While it is okay to pour boiling water down sink drains, you should never use boiling water in your toilet, as the heat can cause the porcelain to crack. Instead, run your tub until the water is hot and fill a good-sized stockpot or bucket with it.
This can melt PVC piping and pipe seals, causing serious damage. In addition, using boiling water to clear a clogged toilet can melt the wax ring around the toilet, or even crack the porcelain bowl, leading to a pricey trip to your favorite hardware store.
When you see the symptoms of a nasty clog, the best option you have is to pour hot water into your toilet bowl. You can use the hottest setting from your faucet first. If you need to heat some in the microwave or the stovetop, you don't want it to reach boiling temperatures.
Hot Water and Dish Soap
When the water is extremely hot, but not boiling, pour into the toilet carefully. Wait for 10-15 minutes while the dish soap and hot water soften the clog. Once you do so, the toilet will unclog and flush freely.
The general rule of thumb is that hot boiling water can soften or even slightly melt the joints in your PVC pipes so YES, if you subject these types of pipes to high temperature water on a regular basis - they can be damaged, causing leaks and eventually requiring replacement.
Pouring boiling water is quite risky as it might lead to a steam burn or scalding. Another thing to keep in mind is what type of material you are pouring in into. If you have a porcelain sink, it is likely to crack due to the heat. All in all, pouring boiling water down your drain will only cause issues down the road.
Sometimes you can clear a clog in metal pipes by simply emptying a kettle of boiling water down the drain, a little at a time. You can pour the water down the drain without removing the shower drain cover. Do not pour boiling water down PVC pipes, which can be damaged by the heat.
Caustic Soda
Caustic soda is a nasty chemical that can burn, but it's very effective for unclogging toilets. To use this chemical, you need to get some rubber gloves and eye protection. You can pick the chemical from the local hardware or grocery stores.
The best way is to pour some bleach and washing liquid into the toilet bowl and swirl the plunger for a few minutes in the mixture. Then rinse it by flushing the toilet twice. This will also help move the blockage forward.
Dish soap, hand soap, or even shampoo can help get the clog moving through the pipes! What is this? Just squirt a few tablespoons of soap or shampoo into the toilet bowl, wait a couple more minutes, then flush. The combination of the hot water and soap should be enough to unclog a toilet and get the water moving again!
Baking soda and vinegar – put one cup of baking soda into the blocked toilet and wait two minutes. Afterwards, slowly pour two cups of vinegar and wait a few minutes before flushing the toilet. Dish soap and water – put dish soap, then hot water into the toilet.
Coke and Pepsi are loaded with phosphoric acid, which breaks down the buildup that can clog your drains! Phosphoric acid can even remove lime scale and another tough buildup that regular cleaners struggle with. This is an effective and refreshing home remedy if we ever saw one!
For tough clogs, use a full cup. While that sits, bring a half pot of water (about 4 cups) to boil. Pour this directly into the drain very slowly but steadily to avoid getting burned by splashing water. Allow to sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then run water down the drain to check how freely water flows.
Make sure you run hot water at least once a week. However, there's one time when you should run cold water, not hot: when you run your disposal. When you run your disposal with hot water, the hot water could cause the grease to melt and coat the drain.
Pour Boiling Water Down the Drain- Fruit flies can usually survive typical water flow down the drain, but boiling some hot water and pouring it down can kill flies and their eggs. Peptanks points out that this may be done a few times a week for a couple of weeks to make sure you kill any future generations of flies.
Clear a Clogged Toilet
A clog is the most common reason for a toilet that doesn't flush. Clogs can range in severity, from a complete blockage to a partial obstruction. Wipes, toilet paper and other items can build up in sewer lines, which could result in slow flushing that doesn't completely clear the bowl.
Prophylactics, or condoms, are another common item many people flush down their toilets because it seems like the most convenient option for disposal.
Here are some things to do if you have a bathroom that does not get used that often: The main thing is to run water in the sink, shower and flush the toilet at least once a week. This will keep the traps full. A trap that has evaporated will let sewer gas into your home causing odor.
No. Do not run the risk of blockage. Just avoid the awkward conversation with your mum or a plumber. If you are going to risk it, over the toilet is probably your best bet, but depending on the mass of hair you're getting rid of, there's chance of the flush backfiring.
For extra-stubborn clogs, you can let the fizz mixture sit overnight or combine this method with plunging. If your toilet remains clogged or continues to get clogged, this may be an indication of plumbing problems such as mineral buildup or pressure issues.
Pour one cup of baking soda into the clogged toilet, and then chase it with the hot water/vinegar mixture. Leave the volcano mix to do its job, checking in about 30 minutes. In most cases the clog will have come apart, and a simple flush with send it all down the drain.
Baking soda and vinegar, when mixed together, can form a chemical reaction that looks sort of like an eruption. This chemical reaction can help clear your toilet and any pipe clogs that you might have.
You can use straight or a diluted vinegar cleaning solution for the bathroom to clean bacteria, especially around the toilet. Cleaning with a mixture of baking soda and vinegar in the bathroom can work really well. To clean your toilet with vinegar, pour a cup of vinegar in the toilet bowl and let sit overnight.