Will Cola Work On My Pipes In San Diego?
Cola uses phosphoric acid to give the tangy, semi-addicting flavor we all love. Phosphoric acid in large concentrations can be utilized to clean rust off metal parts, get rid of tough limescale, and clean the nastiest of toilet scum.
But in your soda, the small concentrations have only a mild—we’re talking a very, very tiny amount—of corrosive ability. Reach out to us for leak detection help.
Cola Might Be Somewhat Effective Under These Conditions
Your drain is badly clogged. Cola requires a long time to show its effect, so the cola has to penetrate the clog for long periods. If your drain is only partially clogged, the soda will pass through the pipe without showing any change.
You can wait a long time. Ideally, you would be able to leave the cola overnight. If you want to try this hack for yourself, bring a 2-liter of cola to room temperature.
Pour the entire bottle down the drain and wait for at least two hours, and preferably overnight. Then pour some boiling water down the drain to check if the trick worked.
A Better DIY Drain Cleaner
First, a note on commercial drain cleaners. Traditional drain cleaners use sodium hydroxide or sulfuric acid to clear backed-up pipes. These are heavy-duty, highly corrosive chemicals.
- To unclog a kitchen sink, there’s a much easier, faster, and more effective solution.
- Turn off the power to your disposal. Unplug it or turn it off at the circuit breaker.
- Inspect the disposal with the help of a flashlight. Clear any apparent clogs with a tool of your choice. Just don’t use your fingers.
- If you are unable to spot an apparent clog, use a sink plunger. Fill the sink with a few inches of water to make your plunging more effective.
- Try a DIY cleaner that guarantees to work. Mix one-part baking soda to one-part vinegar, and pour it down the drain. Wait about 30 minutes before pouring hot water down the disposal to flush out any broken-down debris.
- Turn the power back on and test it.
Preventing Kitchen Drain Clogs
Don’t use your disposal as a trash can. Most of us put anything and everything food-related down the drain. But some things shouldn’t go down there:
- Fibrous foods, like celery, asparagus, or sprouts
- Fats, oils, and greases
- Eggshells
- Coffee grinds
- Bones
- Starchy food, like peels, beans, rice, or pasta
- Non-food items
Use enough water. Without flushing water, food waste builds up and leads to those pesky clogs. Keep a good flow of cold water running before and after putting your food scraps down the disposal.
Conclusion
We love to hear from our customers about their DIY success stories. But if things don’t go quite according to plan, we’ve got you covered. We at 1st Response Leak Detection can handle clogs (or other problems) of any size. Give us a call!
