# Drain Opener



## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Very few plumbers know or have forgot there is a simple way to make drain opener.

I have used Lye many times to clear drains that are completely blocked where I couldn't get an auger through.

I am writing this because I had to use it again today. I tried both small and larger auger in a 1 1/2" drain from kitchen and lower laundry room and couldn't get it unblocked. 

They tell me that they have been putting coffee grinds down the kitchen drain. Last time I hit that I had to do a repipe. 

This time I will let the lye water solution sit over night and let if break the grinds down.

Hopefully this works as this drain is in the concrete floor.


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## njoy plumbing (May 19, 2009)

Lots of the old timers here swear by the coffee ground theory. HO'S that is. They don't believe it when we tell them it helped plug the drain.:laughing:


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## PLUMB TIME (Feb 2, 2009)

Man, that is old school. And I ain't young.:laughing:

Now I just tell 'em

SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

I dont know who started the rumor about coffee grinds in the sink helping out the line from plugging....

My best guess at who started it was either a Plumber...creating himself more jobs or some lazy SOB that couldn't make it to the garbage can


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## AKdaplumba (Jan 12, 2010)

busting up the floor is gonna cost more so why not do it?


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

got a lot of better things to do than Jack his floor..... because there is a subfloor on top and I dont really know how much subfloor has to be ripped out in this already finnished basement.

This first then if need be I have to demo his finnished basement


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## njoy plumbing (May 19, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> I dont know who started the rumor about coffee grinds in the sink helping out the line from plugging....
> 
> My best guess at who started it was either a Plumber...creating himself more jobs or some lazy SOB that couldn't make it to the garbage can


 Farmers almanac. Bet on it.:thumbsup:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

njoy plumbing said:


> Farmers almanac. Bet on it.:thumbsup:


Those dam farmers again :blink:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Got the boys going back this morning to do some other work for the guy..... Lets see if the Lye has worked.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

*Success.....*

Just got off the phone and the Lye mixture worked.

Eat right through the coffee grinds and what ever else was in there.

Clothes washer dumps full load of water down the drain no problem and kitchen drain works like a charm.

So much for your jack hanmer

*OH HAPPY DAY*


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

PLUMB TIME said:


> Man, that is old school. And I ain't young.:laughing:
> 
> Now I just tell 'em
> 
> SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND


*Now say hello to my little friend*


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

OldSchool said:


> *Success.....*
> 
> Just got off the phone and the Lye mixture worked.
> 
> ...


 Are you sure the water was getting all the way through the drain, or was it now going into the ground? Just messin with ya. But will that Lye do anything to eat through the walls of the drain piping? I never really had anyone ever put that many coffee grounds in a disposal, or drain, like that.
Great idea, if it works. Would that work on other clogs too?


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## retired rooter (Dec 31, 2008)

If you ever get a stopped up sink smelling with (DEVIL LYE) and the trap is is soild with the lye like cement and the mess burnes your eyes just to smell it JUST MY HONEST OPINION I hate drano devil lye and ALL crystal type drain cleaners .The only lines that were not broken down that I could not get a cable thru were( sodium hydroxide) caused stoppages I can get the soap (lye plus grease equals soap) so my granmaw said) they are tough thats where I get my small jetter out now) I tell my customers to use hot boiling water and soda and vinagar when soda in fridge needs changing just to keep it safe ?? Then hot boiling water seems to loosen plastic 1/12 inch washers on cont waste ,why I do not know??? but I hate lye!!!!!!


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Well pure lye does not have any smell to it other than a soapy smell. The drain cleaners that have lye in it would not be as concentrated as any mixture you can make. 

I used 2 lbs of lye to 1 Gallon of water and mixed it in a plastic pail with a wooden stick.

Lye is the strongest alkiline there is. 
and yes if there is any grease in the line it will turn it into soap.

I try not to use any drain opener if possible but when all else fails this would be the best alternative.

its about 500% cheaper than buying any manufactured drain opener.

As for the coffee grinds I dont think there is a product on the market that could have dissolved those coffee grinds.


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## PLUMBER_BILL (Oct 23, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> Well pure lye does not have any smell to it other than a soapy smell. The drain cleaners that have lye in it would not be as concentrated as any mixture you can make.





OldSchool said:


> I remember the old drain cleaners. "San Solvent" was dumped down many a cesspool in my day. Back in the apprenticeship days there was a new drain cleaner on the market. "BLAST OUT" We had a lavatory drain that the old manual 1/4" snake could not open. Boss's kid said go get some of that new stuff and pour in the whole damn bottle. I did, waited about 10 minutes it did not open. Called in to the shop, boss's kid said cover up the sink with some oil cloth and leave it in overnight. That did it the drain was open the next morning. Problem was there was no enamel left on the sink. Just black cast iron from the water line down.
> 
> Now you old timers remember MULE KICK?


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## TheMaster (Jun 12, 2009)

PLUMBER_BILL said:


> I remember the old drain cleaners. "San Solvent" was dumped down many a cesspool in my day. Back in the apprenticeship days there was a new drain cleaner on the market. "BLAST OUT" We had a lavatory drain that the old manual 1/4" snake could not open. Boss's kid said go get some of that new stuff and pour in the whole damn bottle. I did, waited about 10 minutes it did not open. Called in to the shop, boss's kid said cover up the sink with some oil cloth and leave it in overnight. That did it the drain was open the next morning. Problem was there was no enamel left on the sink. Just black cast iron from the water line down.
> 
> Now you old timers remember MULE KICK?


