Good to know it wont eat through pvc! Do I need to dilute it and how soon after should I run water and does the temp of the water matter? My shower drain basically looks like it has stalactites I found when getting help taking a section out in the basement and replacing it with pvc, which not surprisingly didn’t solve the issue through the rest of the piping- which I suspect is cast iron or something akin. Last question, approximately how long do the vapors last to have an idea for how long I should keep my dogs outside during the process for their safety?
Don’t dilute it, wait about an hour. Hot water could cause the acid to flare up so keep clear of the access hole if so. Plain hose water is fine, don’t go out of your way to use hot. In the house I use an enzyme drain cleaner not muriatic acid. Or ‘Hair clog’ drain cleaners for the bath. Once you flush it w water it is inert, just keep everyone away from the outlet if it’s accessible, like an open ditch. Even that would be safe in another hour or two depending on how much acid you use. When in doubt flush w more water.
Thanks for the video! What if you don't know for sure if your clog is due to calcium build up? Is it still safe to pour a gallon of Muriatic Acid down the sump pump drain? I had someone out to snake out my drainage line but it got stuck after 10 feet. They sent out a person with the camera and they said the pipe goes into a smaller pipe that the camera can't get through. They are quoting about 4k to pull out the pipe and reinstall. I was wondering if I should just try a gallon of Muriatic Acid first before I spend the 4k.
My RUclips producer was in the exact same position as you. We used to Muriatic acid, may be up to 3 gallons because of the distance the line went before it ran into a city storm drain and we opened it and it’s working fine now. That is why we made the video.
@@MrHardware1Thank you sir! I think this worked for me. It took 3 gallons. After the 3rd gallon, nothing was coming back up. So I gave it 30 more minutes and ran water from the hose down the drain for a few minutes and nothing came back up. I hooked back up the sump, it ran, and no backup! I did wear a mask and gloves.
@@jdneilso- Did you dump full 1 gallon of acid at the same time? How long did you wait before flushing it with water for the 1st gallon? Please advise.
@@rmshah50501 I had to put in the first gallon slowly because it kept bubbling back up while it was breaking up the calcuim buildup. So I would put in a little, wait, put in some more, wait. I had to do that for the first two gallons. By the third gallon, nothing was coming backup up. I waited about 30 minutes before putting straight water in from the hose. I hope this helps. This saved me over 5k. A company wanted 5k to dig up the ground and put in a new pipe. I plan to put a gallon down there every 5 years to keep it clean. Also, wear gloves and a mask, this stuff is strong.
Using a quart or maybe two to delime a toilet is safe because by the time it hits the tank, reacting to crud all the way, is pretty inert. If too much acid hits the tank and it kills the ‘biology’ in the tank, wait a week and retreat the tank with a couple of different septic treatments and you can revive the tank.
Great video! This seems like a potential solution to a problem that has been driving me crazy for the past couple of months! I'm in a new home, about 5 years old and had an inspection of our 4" perforated PVC footer drain tiles performed by a reputable rooter company. Among the silt that they were able to water jet out is calcium deposits that look and feel as hard as concrete filling 25% of the diameter of the pipe in some areas. The water jet didn't stand a chance against them but did move them around a bit accumulating large pieces near the T of the drain tile entering my sump. I've tried every which way to claw them out as deep as i can go from the sump end, short of hiring someone to chain descale them (potentially damaging the perforated PVC pipe). Is this safe to pour into the cleanouts and have my sump eject it? Is there any risk of damaging my foundation since i suspect a lot of it will seep out of the drain tile? hoping some will ride the channel between the row of holes in the perforated pipe and break up the hard deposits.
@@peterpsaras2623 The sump pump shouldn’t have a problem w/the acid as it will be reacting with calcium and other debris in the drain system. However if the pump was submerged in pure acid it could effect the steel in/on the pump. So a slim chance the pump could be damaged but not much. The same w/the foundation, if it were dry concrete the ‘straight’ acid will etch it. All the water existing in the system is diluting the acid making it relatively safe. If you can get close to the tee w/the calcium you could take hose/tubing and fish it close to the debris and w/a funnel safely attached you could pour acid and deliver it close to the problem. If it’s not too hard you could pull the sump pump and leave the acid work for an hour or so (it should be neutralized by then) and then pump it out. As an aside like 2 pumps in a hole, 2 check valves, one above the other in the pit, leaves the lower one to do all the work w/the upper pump ready when the lower one dies. Then lower the upper pump to the bottom and when able install a new upper pump. This way you get to use a pump until it is dead w/our risk of flooding.
@MrHardware1 great advice. I'll be attempting the targeted approach you suggested. I actually have a water powered pump as a backup (liberty sj10) which should neutralize everything as it pumps it all out. Otherwise I do have an old pump as a spare that I don't mind beating up. Thanks for the help!
my wife and I are moving into an older house on July 20th, it is built in 1931 - apparently the current elderly, widowed lady owner was pouring hot grease/oil/fat down the kitchen sink after frying etc-- the water draining in that sink is a nightmare, and the basement larger pipes have FATBERGS-- pipes and lines in the entire house and immediate outside underground are a wild mix of pretty much everything, believe it or not = a mix of copper, abs, pvc, pex, galvanized steel, lead, clay, cast iron ----------anyways, my question is, can I pour say a gallon (3.78 liters) of Muriatic Acid into the kitchen sink and let it sit for 24 hours in order to dissolve the fatbergs and generally clean out whatever other organic matter might be in the piping and lines ? - Thank you in advance and cheers from Toronto!
