The TRUTH About Drain Cleaners: Which Ones Actually Work?

Sulphuric acid(Kleen Out) might be good at dissolving some organic matter, but here's some tips: A.) Sulphuric acid, especially at high concentrations heats up and can react violently with water. I'm not sure how strong Kleen Out is, but be careful. B.) Due to sulphuric acid being a "mineral acid" it's chemistry is such that it rapidly and strongly reacts with most metals. I would not use it if you have copper or cast iron pipes. You might get away with it a couple times, but eventually it'll weaken your pipes to failure. My point is, don't play with chemicals unless you absolutely know what you're doing. Strong acids also tend to violently react with other chemicals, so please don't mix anything. Sulphur compounds are some of the more toxic ones you can come across in a lab. Things like hydrogen sulfide are very dangerous.

i only came here cuz i bought drano for my shower drain and it worked just as good as kleen out. Keep up the good work Roger

Drano Max Gel is my favourite. It’s good at dissolving hair. My wife sheds like a dog.

With most of these chemicals you are supposed to leave them for a few hours and then run the water through as hot as it will go for like 5 minutes afterwards, the chemical dissolves the clog, the hot water rinses it out. Also, each chemical is obviously safe for different types of pipes, and works best on different types of clogs, some work better on oils, some work better on shower drains because they dissolve hair better, etc. I've had totally fine results from generic bottles of drain cleaner from the dollar store.

Side note: Grease-X (from the root-x people) seems to work really well for buildup. I had our drains scoped before we put new floors in, and the 40 year old kitchen main drain line was spotless. A cast iron drain. And I cook tons of burgers and steaks and rinse the cast iron in that sink.

I've heard a lot of stories with the air rams in condos and apartments. The air gets trapped going does causing it to be siphoned out of the downstairs sinks and such. I don't think I'd ever use it in a multistory home either.

This test was no good because it misunderstands the method of action of the other three products. They have an exothermic reaction when combined with water. they need water to work, it's why the directions say to flush with the hottest possible water for some time at the end. The best usage method is to put as much hot water into the clog as it will take, let it go down a little if it can, and then add the product, wait 15 minutes, and flush with water for at least a minute. It will create a burning reaction.

Liquid Lighting works. I think it is like Clean Out, both are acid based. You know it works because there is a rotten eggs smell almost instantly. That’s the acid reacting with the hair and scuzz, releasing sulphur dioxide gas. Acid also creates an exothermic reaction with water so it gets hot. Gotta be careful with it, because it is sulphuric acid. Also in a shower or tub, cover the drain to keep the smell contained.

While Kleen Out did break up the clog faster, Roger found out it's acidic (ow!). The Green Gobbler (close to 2nd?) is an organic digester, so should be safer for the pipes. There's my trade-off two products.

Plumbers don't like drain cleaning liquids and gels because if they work. Plumbers don't have any work/ incomes.

This is highly entertaining. Thanks.

Awesome video. I had to laugh when a plumber is worried about the chemical stress causing damage to pipes, then he proceeds to put so much physical stress to clear a clog, he blows the system apart. I have learned a ton from your videos, so thank you and keep it up!

I don't know what it is like in the US, but here in England, we can buy neat sulphuric acid and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide) over the counter in limited amounts after an age check. These are usually the ingredients found in various products that have a large markup and a heavy advertising budget to support. It makes sense to go to the basic ingredient. My first preference for clearing a blockage is firstly a basic plunger. Inside the house, I wouldn't use sulphuric acid because it can do some serious damage to any metal fittings that it might encounter in the pipework. I'm happy to use it in the outside drains (it worked wonders with the remains of some tree roots that had blocked the main drain). Inside, I would stick to sodium hydroxide because it is less likely to damage pipework, but wear proper protective gear when using it, and ventilate the room.

Hair and Grease drain opener has been my go to for years! Its super saturated solution of sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide. I could make soap with it, lol

Great video, Roger!, but why didn't you use san tees and drain compression fittings on the test drain so the trap drains wouldn't come apart from the test drain you used as a test rig !?, thanks for the great video!!

We never recommend a drain cleaner to unstop a drain. We only recommend drain cleaner to prevent a clog from happening. Great video Roger

I have two dogs we bathe regularly and their fur clogs the drain pretty much every time (even with a pre-strainer). Liquid plumber hair destroyer I think its called works amazing for hair clogs. But I don't pour bacon grease and soap down there soooo lol

Issue is this assumes clean pipes The second there is scale buildup no matter what kind, it binds to the walls and the stuff blocking it Which means just about nothing works apart from physically breaking it up with tools not fluids or powders

I wish I'd seen your videos before I delved into the amateur world of red neck Asian plumbing techniques. Thank you for these videos!

Sir which one is best in plumbing ? sanitary drainage, stormwater drainage and potable water.