Can You Pour Drano Down A Garbage Disposal?

Can You Pour Drano Down A Garbage Disposal

A clogged kitchen sink can be an absolute nightmare. Most people regularly use their kitchen sink to wash dishes, rinse food, or clean during the day. While you can do without a bathroom sink, there’s something wrong with washing dishes in the bathroom.

You may find yourself reaching for the Drano, hoping that its chemical mixture will dissolve the waste clogging the garbage disposal. However, while you can use Drano on your handy garbage disposal, it’s usually not the best way to go.

Is It Safe To Use Drano To Remove Clogs From The Drain?

The short answer: No. Although S.C. Johnson, the company that makes Delano, says that all but one product (Delano Kitchen Crystal) can be used in a garbage disposal, that may not be the best idea. Why? The answer is the main ingredient in all Delano drain cleaning products: sodium hydroxide.

If you don’t have a science background, the name probably doesn’t mean anything to you. It’s essentially a chemical that helps clean drains, but it also has super-friendly nicknames, including “caustic soda”.

Drano works by generating heat with the assistance of a chemical mixture consisting of sodium hydroxide, sodium metasilicate and sodium hypochlorite (bleach). The combination of these ingredients can generate considerable heat. While the heat helps dissolve and break down stubborn clogs, it can also damage the pipes under the sink and cause all sorts of problems.

If Drano gets hung up somewhere in your garbage disposal, it can damage parts by generating too much heat.

 

Can Drano Damage Garbage Disposals?

This key ingredient is found in a variety of products, including Dual Force Foam, Liquid Clog Remover, Max Gel and Snake Plus, and may be harmful to you and your plumbing system. This compound can cause significant damage to your plumbing and cause severe burns.

In addition to potentially causing damage to your pipes, Drano can actually be harmful to you. If this chemical is left in the drain or garbage disposal, it can produce caustic soda drainage. The result is toxic fumes, especially when other chemicals, such as bleach or ammonia, are added.

While you can pour Drano down your drain and probably not notice any potential side effects, there are other ways to unclog your drain that you should try first.

 

How to Unclog A Drain Without Using Drano?

There are several ways to unclog a kitchen drain without seeking the help of caustic cleaners. While it can be very helpful in some cases, you may find that you can use safer methods to unclog.

Use a Hex Wrench

This may sound strange, but an Allen wrench can help loosen a stubborn clog that is blocking the drain. Most clogs get stuck between the rotor and the housing of the disposal tank, causing the rotor to lock up and spill down the drain.

Take an Allen wrench and insert it into the socket in the middle of the rotor under the garbage disposal. Use the hex wrench to turn it back and forth. This may help dislodge the blockage and free the rotor. Go back over the sink (with the hex wrench, don’t leave it there) and turn on the garbage disposal while draining the water.

Deeper Into the Drain

You can also use a sink plunger (no, not the pesky bathroom plunger) to unclog the drain. This can help release clogs that get stuck in pipes other than the garbage disposal. You need to hold the sink plunger completely in place at the opening so that it can create enough suction.

If there is water in the sink (about an inch or two), you may have better luck. Generally, the plunger will work better with a little water in the sink.

Use Safer Chemicals or Snakes

If neither of these methods will unblock the clog, you can try using a snake or a safer chemical. To suck the drain with a snake, you can disassemble the P-trap and use the snake to suck the drain out of the wall. This method is not particularly pleasant, but it may help.

Alternatively, you can use safer chemicals. Or, you can seek the help of baking soda and vinegar to create a foaming reaction. While the scientific experiment method usually takes a while to work, it is safe for you, the plumbing and the environment.

 

If Nothing Else Works, Can I Use Drano?

Of course, if you have tried all other methods, you can use Drano. However, you need to be very careful and aware of the damage it can do to you and the plumbing in your home. Make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If you decide to use liquid Drano as a last resort, make sure you cover the garbage disposal before you open it to avoid spills.

Doing so will help protect you from chemical burns from the chemical mixture. In addition, this will help protect the surrounding area, including your countertops and floors.

Now, if nothing seems to be working and the clog is still stuck, it may be time to call a professional plumber.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (Faq)

Can I Boil Water To Unclog A Drain?

Well, that’s debatable. Typically, hot water as a solution to unclogging a drain is hit and miss at best. It can damage or melt PVC pipes and joints, which can be a nightmare in itself. If you have metal pipes, you may have better results, but that’s usually not the best way to go.

Can I Use A Toilet Plunger To Unclog My Sink?

Technically speaking, yes, as long as the plunger cup completely covers the drain. It must be large enough to create good suction around the sewer. Now, if you have used the toilet plunger for its intended purpose, you may not want to use it in the sink, especially the kitchen sink.