@@TL.... TO, do not use muriatic acid on these drains. It may work on some of the crud there, but sulfuric acid is the better one. However all that grease, as it gets loosened up it can clog the line further down. Imagine that you would like to clear the line at the end first, and work your way back to the sink. Is the drain clear from the house to the city main? If it’s slow start there w/a sewer machine w/a 2” cutter and clear the house to the street first. If the kitchen line isn’t clogged completely use an enzyme drain cleaner in warm water. Do whatever the directions call for and make a 4X larger dose so what you pour in can make it to the sewer clean out and coat everything. It will take 2 jars or bottles of product and you’ll have to do more than 5 applications to get 1/2 of the grease dissolved. It doesn’t hurt any plumbing.
@@TL.... ruclips.net/video/L2tA8d8Lw2A/видео.htmlsi=nzWi4lfFkgTwF4RE This is a old video using the powdered enzyme, my favorite, one more bug than the liquid version. It’s made by several different manufacturers so get ‘anyones’ seeing you are in Canada we may not be able to ship.
I have a blockage somewhere. When I run the kitchen sink, dish washer or washer. The water comes up out of the floor pipe flooding the basement basically. Can I use this acid? I’ve had a plumber come out and snake it and it did not help. I’ve tried boiling water and pouring it down the drains nothing is working. What do you recommend?
That is your basement lateral that runs from the kitchen stack (your laundry below adds lint to the grease from the kitchen) across the house to the city drain. Muriatic acid is for mineral deposits, you have organic deposits, so no. Micro doses of Sulfuric acid may burn an opening through all the ‘sludge’ however the right ‘sewer man’ not a plumber, should be able to open the line and not charge until the drain is cleared. One warning, cast iron lines installed in the 1950’s can be paper thin on the bottom from all the ’acidic acid’ that flowed through the line over all the years. No cure, dig and replace $$.
What do you think about Instant Power Main Line product? I ordered Rooto for the main drain, how long should I let it sit for? Water is backing up into my tub.
I have never sold or used this product but it looks like a typical heavy duty drain cleaner. It is not the super strong sulfuric acid style drain cleaner, which is so strong. It’s not for everybody. I have found that shower. Drains that are usually a 6 foot pipe clogged all 6 foot long, requires using small doses at first until you can get a little water flowing. Once you have water flow, then you can go with a dose or two followed by a glass of water so as the drain cleaner is chased down the length of the 6 foot pipe. I then leave it there for 20 minutes or so and then flush w/water.
@@MrHardware1 Thank u for the response!!! Water does drain, just extremely slowly. It can't handle a shower. Should I still micro dose with the rooto? Or entire bottle?
@@Coookydoe my advice is to micro dose. Too much drain cleaner loosens up a bunch of crud in the beginning which then clogs the remaining half of the line full. 3 diluted small doses gets the line cleaned about 1/2 way clean. In fact you’ll think you’re done, however the results will only last 6 months or so. 3 more small doses should get the line clean enough you get 5 years or more.
@@MrHardware1 The situation just got so much worse, all of a sudden. The main drain is completely full of water and the tub is full of water. The toilet won't flush. Should I still micro dose with the main drain full of water?
I was advised by the person that cleaned out my septic tank to pour a gallon of muriatic acid directly into the tank..would this be harmful or no issues?
@@jeffmoorhead6644 he must of had a reason. I personally rather leave some of the sludge in there as it contains ‘start up’ bacteria to keep the tank healthy. The acid won’t hurt much, ‘if at all’, because it won’t be acidic for long once it contacts the organic still in the tank.
@MrHardware1 thanks for responding, I had mentioned to the septic employee that the aerator(?) hasn't worked in months. He mentioned it was not important to have one..
Hello Mr. Hardware, thanks for the videos; Is 15-18 percent Muriatic acid going to be enough to unblock paper build up(outside-house pipe)? I Tried everything else. Thank you
I would suggest sulfuric acid, Rooto Professional, Liquid Fire , Zep has one and there are more. Muriatic is better for mineral deposits, sulfuric is better for organic.
My bathtub stopper has been stuck in the closed position for two years. Can I pour muriatic acid into the drain to dissolve the calcium and unstick the drain?
A bath tub stopper with a lever (also the tub overflow) mounted underneath the spout is sometimes loosened up by pouring drain cleaner or muriatic acid carefully into the overflow. Of course the lever and plate need to be removed first, which will expose the drain linkage, which will also assist in freeing up the stopper.
Yes, If the pipes under the sink are plastic PVC. Look for under the sink. Make a proper dilution/solution, in proportion to the amount of material you need to dissolve. It sounds minimal. Don PPE and Ventilate. Example:1 tsp MA :1 cup water. Poor water in container, then add MA.
So that shits gonna come out all up on the sump pit and foam up everywhere.. but mine exits the house on a horizontal wall.. cant pour in it.. and id say its gonna eat up any check valves you got on the lines also.. cuz they all got one..
@@Z-Ack actually the sump pump check valve should see very little of the acid as it should be closed after each time the pump runs. What everyone needs is a clean out on the line near the exit of the pipe as it exits the house. How else can the line be monitored or maintained? By the way most rubber seals on check valves are unaffected by diluted acid.
