Here’s an interesting post that I came across the other day. It’s a recipe for an all-natural drain de-clogger.
The reason why it’s so interesting to me is that I recently had a rather hefty plumbing bill. You see my kitchen sink was clogged, but the clog originated underneath the house and has probably been accumulating for quite some time.
The plumber attempted to snake it using the usual snaking tools to no avail. He had to go back to his shop and bring over the heavy-duty snake. This sucker was so huge that it had wheels of its own. It reminded me of our heavy-duty generator. When he plugged it in, it was so strong that it tripped a fuse in our fuse box.
We eventually found a plug that was not otherwise occupied that could withstand the heavy-duty snake. He snaked for quite some time before he was able to clear the clog. The clog seemed to have accumulated over a period of years.
Our drainage pipe runs underneath the length of the house, which gives it plenty of room to accumulate household kitchen grease and the like. Once he was done he recommended that we toss a bit of drain cleaner down the sink at least once a month as a preventative measure.
Plumbing Concern
I was concerned about continually tossing caustic chemicals down the drain. He did mention there were “green” drain cleaners on the market that can do the trick. During my research looking for green drain de-cloggers, I came across the post linked above.
I gave it a preliminary test using a measuring cup of congealed grease poured from a batch of beef ribs. The difficulty in determining whether or not it worked was the final step of pouring hot water. You see, with enough hot water, congealed beef fat will liquefy and move through the pipes.
After going through all of the comments associated with the de-clogger post, I believe the natural recipe will work and I’m willing to give it a try. If a year or so from now I write a follow-up post crabbing about another expensive plumbing bill, you’ll know it didn’t work. 🙂
Warning: See the warning in Crystal’s comment below.
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Thanks for the tips on de-clogging. My drains are always clogged and I am always on the lookout for ways to declog it easily. I will try out these tips and see how it goes.
I’ve done the soda/vinegar thing for years and it does work – especially if you do it on a preventative-type schedule, like monthly. If you already have buildup in mostly horizontal pipes, you have to have them snaked because there’s only so much the vinegar and soda can do. But once they’re cleaned out, just freshen them up monthly.
Word of warning! A comment on the site with the recipe cautions not to use commercial drain cleaner afterward if the homemade stuff doesn’t work due to a chemical reaction that creates toxic fumes.
Thanks for reminding me of the warning. I think I’ll add it to the body of the post.
Glad to hear that it really works. My concern is the long horizontal pipe running underneath my house. I’ll use the baking soda monthly because I’ve got nothing to lose, but I wonder how effective it will be once it leaves my kitchen, goes downstairs and runs the length of the house.
I guess if it delays snaking for a few years, it’s worth it.