Health is not related to food, and it also depends on hygiene. And after digestion, you must use a washroom. A neat and clean restroom is eye-soothing and ensures a healthy family. And no one loves to see a dirty, clogged toilet in the morning. Unclogging a bathroom is difficult, but an effective cleaner makes it easy. Drano is the best example of this. Here you can learn what this Drano is, why you need it in the restroom, how to use it etc.
What is Drano Max Gel?
Now every family is familiar with the name Drano because it’s a must-have item in the hygiene section of the bathroom. This is a hard chemical used to unclog any stuck toilet very quickly. The Drano came with a gel-type chemical that contained the bleach formula. This gel cuts through the stuck water and melts down the toughest clog in the drainage pipe. This excellent chemical formula contains sodium hydroxide, chloride, hypochlorite, bleach, and aluminum. This is effective when the toilet is clogged by hair, soap, tissue, or soft objects. To clear this clog, it just needs 30 minutes to melt down all the dirt from the pipe. And some people believe that it doesn’t work at all. But let’s see whether it is a working method or not.
How does the Drano work in the toilet?
You can find three cleaners in the Drano toilet clog cleaner: enzymatic, caustic, and acidic. The working forces are also different among these three types. The working process of these three is given below:
- Enzymatic: it’s said that this enzymatic cleaner is a “green choice.” Because this contains bacteria used to produce the enzyme, and this enzyme eats, or meltdown, the clogged item in the pipe. This takes 24 hours to consume for paper or hair-type clogs. This is a popular solution because it’s not harming any drainage system.
- Caustic: This alkaline chemical works best in soap scum and food-type items. This chemical turns this into a soapy product and mixes with the water. After that, it just easily breaks down the clog in the pipe. But this solution is not perfect for a drainage system older than 20 years.
- Acidic: the last type of solution you can find in the market is acidic Drano. This solution contains hydrochloric or sulfuric acid, and this is very handy in heavy-duty clogs like food, hair, tissue, soap, etc., in a new metal or plastic pipe in the showers, tubs, and toilet drains.
These three types are used in different situations. So when you find how many clogs in the pipe are and the villain behind this problem, you can easily see which one is the perfect solution for unclogging your washroom.
Note: this is an essential thing you need to keep in your mind. Flush the toilet with hot water after removing the clog from the drainage with Drano Max gel’s help. Push the clogging element at the septic tank so that it won’t happen in the future.
How to use the Drano Max gel?
For using this chemical in your washroom, flush it with 4 ounces of Drano solution down to the toilet for three consecutive days. You can get the best result if you use the solution before going to bed and stop using the bathroom for 6-8 hours to do its job correctly.
Does Drano Max gel work on clogged toilets?
Now revealing, the main question spinning in your mind, is this solution working? What is the problem? Yes. Because most of the bathrooms are made with porcelain traps, this S-shaped trap located at the bottom of the bathroom creates a siphoning effect so that all the waste goes down to the sewer system without making any gas leak in every flush.
When you put Drano solution into the pipe, the chemical combines with aluminum and creates an oxidizing chemical reaction, this reaction produces heat there, and this helps to decompose the clog faster.
But this solution also creates bubbles to make the clog meltdown. When this chemical produces excess heat, it causes a crack in the porcelain trap or the bowl. And when you notice damage in the toilet, do you know what to do next? There is no solution to repair this; you just need to throw out the whole toilet and install a new one.
Let’s talk about the metal pipe now. The solution of Drano also causes corrosion in the metal or softens it. Then there is also a health risk if you use this further. You may end up with burning eyes or skin. Another thing you need to know, when you pour the chemical into the toilet, it will heat the clop spot, then you need to use a plunger to remove the clog from the area. If this solution mixes with other chemicals like bleach, its ammonia creates harmful toxic gas chloramines. And this gas poisons the environment with irritation in the eye, breathing issues, and chest pain. So it’s totally dangerous for health.
What are the alternatives to the Drano solution?
Using chemicals is harmful to your family and dangerous to the environment. There are many eco-friendly options you can find to unclog your stuck toilet. Here I give you some examples:
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The Plunger:
This is the most common and popular cleaning item for unclogging any toilet. You can easily find it in any market. And using this, you can clean the stuck problem you face in the restroom. It’s an excellent option to clean the simple mess you create. You need some muscle to remove the clog from the pipe without chemicals or soap.
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Toilet Auger:
When the Plunger fails to help you out with the clogged situation, you can easily go with another most used unclogged thing, the toilet auger. This snake device is specially designed for removing clogs from the pipe. You also notice this in every plumber, and this is a ubiquitous device. If you try to search in the local market, you can easily find it in the household or sanitary section.
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Diy solution:
Many homemade solutions help remove a clog from the pipe, like baking soda, vinegar and detergent, and hot water. Baking soda and vinegar is a prevalent method. It’s also an advantageous way to clean the toilet. Just put some soda into the toilet bowl. Then pour the vinegar. You can see the bubbles of reaction in there. Leave the bathroom for several minutes. Then clean with fresh water. The process is done, and for the second method, just put some detergent into the bowl. Let it sit for a moment, and take water in a bowl to heat up. When the water is appropriately hot but not at boiling point, throw it in the toilet bowl and let sit the solution for 10 minutes. After that, I think you successfully solve the issue without harming the ecosystem and saving some money.
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Another option:
Here we talk in detail about the most used ones. But you also clean the toilet using bleach, natural enzymes, or Drano Max build-up remover. Yes, this solution is mils, and it takes 24 hours to solve the issue. You can go with this; otherwise, you need help from the plumber.
Conclusion
In the end, this Drano solution is not a perfect solution. But you can use it if you want. Try to use it very carefully, and it’s very harmful to health. Flush the toilet with hot water after cleaning the toilet with the Drano Max gel. This water cleans the whole drainage system and prevents some future clog issues.
We are really lucky to have a hard-working, multi-skilled plumber on our team. Collin D. Gallegos, a professional plumber who has worked with us since 2012, is an expert in vent, septic, and drainage systems. He is a Certified Master Plumber and has worked on various commercial plumbing projects. He usually helps our readers resolve plumbing and pipe-related issues with a proper DIY troubleshooting and repair guide.