Pvc pipe is typically inert to the acid. Cast iron will corrode if used to excess, and sometimes the acid will enlarge an existing tiny leak in a metal pipe. I’d pay for a camera of the lines to see how bad the buildup actually is.
@@1Jaz5d what about pvc? I tried melting, eating through paint with muratic acid. It doesn't touch the paint or any plastic for that matter. In fact, if you think about it, it comes in a pvc, or very closely related, bottle. I think the issue is the heat, which should melt the glued pvc joints and possibly warp (locally melt if heat building in one area faster than heat dissipation) the pvc pipe. It seems to me that the possible way to avoid the heat, which is the only danger to the pvc, would be to add it over the course of hours, not minutes, a few ounces at a time. I have seen muratic acid that wasn't neutralized leave a hydrogen atom on steel which continued to aggressively rust the steel for 5 years before I saw any slowing. It was used before the epoxy primer and urethane because it instantly cleans rust off of steel. Flushing pipes with baking soda water as soon as possible is wise. So, I am not sure how much steel in a sump pump motor is exposed to water or how damaging it could be to the unit. The problem I see is that if you were to very slowly, over hours (or even during the course of one hour) added muratic acid to avoid risk of damaging your pvc, then you would be risking damage to any metal in the sump pump. I do not know how long a thin zinc plated steel washer can handle the diluted muratic acid before too much metal is eaten and the sump pump gets destroyed. I do not know, for sure, if any is in a sump pump water chamber or impeller mechanism that is exposed to water. We used lye based drain cleaners for years at my house, which left a soap residue. Because our kitchen sink was getting clogged weekly, even with a fine strainer, as was the upstairs bathroom sink, rather than tearing apart the plumbing under the sinks and in the basement, we put a spoonful of lye down to eat the organic matter. A huge problem arose after a decade and a half of this nonsense: the pipes became solid with the lye soap. The shop vac no longer worked. I doubt if any plumber would have had the patience to fix it. I had to spend 4 hours with an electric snake, slowly reaming out the lye, centimeter by centimeter until the pipe cleared. I had further difficulty because I got the kitchen cleared, then when I did the upstairs, the kitchen clogged again. Went upwards through the basement and redid the kitchen, which clogged the downstairs bathroom, which I have yet to get to. I am sure that clearing it will replug up the kitchen and upstairs bathroom, and I will need to resnake those for a few hours more. Taking apart the drain traps is very difficult because there are always leaks when putting back together. It always takes a few hour getting the leaks out. The upstairs bathroom has a nut with little to no room for a pipe wrench, yet the back nut nearly needs a breaker bar to tighten before it stops leaking. While the plumbers were barely able to get a working pitch and yaw lined up pipe system to get my sink piped to the wall. This makes reassembly nearly impossible. It takes some time, and trips to Ace hardware, every time to get that back together. I am in a unique position, because all our grey water is sump pumped into its own mound septic system, separate from toilet. This means that I don't need to worry about bleach or acid killing the poop eating bacteria. Nor do we need to worry about thousands of gallons of water each week that no septic system should need to worry about.
Actually I use muriatic acid to clean oxidation off of copper fixtures I’m reusing as home decor. I can’t say if it reacts to solder in the fittings so I’d still use it just occasionally as needed.
Seeing as this is a just once every 10 years procedure, and the fact that the muriatic attic acid will be attacking the calcium at the same time it comes in contact with the pipe there is little chance the pipe will be ‘eaten’ through. One time in many the pipe may be previously comprised and the acid burns through the bad spot.
Our city has the worst hard water I've ever seen. I suppose that I cannot use this inside my home? I think we have the nastiest calcium buildup under my house between the kitchen and the bathroom. The bathrooms are fine. A professional snake didn't work and nothing else works except crawling under the house and redoing the pipes. How frustrating! But I'm assuming the fumes to this will be a bad thing inside the house from all levels. I'm at my wits end and I definitely do not have thousands of dollars to give t o a plumber. Our pipes are PVC so that should be fine. I've tried it all: drano, snaking, vinegar, Dawn, etc. My sons twice were able to get it to flow but they can't duplicate it. It's so weird. And it's a slow slow drain. Like hours before the sink clears. I'm pretty sure it's calcium that just hardens again and then gets filled with fats. I personally don't drain fats but my son decided to cook and drain his :/ It was somewhat fine until after the fixed it and he started cooking. Then it immediately clogged and now it is slow again.
