. If you have a system with an opening pointed downward and it is light enough, it will launch into the air. If you do it with the opening facing upward, the carbon dioxide will rise into the atmosphere (think of alks-seltzer) The bubbles are quite vigorous, and help to move things around. This is what helps to unclog a drain. |
Kep421 | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 03:55 pm     Are you home alone Oregon? Should we have you check in every 20 minutes??? |
Weinermr | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 04:00 pm     If we hear an explosion in the Northwest, it may not be Mt. St. Helens erupting again. Take care Oregonfire!! |
Oregonfire | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 04:19 pm     All quiet on the Western front. |
Juju2bigdog | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 04:56 pm     Whew. |
Grooch | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 05:13 pm     So Lance, is it ok for OG to mix the baking soda with the vinegar? |
Weinermr | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 05:20 pm     I know you didn't ask me, (that never stopped me before) but it's a very dangerous thing to do Grooch. Depending on the condition of the pipes and the plumbing system, carbon dioxide gases could get trapped and explode, either breaking the pipes, or exploding in Oregonfire's face. Despite the fact that it may help - considering the probable condition of Oregonfire's plumbing system - I highly recommend not doing it. JMHO |
Juju2bigdog | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 05:38 pm     I'll answer for Lance too. I'd highly recommend against it. If you want to see why, put just a little bit of vinegar and baking soda together in a glass and see what happens. |
Meme9 | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 05:41 pm     This sounds like a chemisty class! Or "Mad Scientist's at Work" Caution Entering Maybe Dangerous To Your Health Lance, I'm impressed, it sounds like you know what your talking about. See those chemisty classes came in handy didn't they. LOL |
Lancecrossfire | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 05:49 pm     Weinermr is correct about the concerns. I wouldn't say trapped is a big concern if there is only a partial clog, as the CO2 will escape if there is a route. It can indeed come back up quickly, and if a person is over the top of it, you will get a blast of CO2 plus whatever else it brings up. The biggest issue is a week portion of the pipe. It won't blow open, although cracks can occur. That maens water leaks, which aren't good. It sounds like Oregon alredy put this mixture down the drain. For reference, baking soda is not needed if a product like lquid plummer is used. Liquid plumber is a strong base, and will neutralize the vinegar to sodium acetate and CO2--but less CO2 than the other reaction. Also, the stronger tha acid or base you have the more heat you will get during the reaction. (not an issue with good plumbing) Over all, I think the liquid drain cleaners are a bit more affective for a greater variety of clogs, and are typically safer for the pipes. If Oregon didn't kill herself with the chlorine cloud, I think she will be just fine. |
Oregonfire | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 06:45 pm     You guys are funny--I'm not dead! The varying formulas didn't seem to interact, but there was some major sizzling with that baking soda/vinegar mixture. That clog was/is pretty major, and I'm not convinced that it's up by the drain, but may be farther down the pipe. I took a bath, and the water drained just fine until about two inches of water was left in the tub. I gave it a few shots with the plunger, and the rest finally, slowly went down. This leads me to believe that the clog is much farther down the pipe, as the water drained just fine until that two-inch mark. Stay tuned for more exciting adventures in the bathroom. |
Evilnurse | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 07:28 pm     Organfire I think what you need is one of those snake things. I had a clog in my kitchen sink and tried all the things you have. I went to Homedepot and rented one of those snake things, it cost about 15 bucks, but the clog was gone. I suggest that you have help, not a professional, but someone who can feed the snake while the other one cranks it. As someone who has numerous leaking/running toilets'/clog problems I hope you find your plumbing problems gone soon. |
Wink | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 07:31 pm     Oregon said: >>>I took a bath, and the water drained just fine until about two inches of water was left in the tub.<<<<< There's your answer Oregon. Just put two inches less water in the tub next time. |
Meme9 | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 07:40 pm     LOL I think Wink is on to something, yep 2 inches less problem solved. I'm still laughing!!!! |
Weinermr | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 09:27 pm     Wink - That's hilarious!! I'm still laughing! (But seriously Oregonfire, try it out, or start bailing at the two inch mark) Lance - You take the chemistry problems, I'll take the physics problems, and we'll have everything covered. |
Oregonfire | Wednesday, December 26, 2001 - 10:13 pm     I did think of the two-inch thing, but I'm pampered and like a full bath. I'm going to keep hacking away at that clog (and perhaps rent a snake to swallow up that cloggy mouse) because no way no HOW is some nasty clog messin' with my bath! |
Weinermr | Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 10:48 am     Oregonfire - How's the tub doing today? Yesterday must have been a real drain on you. Is the water running better now? How is it going? |
Oregonfire | Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 11:09 am     Slow and steady as she goes. There is definitely still a problem, so I'm going to request along with my next rent check that the landlord take a look at it, or at least run a snake through there. I gave them three months to replace my broken stove without requesting a rent reduction, so they owe me one big time. They own a row of rental houses and need to be prodded to do these sorts of things. My past landlords always fixed things promptly. |
Pcakes2 | Thursday, December 27, 2001 - 11:13 am     |
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