Yeah it had a Mule on the bottle with red writing....real old timey lookin graphics printed in red. It was bowl/drain cleaner......I used it a couple times to disolve urine that solidified in the bowl jet.....and a broken screw driver to chisel it out with.


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> I dont know who started the rumor about coffee grinds in the sink helping out the line from plugging....
> 
> ...or some lazy SOB that couldn't make it to the garbage can


Hey! I resemble that remark! :laughing::laughing: But seriously, I dump ALL my coffee grinds in the sink. My kit sink is my knockbox. I drink only espresso, so it's a puck at a time, unlike the large amount all at once from a drip coffee filter (nasty, undrinkable drek). But it doesn't clog the drain. 

I certainly don't believe it will _prevent_ clogs. That's total nonsense.

As long as you flush whatever you put in your drain down the line with lots of water (hot is preferable) then you usually won't have a problem. Trouble with lots of people is that they dump in what they want to get rid of, run a bit of water and walk away, leaving a heap of whatever they dumped down the drain to settle in the branch or even in the trap. Eventually it clogs.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

futz said:


> Hey! I resemble that remark! :laughing::laughing: But seriously, I dump ALL my coffee grinds in the sink. My kit sink is my knockbox. I drink only espresso, so it's a puck at a time, unlike the large amount all at once from a drip coffee filter (nasty, undrinkable drek). But it doesn't clog the drain.
> 
> I certainly don't believe it will _prevent_ clogs. That's total nonsense.
> 
> As long as you flush whatever you put in your drain down the line with lots of water (hot is preferable) then you usually won't have a problem. Trouble with lots of people is that they dump in what they want to get rid of, run a bit of water and walk away, leaving a heap of whatever they dumped down the drain to settle in the branch or even in the trap. Eventually it clogs.


Good thing you are a plumber..... you can clear your own drain for free.

Its no different than pouring sand down the drain IMO :laughing:


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## futz (Sep 17, 2009)

OldSchool said:


> Good thing you are a plumber..... you can clear your own drain for free.


 You got it. :laughing: But I've been putting coffee down the drain for many years. When I first moved in it clogged the drain because previous tenants had the drain almost-clogged and my grinds pushed it over the edge. Since I snaked it out it's been fine for... I forget how long exactly, but at least four years. Hasn't even slowed down.



OldSchool said:


> Its no different than pouring sand down the drain IMO :laughing:


I disagree. But if you don't flush it down well then that's probably true. Also, espresso grinds are ground MUCH finer than crappy drip coffee. That may have something to do with my success - maybe it carries down the line better.


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## njoy plumbing (May 19, 2009)

TheMaster said:


> Yeah it had a Mule on the bottle with red writing....real old timey lookin graphics printed in red. It was bowl/drain cleaner......I used it a couple times to disolve urine that solidified in the bowl jet.....and a broken screw driver to chisel it out with.


 I think we would have to use a hasmat suit to use it now.:yes:


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

Back in the late 70's or early 80's my dads plumbing co used to carry 2 or 3 bottles of Blast Out in each truck. One night on the way home, one of the guys rolled the truck, on its side, into a ditch. The bottles of Blast out flew around in the truck, & broke. The next day I went with my dad to look at the truck, at the tow truck yard. We were shocked to see that almost 1 whole panel, between 2 support beams, half the wheel well,& small section of floor around the wheel well, was totally gone. The broken bottles of Blast Out, had leaked & ate right through the metal of truck body. My dad was thankful the guy was not hurt, & thought about what could of happened if that chemical had gotten on to his worker, in the crash. We never used it again, after that.:no:


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Don The Plumber said:


> Back in the late 70's or early 80's my dads plumbing co used to carry 2 or 3 bottles of Blast Out in each truck. One night on the way home, one of the guys rolled the truck, on its side, into a ditch. The bottles of Blast out flew around in the truck, & broke. The next day I went with my dad to look at the truck, at the tow truck yard. We were shocked to see that almost 1 whole panel, between 2 support beams, half the wheel well,& small section of floor around the wheel well, was totally gone. The broken bottles of Blast Out, had leaked & ate right through the metal of truck body. My dad was thankful the guy was not hurt, & thought about what could of happened if that chemical had gotten on to his worker, in the crash. We never used it again, after that.:no:


Thats the great thing about LYE it is not in liquid form.
IT comes in crystal form ...just add water stir and pour solution down the drain


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## Don The Plumber (Feb 14, 2010)

OldSchool said:


> Thats the great thing about LYE it is not in liquid form.
> IT comes in crystal form ...just add water stir and pour solution down the drain


I'm skeptical about using any kind of chemical today. I like your idea, but IMO, if you can't get a cable through the drain, its time for replacement. Very seldom, atleast in my experiences of drains, & their condition, would lye seem like it would do anything, but prolong the real issue.
Coffee grounds may be a good case for Lye, but I can't think of any other, & I never run across someone putting that much coffee grounds, down a drain, to clog it solid, that my sewer cable couldn't bore through. Just saying.
Doesn't seem like you could charge enough either, for doing something like that. I'd be surprised if there wasn't other issues, in the near future with that drain. Again JMO.


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## OldSchool (Jan 30, 2010)

Well back in the day that is all they had. Do a google search and you will find that lye is made from hard wood ash. And it has many uses. You will be suprised how much lye is in your everyday product that you use. From soap to food processing.


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## SummPlumb (Feb 19, 2010)

I don't like drain openers for one reason; if it doesn't open the line, you have to end up cutting it getting the chemical on you.


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