The extra heavy duty, drain cleaners, which are mostly sulfuric acid, not muriatic acid, worked the best in kitchen lines. The problem is you cannot use it through a disposal and it is done using a water chaser behind it so when you pour in about 6 to 8 ounces of acid you follow it with 12 ounces of cold water and that dilute acid so can go down the line to dissolve the clog. Sulfuric acid is very stinky also but in the right hands it is the best drain cleaner when you’re in a situation like yours. Once you get the line moving, then you can use an enzyme drain cleaner, which is the slowest of all drain openers but the safest and I use it multiple times, up to six, in order for it to eventually eat the drains clean
(This comment of mine contains a questions, but has muratic acid observations from 4 decades of muratic acid and lye usage.) I tried melting, eating through paint with muratic acid. It doesn't touch the paint or any plastic for that matter. (It flattens urethane paint, which is about all) In fact, if you think about it, it comes in a pvc, or very closely related, bottle. I think the issue is the heat, which should melt the glued pvc joints and possibly warp (locally melt if heat building in one area faster than heat dissipation) the pvc pipe. It seems to me that the possible way to avoid the heat, which is the only danger to the pvc, would be to add it over the course of hours, not minutes, a few ounces at a time. I have seen muratic acid that wasn't neutralized leave a hydrogen atom on steel which continued to aggressively rust the steel for 5 years before I saw any slowing. It was used before the epoxy primer and urethane because it instantly cleans rust off of steel. Flushing pipes with baking soda water as soon as possible is wise. So, I am not sure how much steel in a sump pump motor is exposed to water or how damaging it could be to the unit. The problem I see is that if you were to very slowly, over hours (or even during the course of one hour) added muratic acid to avoid risk of damaging your pvc, then you would be risking damage to any metal in the sump pump. I do not know how long a thin zinc plated steel washer can handle the diluted muratic acid before too much metal is eaten and the sump pump gets destroyed. I do not know, for sure, if any is in a sump pump water chamber or impeller mechanism that is exposed to water. We used lye based drain cleaners for years at my house, which left a soap residue. Because our kitchen sink was getting clogged weekly, even with a fine strainer, as was the upstairs bathroom sink, rather than tearing apart the plumbing under the sinks and in the basement, we put a spoonful of lye down to eat the organic matter. A huge problem arose after a decade and a half of this nonsense: the pipes became solid with the lye soap. The shop vac no longer worked. I doubt if any plumber would have had the patience to fix it. I had to spend 4 hours with an electric snake, slowly reaming out the lye, centimeter by centimeter until the pipe cleared. I had further difficulty because I got the kitchen cleared, then when I did the upstairs, the kitchen clogged again. Went upwards through the basement and redid the kitchen, which clogged the downstairs bathroom, which I have yet to get to. I am sure that clearing it will replug up the kitchen and upstairs bathroom, and I will need to resnake those for a few hours more. Taking apart the drain traps is very difficult because there are always leaks when putting back together. It always takes a few hour getting the leaks out. The upstairs bathroom has a nut with little to no room for a pipe wrench, yet the back nut nearly needs a breaker bar to tighten before it stops leaking. While the plumbers were barely able to get a working pitch and yaw lined up pipe system to get my sink piped to the wall. This makes reassembly nearly impossible. It takes some time, and trips to Ace hardware, every time to get that back together. I am in a unique position, because all our grey water is sump pumped into its own mound septic system, separate from toilet. This means that I don't need to worry about bleach or acid killing the poop eating bacteria. Nor do we need to worry about thousands of gallons of water each week that no septic system should need to worry about. I would add that i have used lye to dissolve water based paint for decades. A synthetic brush soaked in lye overnight, rinses clean the next morning. Cotton paint shirts and pants soaked in lye, rinse out most of dried paint as well, without damaging the fabric. 100 percent of the paint comes out if you use a bristle brush. After about 2 weeks of nightly soaking, the lye starts to eat the wood paint brush handle and the brush will fall apart. Some brands use water based epoxy which will get weakened or destroyed by the lye. Natural bristle brushes are made of pig hair. The lye dissolves those hair bristles over night, which is a shame because I only use 4 inch white China brushes because natural hair holds 6 times more paint than synthetic, plus you don't need to worry about the flagging getting destroyed in a few hours from hitting corners. Once the bristle flag ends get crumpled, the brushes load capacity drops in half or more... White China 3 inch brushes will often out produce ,2 to 1, any synthetic paint brush on windows, especially storm windows for some reason. I learned this the hard way.
First of all, we are using the muriatic acid in a clean out just outside of the sump. The check valve and all the water between the clean out and the pump make for a good cushion preventing any acid from contact w/the pump. One gallon poured into a sump discharge line will spread down the line leaving little at any one point to create enough heat to distort the pipe. I have distorted a laundry pvc line using sulfuric acid which is my favorite drain opener used properly. Muriatic cuts minerals, sulfuric cuts organics. Another good drain opener, although slow, is using enzyme drain cleaner. Change your traps to pvc and get extra washers anytime you reassemble them. Kitchen and lavatory lines are usually ’low pitch’ between the wall and the stack, 3 to 6’ (the lateral) and this is where the clogs are. Use drain cleaners w/ a chaser of water (6 to 8 ounces) to get the drain cleaner past the trap and into the lateral where the clog is. I don’t recommend using acidic, or caustic, drain cleaners on a continuing routine. Only enzyme can be used continuously, and usually they require 3 to 5 doses to achieve results.
"you need to wear glasses, gloves, respirator..." as he proceeds pouring it without wearing glasses, gloves or respirator 😂
So what is the true take away of this video then now???🤣😭
Emphasis on "You"
Good to know it wont eat through pvc! Do I need to dilute it and how soon after should I run water and does the temp of the water matter? My shower drain basically looks like it has stalactites I found when getting help taking a section out in the basement and replacing it with pvc, which not surprisingly didn’t solve the issue through the rest of the piping- which I suspect is cast iron or something akin. Last question, approximately how long do the vapors last to have an idea for how long I should keep my dogs outside during the process for their safety?
Don’t dilute it, wait about an hour. Hot water could cause the acid to flare up so keep clear of the access hole if so. Plain hose water is fine, don’t go out of your way to use hot. In the house I use an enzyme drain cleaner not muriatic acid. Or ‘Hair clog’ drain cleaners for the bath. Once you flush it w water it is inert, just keep everyone away from the outlet if it’s accessible, like an open ditch. Even that would be safe in another hour or two depending on how much acid you use. When in doubt flush w more water.
