[science2000]

Does anyone know of a drain cleaner that I could get at Walmart or Lowes that's pure potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide in water? No hypochlorite or dispersants or that junk included. I'd appreciate any help.

[limpet chicken]

I would order it online, my ahem...contacts, in america that are into certain things, told me, that wally world pulled red devil lye (NaOH) to fight meth cooks.

Idiots

[jdurg]

You can go on E-Bay and get as much KOH or NaOH as you could ever hope to use.  It is incredibly inexpensive and readily available since you cannot make soaps without it.

[Chrataxe]

Isn't that pretty much what drano or liquid plmbr is?  If not, oven cleaner is pretty much pure NaOH.  Though, I wouldn't recomend it.  I was trying to clean a pan with that a while back....got all over the sink...no good.  And when it is sprayed out, it bounces off and gets inhaled...not reccomended.

[jdurg]

A lot of the drain cleaners also contain some aluminum metal granules in there.  This way when you dump it down the drain and the water hits it, the Al and NaOH react to create a lot of gas pressure (H2) which will break up the clogs.

[Borek]

A lot of the drain cleaners also contain some aluminum metal granules in there.  This way when you dump it down the drain and the water hits it, the Al and NaOH react to create a lot of gas pressure (H2) which will break up the clogs.

Are you sure it is a pressure what works? I think it is rather hydrogen in statu nascendi - highly reactive and thus able to reduce most of organic substances.

[jdurg]

Yes, it's a physical reaction with the hydrogen and not a chemical one.  The majority of clogs in a drain are caused by hair and other solid materials.  By pouring the mixture of Al and NaOH down the drain and then adding water, you create a VERY strong frothing which disrupts the solid clog and allows stuff to move through the pipes.

[woelen]

Yes, it's a physical reaction with the hydrogen and not a chemical one.  The majority of clogs in a drain are caused by hair and other solid materials.  By pouring the mixture of Al and NaOH down the drain and then adding water, you create a VERY strong frothing which disrupts the solid clog and allows stuff to move through the pipes.

I also think that a chemical action is used as the basis for the drain cleaners. Over here in the Netherlands the drain cleaners are made of 99% pure NaOH, without aluminium and other stuff in there. You have to pour 100 to 150 gram of the solid (in the form of small granules) in the drain and then add warm water. Next, you have to let it sit for a few minutes and rinse it away. From my experience I can tell you, it works very well, also without the Al-pieces in it.

[jdurg]

I also think that a chemical action is used as the basis for the drain cleaners. Over here in the Netherlands the drain cleaners are made of 99% pure NaOH, without aluminium and other stuff in there. You have to pour 100 to 150 gram of the solid (in the form of small granules) in the drain and then add warm water. Next, you have to let it sit for a few minutes and rinse it away. From my experience I can tell you, it works very well, also without the Al-pieces in it.

Yup.  NaOH is VERY good at dissolving organic substances like greases, hairs, "gunk", and if you've ever spilled any on your hands you'll know it dissolves flesh quite easily too.  Here in the US there are a few types.  The normal draino type stuff that is just powdered lye, and the "clog disrupting" junk that is used to help clean out a clog which isn't fully a clog, but is just really slowing down the movement of water.  That's the stuff that has the Al in it.  

[limpet chicken]

Jdurg, you got that right, about dissolving flesh, my nasal septum still isn't quite right, after a nasty incident a year or two ago when an electrolytic cell spat out a lump of Na, right up my right nostril

I still have a few scars on my arm from where the cell exploded, treating me to a nice molten NaOH bath, on the odd occasion I have ever actually used lye for its ahem, intended purpose, works a damn sight better than those shitty modern cleaning sprays and the like.

Sometimes, it seems like some of the old-fashioned stuff we used to use are better, lye, chloral hydrate, all the old fashioned s#*$ often turns out working better than the stuff generally promoted now, meh, could just be one of my crazy sleep-deprived ideas, but knowing me, I am probably right

[joeflsts]

I would order it online, my ahem...contacts, in america that are into certain things, told me, that wally world pulled red devil lye (NaOH) to fight meth cooks.

Idiots

I'm not so sure this was the reason for pulling Red Devil.  I honestly think the reason Red Devil is gone is because of demand.  The major chains didn't carry it which left the MFG of Red Devil to rely on the smaller retailers.  The reason I believe this is because I can walk into certain stores and buy KOH by the 50lb bag with no questions asked.  NaOH can be purchased from this same source in the same qauntity.  I personally think that Red Devil just didn't have enough demand to justify the production costs.

Joe