Unblocking Bathdrain with strong Sulphuric acid - Advice needed

JupiterKid

So I have a bath in my ground floor apartment which doubles up as a shower. The issue is that it has been clogged up for over a year now and I have tried the mild drain unblocking fluid you can but in supermarkets which worked for a little while but the clog would resurface.

Plumbers are as rare as gold dust these days and as expensive as that gold dust so I decided to try some thing stronger. I bought a very strong sulphuric acid drain unblocker and tried it earlier with rubber gloves and my glasses.

I only used a very small amount - it immediately fizzed up and I went to open the bathroon window to vent the bathroom. I do have a rudimentary knowledge of chemistry and I am fully aware how dangerous sulphuric acid is.

I bought this product - in a yellow bottle, in a Dublin city centre hardware store.

Two questions - the plughole metal has turned black. Should I rinse it out with water? To clear the acid or will that make matters worse?

When would I be able to use the bath/shower again?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

dbas

Pour a full kettle of boiling water down it without splashing any water on the bath.
Then boil it again and rinse the bath.

Caustic soda granules are great for clearing blockages

JupiterKid wrote: »

So I have a bath in my ground floor apartment which doubles up as a shower. The issue is that it has been clogged up for over a year now and I have tried the mild drain unblocking fluid you can but in supermarkets which worked for a little while but the clog would resurface.

Plumbers are as rare as gold dust these days and as expensive as that gold dust so I decided to try some thing stronger. I bought a very strong sulphuric acid drain unblocker and tried it earlier with rubber gloves and my glasses.

I only used a very small amount - it immediately fizzed up and I went to open the bathroon window to vent the bathroom. I do have a rudimentary knowledge of chemistry and I am fully aware how dangerous sulphuric acid is.

I bought this product - in a yellow bottle, in a Dublin city centre hardware store.

Two questions - the plughole metal has turned black. Should I rinse it out with water? To clear the acid or will that make matters worse?

When would I be able to use the bath/shower again?

Any advice greatly appreciated!

K.Flyer

You have probably permanently stained the metal, just watch out for it rotting if its poor quality metal.
As mentioned already, flush with plenty of water, but not boiling water. Drain pipes from sinks and baths can be damaged from boiling hot water.
Granules are not a great idea. If not used correctly they can clump and soliidify in pipes and traps, best to stick with liquid products.
To be honest, 99% of sink, bath or shower blockages I get cleared with just a decent old fashioned plunger.

Peter Flynt

Do NOT put water onto Sulfuric Acid.
In fact STOP using sulfuric acid.

K.Flyer

Peter Flynt wrote: »

Do NOT put water onto Sulfuric Acid.
In fact STOP using sulfuric acid.

The worse part of all of this is that these dangerous products are for sale over the counter to the public.
As I've said before, I've cleared hundreds of blockages without any chemicals, just a plunger or the flexible cable.
I nearly got destroyed thanks to a sink full of "water" where the user "forgot" to tell me about the acids he had put in trying to clear the blockage.

JupiterKid

Thanks for the advice guys, but I'm getting mixed messages here. Do I use water to pour onto the plughole or not? And not boiling water?

Obviously I have to use the shower/bath again ASAP. For the record I poured the sulphuric acid into the plughole almost 3 hours ago.

Believe me, I have no intention of using sulphuric acid to unblock an indoor drain ever again.

I want to get this sorted as soon as I can. What to do?

Wearb

JupiterKid wrote: »

Thanks for the advice guys, but I'm getting mixed messages here. Do I use water to pour onto the plughole or not? And not boiling water?

Obviously I have to use the shower/bath again ASAP. For the record I poured the sulphuric acid into the plughole almost 3 hours ago.

Believe me, I have no intention of using sulphuric acid to unblock an indoor drain ever again.

I want to get this sorted as soon as I can. What to do?

The other lads might be just as knowledgable, but KFlyer is a regular poster here and gives out very useful information on this forum.

That is as much advice that i can give you in helping to choose.

Spook_ie

Well you shouldn't put the water onto the acid normally but I don't see you have much choice, be aware of the heat that can be generated when you add water to acid and wear protective gear.

Of course a lot of this depends on the actual strength of the acid in the first place.

K.Flyer

The instructions on any of the products that I have seen usually say to only pour a small amount of the solution directly into the affected drain, leave for a certain amount of time, then flush with water. And to always use eye and skin protection when doing so.