Will the acid eat away oila and fat
How much should you use and how long before the smell disappears
A gallon is a good start unless the ‘run’ is only 30’ or less. Flush w water and the smell is gone in minutes.
Always good information. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for the video! What if you don't know for sure if your clog is due to calcium build up? Is it still safe to pour a gallon of Muriatic Acid down the sump pump drain? I had someone out to snake out my drainage line but it got stuck after 10 feet. They sent out a person with the camera and they said the pipe goes into a smaller pipe that the camera can't get through. They are quoting about 4k to pull out the pipe and reinstall. I was wondering if I should just try a gallon of Muriatic Acid first before I spend the 4k.
My RUclips producer was in the exact same position as you. We used to Muriatic acid, may be up to 3 gallons because of the distance the line went before it ran into a city storm drain and we opened it and it’s working fine now. That is why we made the video.
@@MrHardware1 Thank you! I think I'll give it a shot since if it doesn't work, we'll be replacing the line anyway.
@@MrHardware1Thank you sir! I think this worked for me. It took 3 gallons. After the 3rd gallon, nothing was coming back up. So I gave it 30 more minutes and ran water from the hose down the drain for a few minutes and nothing came back up. I hooked back up the sump, it ran, and no backup! I did wear a mask and gloves.
@@jdneilso- Did you dump full 1 gallon of acid at the same time? How long did you wait before flushing it with water for the 1st gallon? Please advise.
@@rmshah50501 I had to put in the first gallon slowly because it kept bubbling back up while it was breaking up the calcuim buildup. So I would put in a little, wait, put in some more, wait. I had to do that for the first two gallons. By the third gallon, nothing was coming backup up. I waited about 30 minutes before putting straight water in from the hose. I hope this helps. This saved me over 5k. A company wanted 5k to dig up the ground and put in a new pipe. I plan to put a gallon down there every 5 years to keep it clean. Also, wear gloves and a mask, this stuff is strong.
Toilet drains? I have a septic system is this safe for the indoor plumbing?
Using a quart or maybe two to delime a toilet is safe because by the time it hits the tank, reacting to crud all the way, is pretty inert. If too much acid hits the tank and it kills the ‘biology’ in the tank, wait a week and retreat the tank with a couple of different septic treatments and you can revive the tank.
Great video! This seems like a potential solution to a problem that has been driving me crazy for the past couple of months! I'm in a new home, about 5 years old and had an inspection of our 4" perforated PVC footer drain tiles performed by a reputable rooter company. Among the silt that they were able to water jet out is calcium deposits that look and feel as hard as concrete filling 25% of the diameter of the pipe in some areas. The water jet didn't stand a chance against them but did move them around a bit accumulating large pieces near the T of the drain tile entering my sump. I've tried every which way to claw them out as deep as i can go from the sump end, short of hiring someone to chain descale them (potentially damaging the perforated PVC pipe). Is this safe to pour into the cleanouts and have my sump eject it? Is there any risk of damaging my foundation since i suspect a lot of it will seep out of the drain tile? hoping some will ride the channel between the row of holes in the perforated pipe and break up the hard deposits.
@@peterpsaras2623 The sump pump shouldn’t have a problem w/the acid as it will be reacting with calcium and other debris in the drain system. However if the pump was submerged in pure acid it could effect the steel in/on the pump. So a slim chance the pump could be damaged but not much. The same w/the foundation, if it were dry concrete the ‘straight’ acid will etch it. All the water existing in the system is diluting the acid making it relatively safe.
If you can get close to the tee w/the calcium you could take hose/tubing and fish it close to the debris and w/a funnel safely attached you could pour acid and deliver it close to the problem. If it’s not too hard you could pull the sump pump and leave the acid work for an hour or so (it should be neutralized by then) and then pump it out.
As an aside like 2 pumps in a hole, 2 check valves, one above the other in the pit, leaves the lower one to do all the work w/the upper pump ready when the lower one dies. Then lower the upper pump to the bottom and when able install a new upper pump. This way you get to use a pump until it is dead w/our risk of flooding.
ruclips.net/video/o82khS_JTS0/видео.htmlsi=D31CZen5dtoMPSb7. This is a second pump video.
@MrHardware1 great advice. I'll be attempting the targeted approach you suggested. I actually have a water powered pump as a backup (liberty sj10) which should neutralize everything as it pumps it all out. Otherwise I do have an old pump as a spare that I don't mind beating up. Thanks for the help!
@@peterpsaras2623 drop me a line as to your progress (success I hope) and what worked. The Liberty pump is a great way to evacuate.
my wife and I are moving into an older house on July 20th, it is built in 1931 - apparently the current elderly, widowed lady owner was pouring hot grease/oil/fat down the kitchen sink after frying etc-- the water draining in that sink is a nightmare, and the basement larger pipes have FATBERGS-- pipes and lines in the entire house and immediate outside underground are a wild mix of pretty much everything, believe it or not = a mix of copper, abs, pvc, pex, galvanized steel, lead, clay, cast iron ----------anyways, my question is, can I pour say a gallon (3.78 liters) of Muriatic Acid into the kitchen sink and let it sit for 24 hours in order to dissolve the fatbergs and generally clean out whatever other organic matter might be in the piping and lines ? - Thank you in advance and cheers from Toronto!
