Is Drain Cleaner an Acid or Base

Is drain cleaner an acid or base? Drain cleaners are chemical substances operated to sewer pipes, clean sinks, drains, and plumbing fixtures. The kinds of cleaners on the market differ some are acids, and some are bases, each with its particular advantages and disadvantages. The pH level in every drain cleaner will regulate either the drain cleaner is an acid or a base.

Drain cleaners

A drain cleaner is a chemical product that dislodges sewer pipes or clogged wastewater drains. The term may also refer to a mechanical device for example a plumber’s snake, toilet plunger, drain auger, or similar device. At times, the term is applied to a plumber or other individual who does the drain cleaning and hygiene.

Chemical drain cleaners, handheld drain augers, plungers, air burst drain cleaners, and home remedy drain cleaners are usually applied to the issue of a clogged single drain, such as a sink, toilet, tub, or shower drain. An effective drain cleaner can eliminate soft obstructions (such as hair and grease) accumulating near the fixture’s drain inlet.

If more than one plumbing fixture is blocked then electric drain cleaners, battery-powered drain cleaners, sewer jetters, or some mechanical devices are generally needed to clear obstructions along the entire length of the drain piping system, that is, from fixture drain inlets via the main building drains and lateral piping outside the building to the collector sewer mains.

Alkaline drain openers

Alkaline drain openers basically contain sodium hydroxide (lye) and few may contain potassium hydroxide. They may be available in liquid or solid form.

Solid formulations of harmful alkaline drain cleaners are made of a caustic substance (often sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide), aluminum substances, and additives. These additives also include wetting agents like alkyl aryl sulfonates, but the actual nature of these additives is not known for commercial drain cleaners, as they are regarded as the trade secrets which make each drain cleaner distinctive to its brand.

The aluminum particles which are included in the solid caustic drain cleaner is aluminum oxide which breaks down and re-oxidizes to release hydrogen gas. The components of this reaction are mentioned below. Because the release of hydrogen gas is overall an exothermic reaction the extra heat released aids to break down the greases, oils, etc. that form the clog.

1. Breakdown of aluminum oxide: Al2O3 + 2NaOH + 3H2O → 2Na[Al(OH)
   4]

2. Oxidation of aluminum metal: 2Al + 2NaOH + 6H2O → 2Na[Al(OH)
   4] + 3H2

The actual breakdown of a clog takes place by reaction with the hydroxide ions (-OH) done by the cleaner. Clogs are composed of natural substances like hair, fats, oils, etc. and breakdown occurs through a saponification reaction of a base and triglycerol. The hydroxide ions from the dissolution of lye in water strike the carbonyl carbons of the fat, which rapidly kicks off the hydrophobic tails of the triglyceride (e.g. glyceryl trioleate) to isolate glycerol and a fatty acid salt.

Alkaline drain openers can dissolve fats and hair (containing proteins) inside pipes through alkaline hydrolysis of amide and ester functionalities respectively:

RCONH2 (amide or proteins)+ OH− → NH3 + RCOO−

RCO2R’ (ester or fats)+ OH− → R’OH + RCOO−

Because solid lye is hygroscopic it is difficult to place the solid particles of the cleaner directly in proximity to the clog. Otherwise, the lye itself will absorb water and actually create a mass on it’s own, worsening the clogging problem.

Liquid formulations of corrosive alkaline drain cleaners might contain lye (sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide) and sodium hypochlorite (bleach) in concentrations up to 60 percent. Other corrosive mixtures are present as two-part cleaners that are mixed as they are poured into the drain opening. Inside the drain, both the solutions react to release a gas, and surfactants confine the gas as dense foam. The intent of this foaming action is to coat the inside of the drain pipe to remove more of the substances that form the clog. Because liquid alkaline drain cleaners are essentially a base dissolved in water, this is even denser than water and can sink to the source of the clog.