help needed - blocked waste pipe

[RogerS]

Got some caustic soda off eBay and, not being sure whether or not to dilute them first, simply poured a load down each plughole. Which promptly blocked! So boiling water from the kettle and carefully poured some down sink number 1. My own little Vesuvius....great fun. Make sure you are wearing safety-glasses. The amount of crud that effervesced up into the sink, then a sloosh and away it all went. Sink number 2 remained blocked. More boiled water and this time Krakatoa! Brilliant. Very spectacular...who needs fireworks.

Roger

Be careful with that procedure. By adding boiling water to caustic any splashes will be very concentrated (and hot - exothermic reaction?). Instructions on mine say to add caustic soda to cold water at 100g per litre then pour that down the plug hole. After 20-30 minutes you can wash it all away - with hot or cold water.

Mike

That's why I had goggles on !!

 

[Graham Orm]

I've burnt my hands when unblocking a waste system that the customer had poured caustic down and didn't tell me.

Glad you got it sorted. For further reference, McAlpine compression waste fittings will fit both push fit and glued pipe.

http://www.screwfix.com/p/mcalpine-mt4- ... 40mm/45446