@@TL.... TO, do not use muriatic acid on these drains. It may work on some of the crud there, but sulfuric acid is the better one. However all that grease, as it gets loosened up it can clog the line further down. Imagine that you would like to clear the line at the end first, and work your way back to the sink. Is the drain clear from the house to the city main? If it’s slow start there w/a sewer machine w/a 2” cutter and clear the house to the street first. If the kitchen line isn’t clogged completely use an enzyme drain cleaner in warm water. Do whatever the directions call for and make a 4X larger dose so what you pour in can make it to the sewer clean out and coat everything. It will take 2 jars or bottles of product and you’ll have to do more than 5 applications to get 1/2 of the grease dissolved. It doesn’t hurt any plumbing.
@@TL.... mrhardware.com/articles-and-videos/grease-clog/
@@TL.... ruclips.net/video/L2tA8d8Lw2A/видео.htmlsi=nzWi4lfFkgTwF4RE This is a old video using the powdered enzyme, my favorite, one more bug than the liquid version. It’s made by several different manufacturers so get ‘anyones’ seeing you are in Canada we may not be able to ship.
I have a blockage somewhere. When I run the kitchen sink, dish washer or washer. The water comes up out of the floor pipe flooding the basement basically. Can I use this acid? I’ve had a plumber come out and snake it and it did not help. I’ve tried boiling water and pouring it down the drains nothing is working. What do you recommend?
That is your basement lateral that runs from the kitchen stack (your laundry below adds lint to the grease from the kitchen) across the house to the city drain. Muriatic acid is for mineral deposits, you have organic deposits, so no. Micro doses of Sulfuric acid may burn an opening through all the ‘sludge’ however the right ‘sewer man’ not a plumber, should be able to open the line and not charge until the drain is cleared. One warning, cast iron lines installed in the 1950’s can be paper thin on the bottom from all the ’acidic acid’ that flowed through the line over all the years. No cure, dig and replace $$.
What do you think about Instant Power Main Line product? I ordered Rooto for the main drain, how long should I let it sit for? Water is backing up into my tub.
I have never sold or used this product but it looks like a typical heavy duty drain cleaner. It is not the super strong sulfuric acid style drain cleaner, which is so strong. It’s not for everybody. I have found that shower. Drains that are usually a 6 foot pipe clogged all 6 foot long, requires using small doses at first until you can get a little water flowing. Once you have water flow, then you can go with a dose or two followed by a glass of water so as the drain cleaner is chased down the length of the 6 foot pipe. I then leave it there for 20 minutes or so and then flush w/water.
@@MrHardware1 Thank u for the response!!! Water does drain, just extremely slowly. It can't handle a shower. Should I still micro dose with the rooto? Or entire bottle?
@@Coookydoe my advice is to micro dose. Too much drain cleaner loosens up a bunch of crud in the beginning which then clogs the remaining half of the line full. 3 diluted small doses gets the line cleaned about 1/2 way clean. In fact you’ll think you’re done, however the results will only last 6 months or so. 3 more small doses should get the line clean enough you get 5 years or more.
@@MrHardware1 Thank u!!
@@MrHardware1 The situation just got so much worse, all of a sudden. The main drain is completely full of water and the tub is full of water. The toilet won't flush. Should I still micro dose with the main drain full of water?
Thanks for the video. Saved my butt
I was advised by the person that cleaned out my septic tank to pour a gallon of muriatic acid directly into the tank..would this be harmful or no issues?
@@jeffmoorhead6644 he must of had a reason. I personally rather leave some of the sludge in there as it contains ‘start up’ bacteria to keep the tank healthy. The acid won’t hurt much, ‘if at all’, because it won’t be acidic for long once it contacts the organic still in the tank.
@MrHardware1 thanks for responding, I had mentioned to the septic employee that the aerator(?) hasn't worked in months. He mentioned it was not important to have one..
@@jeffmoorhead6644 the aerator enhances the bacteria and puts the tank on steroids. I’d add one to mine if it wasn’t so difficult.
Hello Mr. Hardware, thanks for the videos; Is 15-18 percent Muriatic acid going to be enough to unblock paper build up(outside-house pipe)? I Tried everything else. Thank you
I would suggest sulfuric acid, Rooto Professional, Liquid Fire , Zep has one and there are more. Muriatic is better for mineral deposits, sulfuric is better for organic.
@@MrHardware1 Thank you
Thanks for the video. Very helpful. Thank you.
My bathtub stopper has been stuck in the closed position for two years. Can I pour muriatic acid into the drain to dissolve the calcium and unstick the drain?
A bath tub stopper with a lever (also the tub overflow) mounted underneath the spout is sometimes loosened up by pouring drain cleaner or muriatic acid carefully into the overflow. Of course the lever and plate need to be removed first, which will expose the drain linkage, which will also assist in freeing up the stopper.
Yes, If the pipes under the sink are plastic PVC. Look for under the sink. Make a proper dilution/solution, in proportion to the amount of material you need to dissolve. It sounds minimal. Don PPE and Ventilate.
Example:1 tsp MA :1 cup water. Poor water in container, then add MA.
So that shits gonna come out all up on the sump pit and foam up everywhere.. but mine exits the house on a horizontal wall.. cant pour in it.. and id say its gonna eat up any check valves you got on the lines also.. cuz they all got one..
