I relied on my history as a chemical engineer to provide information on the effectiveness of these controversial chemicals. In my experience, I tested eight of the most commonly available chemical drainage cleaners: six alkaline and two acids. I carried out dissolution tests to assess to what extent each of them could dissolve the drainage blockages. I had one objective: to determine which products, if necessary, would effectively work against the most common clogging materials.
For this dilapidation, I went to the CNET product test laboratory in Louisville, Kentucky, to carry out a complete batch distillation experience with eight of the most commonly used chemical drainage cleaners on the market. My main objective was to determine the effectiveness of each product to dissolve various types of clogging materials, including organic matter, fat, paper products and pet hair (the same animal hair as we Let’s use for our robot vacuum cleaner tests, in fact). Throughout the experience, I also noted the pH levels of cleaning solutions when mixed with water and monitored all temperature changes. In addition, I considered the chemical composition and the versatility of the use of each product during the comparison to each other.
Acids vs bases
Before carrying out experiences with these substances, I separated them into acids and bases. As you may remember of secondary chemistry, acids are compounds that give a hydrogen ion (H +) when mixed with water and have a pH below 7. On the other hand. , the bases are compounds which accept these ions (or hydroxide, ohons) and have a pH greater than 7. Understanding this distinction is crucial, due to two important factors associated with these products: corrosivity and causticity.
Corrosivity refers to the potential of a chemical to cause rust and deterioration of the materials that make up your piping system. Causticity, on the other hand, relates to the way in which a chemical substance reacts when it comes into contact with organic matter, specifically decomposing proteins and other organic molecules, which can cause the destruction of tissues or chemical burns.
To determine the acidity or basicity of each compound, we measure their pH. In simple terms, the more acidic or basic the compound, the greater its potential for corrosivity and causticity.
Example of pH reading of one of our test subjects. 11.38 The pH corresponds to an alkaline solution.
Acid drainage cleaners, especially those with high acid concentrations such as sulfuric acid drainage cleaners, are more dangerous compared to their basic or alkaline counterparts. In chemistry, the addition of addition is important. Normally, you gradually introduce an acid with water, slowly increasing the concentration of acid. Never add water to an acid As this reaction is known to generate a significant amount of heat and to release dangerous smokes. See for yourself in the GIF below (and don’t try this at home).
The addition of water in this sulfuric acid beaker creates an immediate exothermic reaction, boiling water in contact and released dangerous smoke in the air. Do not try this at home!
To ensure safety during the experiences, I took the necessary precautions by carrying personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, gloves, long -sleeved clothes and a mask. The dissolution test was carried out in a well -ventilated laboratory area to minimize exposure to all the dangerous smoke that can be released.
Dissolution test
To start the experience, I weighed specific quantities of clogging materials in Bécchers separated from 1,000 ml:
- 4 grams of hair
- 20 grams of organic matter (10 grams each of the apple peels and carrot peels)
- 40 grams of lard for fat
- 14 grams of paper products (7 grams each of toilet paper and paper towels)
Using a graduated cylinder, I carefully measured and added 200 ml of each basic drain cleaner and 70 ml of each drainage cleaner with respective bectors, stirring the mixtures with a glass rod and in Ensuring an in -depth mixture without spills. Depending on the instructions provided with each product, I allowed solutions to sit during the recommended time, generally between 15 and 30 minutes.
A crucial step in my test was the inclusion of water, a component often neglected in similar experiences found online. Chemical drainage cleaners are designed to operate in the presence of water, which facilitates the transport of the cleaner to the hooves and uniformly distributes the solution on their surfaces, allowing the dissolution process. Once the time has been designated, I added tap water to each beaker containing cleaner solutions and clogging materials. For basic drain cleaners (pH> 7.0), I used 500 ml of hot water at 46 degrees C, while for acid drain cleaners (pH <7,0), I used 700 ml of cold water at 19 degrees C.
To allow enough time for chemicals to work, I left the samples to sit during the night and I resumed the evaluation the next morning. At this stage, the samples had turned into puffy and viscous mixtures.
Hair dissolution test in progress
To continue the experiment, I used a vacuum filtration process using a buchner funnel connected to a 1,000 ml filtering balloon equipped with a pump. The contents of each beaker was carefully poured into the funnel while the pump was activated. Once the major part of the chemical drainage cleaner had been drawn from the funnel, I carried out water to eliminate all the residual chemicals from the surface of the debris samples, ensuring that only wet solids are stayed in the Buchner funnel.
Our buchner funnel, in chemically resistant borosilica glass, included a perforated plate with 2 ml openings, allowing only the smallest particles. In my test logic, “if a substance, solid or liquid, could go through the 2 mm openings in the filter, it was very unlikely to cause clogging of the pipes.”
On the left, our vacuum filtration configuration. The solid liquids and dissolved cross 2 mm holes in the buchner funnel plate on the right – everything that does not pass is considered as a potential hoof material.
Finally, I separated the samples and subjected them to a process of drying fans for a few hours to evaporate any remaining water from washing. I recorded the final weight of each sample and compared it to its initial weight. The final weight ratio to the initial weight provided us with the dissolution efficiency of each more cleaning product.
