Acids
An acid drain cleaner will range on the pH scale from 0 (highly acidic) to 7 (neutral). Acids are very effective at liquefying most organic clogs. Acids are very dangerous. An acid drain cleaner can cause 2nd and 3rd degree burns in less than a minute and can blind you in seconds. An acid drain cleaner mixed in water creates an exothermic reaction, generating intense heat. This can crack porcelain toilets and sinks, creating dangerous spills. An acid drain cleaner mixed with a caustic (a base) drain cleaner can generate such a reaction that it can erupt from the drain.
An acid drain cleaner when mixed with cleaning products containing bleach, will create a deadly chlorine gas. People are killed every year from combining cleaning chemicals left in a clogged drain and an acid drain cleaner.
Many caustic drain cleaners use bleach to intensify the action of the base. If you use a caustic drain opener in your clogged drain and it isn’t effective, adding an acid to the clogged drain will produce deadly chlorine gas. Even if the caustic drain cleaner does not contain bleach, an acid and a caustic drain cleaner mixed together produce a suffocating gas.
Acid drain openers can corrode metal to form hydrogen gas, which is highly flammable and explosive.
Bases
A base drain cleaner is called alkaline or caustic. It has a pH range from 7 (neutral) to 14 (highly caustic). Caustic drain cleaners work similar to acid drain cleaners, but they do not react as fast, allowing time to wash the product off in case of a spill. Caustic drain cleaners react with aluminum, rubber, zinc and brass. You need to be careful not to use a caustic drain cleaner in garbage disposals that have rubber or aluminum parts. Caustic drain cleaners react with active metals like aluminum, tin and zinc to release hydrogen gas, which is highly flammable and explosive. Caustic drain cleaners, like acid drain cleaners have an exothermic reaction with water. Always add a caustic drain cleaner to water, never water to the drain cleaner. It could boil and spray the drain cleaner on you.
For clogged drains caused by hair, use The Drain Claw.
Regular use will save you money and eliminate the need for dangerous chemicals.