@@Z-Ack actually the sump pump check valve should see very little of the acid as it should be closed after each time the pump runs. What everyone needs is a clean out on the line near the exit of the pipe as it exits the house. How else can the line be monitored or maintained? By the way most rubber seals on check valves are unaffected by diluted acid.
Thanks Mr hardware
What about all the pipes under the house that have the same build up??
Pvc pipe is typically inert to the acid. Cast iron will corrode if used to excess, and sometimes the acid will enlarge an existing tiny leak in a metal pipe. I’d pay for a camera of the lines to see how bad the buildup actually is.
Agreed. I’ve seen way too much use as a cure all and eventually eat through pipes.
@@1Jaz5d what about pvc?
I tried melting, eating through paint with muratic acid. It doesn't touch the paint or any plastic for that matter. In fact, if you think about it, it comes in a pvc, or very closely related, bottle.
I think the issue is the heat, which should melt the glued pvc joints and possibly warp (locally melt if heat building in one area faster than heat dissipation) the pvc pipe.
It seems to me that the possible way to avoid the heat, which is the only danger to the pvc, would be to add it over the course of hours, not minutes, a few ounces at a time.
I have seen muratic acid that wasn't neutralized leave a hydrogen atom on steel which continued to aggressively rust the steel for 5 years before I saw any slowing. It was used before the epoxy primer and urethane because it instantly cleans rust off of steel. Flushing pipes with baking soda water as soon as possible is wise.
So, I am not sure how much steel in a sump pump motor is exposed to water or how damaging it could be to the unit.
The problem I see is that if you were to very slowly, over hours (or even during the course of one hour) added muratic acid to avoid risk of damaging your pvc, then you would be risking damage to any metal in the sump pump. I do not know how long a thin zinc plated steel washer can handle the diluted muratic acid before too much metal is eaten and the sump pump gets destroyed. I do not know, for sure, if any is in a sump pump water chamber or impeller mechanism that is exposed to water.
We used lye based drain cleaners for years at my house, which left a soap residue. Because our kitchen sink was getting clogged weekly, even with a fine strainer, as was the upstairs bathroom sink, rather than tearing apart the plumbing under the sinks and in the basement, we put a spoonful of lye down to eat the organic matter. A huge problem arose after a decade and a half of this nonsense: the pipes became solid with the lye soap. The shop vac no longer worked. I doubt if any plumber would have had the patience to fix it. I had to spend 4 hours with an electric snake, slowly reaming out the lye, centimeter by centimeter until the pipe cleared. I had further difficulty because I got the kitchen cleared, then when I did the upstairs, the kitchen clogged again. Went upwards through the basement and redid the kitchen, which clogged the downstairs bathroom, which I have yet to get to. I am sure that clearing it will replug up the kitchen and upstairs bathroom, and I will need to resnake those for a few hours more.
Taking apart the drain traps is very difficult because there are always leaks when putting back together. It always takes a few hour getting the leaks out. The upstairs bathroom has a nut with little to no room for a pipe wrench, yet the back nut nearly needs a breaker bar to tighten before it stops leaking. While the plumbers were barely able to get a working pitch and yaw lined up pipe system to get my sink piped to the wall. This makes reassembly nearly impossible. It takes some time, and trips to Ace hardware, every time to get that back together.
I am in a unique position, because all our grey water is sump pumped into its own mound septic system, separate from toilet. This means that I don't need to worry about bleach or acid killing the poop eating bacteria. Nor do we need to worry about thousands of gallons of water each week that no septic system should need to worry about.
I’m referring to metal. It won’t hurt plastic.
What about old copper pipes?
Actually I use muriatic acid to clean oxidation off of copper fixtures I’m reusing as home decor. I can’t say if it reacts to solder in the fittings so I’d still use it just occasionally as needed.
How about iron pipe clogged by calcium?
Seeing as this is a just once every 10 years procedure, and the fact that the muriatic attic acid will be attacking the calcium at the same time it comes in contact with the pipe there is little chance the pipe will be ‘eaten’ through. One time in many the pipe may be previously comprised and the acid burns through the bad spot.
Lol so much for the gloves and eye protection
👍👍😉
aka HCl - Hydrochloric Acid.
Our city has the worst hard water I've ever seen. I suppose that I cannot use this inside my home? I think we have the nastiest calcium buildup under my house between the kitchen and the bathroom. The bathrooms are fine. A professional snake didn't work and nothing else works except crawling under the house and redoing the pipes. How frustrating! But I'm assuming the fumes to this will be a bad thing inside the house from all levels. I'm at my wits end and I definitely do not have thousands of dollars to give t o a plumber. Our pipes are PVC so that should be fine. I've tried it all: drano, snaking, vinegar, Dawn, etc. My sons twice were able to get it to flow but they can't duplicate it. It's so weird. And it's a slow slow drain. Like hours before the sink clears. I'm pretty sure it's calcium that just hardens again and then gets filled with fats. I personally don't drain fats but my son decided to cook and drain his :/ It was somewhat fine until after the fixed it and he started cooking. Then it immediately clogged and now it is slow again.
The extra heavy duty, drain cleaners, which are mostly sulfuric acid, not muriatic acid, worked the best in kitchen lines. The problem is you cannot use it through a disposal and it is done using a water chaser behind it so when you pour in about 6 to 8 ounces of acid you follow it with 12 ounces of cold water and that dilute acid so can go down the line to dissolve the clog. Sulfuric acid is very stinky also but in the right hands it is the best drain cleaner when you’re in a situation like yours.
Once you get the line moving, then you can use an enzyme drain cleaner, which is the slowest of all drain openers but the safest and I use it multiple times, up to six, in order for it to eventually eat the drains clean
@@MrHardware1 you are a love thank you. We removed the disposal for good so that won’t be a problem.
(This comment of mine contains a questions, but has muratic acid observations from 4 decades of muratic acid and lye usage.)
I tried melting, eating through paint with muratic acid. It doesn't touch the paint or any plastic for that matter. (It flattens urethane paint, which is about all) In fact, if you think about it, it comes in a pvc, or very closely related, bottle.
I think the issue is the heat, which should melt the glued pvc joints and possibly warp (locally melt if heat building in one area faster than heat dissipation) the pvc pipe.
It seems to me that the possible way to avoid the heat, which is the only danger to the pvc, would be to add it over the course of hours, not minutes, a few ounces at a time.
I have seen muratic acid that wasn't neutralized leave a hydrogen atom on steel which continued to aggressively rust the steel for 5 years before I saw any slowing. It was used before the epoxy primer and urethane because it instantly cleans rust off of steel. Flushing pipes with baking soda water as soon as possible is wise.
So, I am not sure how much steel in a sump pump motor is exposed to water or how damaging it could be to the unit.
The problem I see is that if you were to very slowly, over hours (or even during the course of one hour) added muratic acid to avoid risk of damaging your pvc, then you would be risking damage to any metal in the sump pump. I do not know how long a thin zinc plated steel washer can handle the diluted muratic acid before too much metal is eaten and the sump pump gets destroyed. I do not know, for sure, if any is in a sump pump water chamber or impeller mechanism that is exposed to water.
We used lye based drain cleaners for years at my house, which left a soap residue. Because our kitchen sink was getting clogged weekly, even with a fine strainer, as was the upstairs bathroom sink, rather than tearing apart the plumbing under the sinks and in the basement, we put a spoonful of lye down to eat the organic matter. A huge problem arose after a decade and a half of this nonsense: the pipes became solid with the lye soap. The shop vac no longer worked. I doubt if any plumber would have had the patience to fix it. I had to spend 4 hours with an electric snake, slowly reaming out the lye, centimeter by centimeter until the pipe cleared. I had further difficulty because I got the kitchen cleared, then when I did the upstairs, the kitchen clogged again. Went upwards through the basement and redid the kitchen, which clogged the downstairs bathroom, which I have yet to get to. I am sure that clearing it will replug up the kitchen and upstairs bathroom, and I will need to resnake those for a few hours more.
Taking apart the drain traps is very difficult because there are always leaks when putting back together. It always takes a few hour getting the leaks out. The upstairs bathroom has a nut with little to no room for a pipe wrench, yet the back nut nearly needs a breaker bar to tighten before it stops leaking. While the plumbers were barely able to get a working pitch and yaw lined up pipe system to get my sink piped to the wall. This makes reassembly nearly impossible. It takes some time, and trips to Ace hardware, every time to get that back together.
I am in a unique position, because all our grey water is sump pumped into its own mound septic system, separate from toilet. This means that I don't need to worry about bleach or acid killing the poop eating bacteria. Nor do we need to worry about thousands of gallons of water each week that no septic system should need to worry about.
I would add that i have used lye to dissolve water based paint for decades. A synthetic brush soaked in lye overnight, rinses clean the next morning. Cotton paint shirts and pants soaked in lye, rinse out most of dried paint as well, without damaging the fabric. 100 percent of the paint comes out if you use a bristle brush. After about 2 weeks of nightly soaking, the lye starts to eat the wood paint brush handle and the brush will fall apart. Some brands use water based epoxy which will get weakened or destroyed by the lye. Natural bristle brushes are made of pig hair. The lye dissolves those hair bristles over night, which is a shame because I only use 4 inch white China brushes because natural hair holds 6 times more paint than synthetic, plus you don't need to worry about the flagging getting destroyed in a few hours from hitting corners. Once the bristle flag ends get crumpled, the brushes load capacity drops in half or more... White China 3 inch brushes will often out produce ,2 to 1, any synthetic paint brush on windows, especially storm windows for some reason. I learned this the hard way.
First of all, we are using the muriatic acid in a clean out just outside of the sump. The check valve and all the water between the clean out and the pump make for a good cushion preventing any acid from contact w/the pump.
One gallon poured into a sump discharge line will spread down the line leaving little at any one point to create enough heat to distort the pipe. I have distorted a laundry pvc line using sulfuric acid which is my favorite drain opener used properly.
Muriatic cuts minerals, sulfuric cuts organics.
Another good drain opener, although slow, is using enzyme drain cleaner.
Change your traps to pvc and get extra washers anytime you reassemble them.
Kitchen and lavatory lines are usually ’low pitch’ between the wall and the stack, 3 to 6’ (the lateral) and this is where the clogs are. Use drain cleaners w/ a chaser of water (6 to 8 ounces) to get the drain cleaner past the trap and into the lateral where the clog is.
I don’t recommend using acidic, or caustic, drain cleaners on a continuing routine. Only enzyme can be used continuously, and usually they require 3 to 5 doses to achieve results.