OT - Handy Homeowner Tip Time!

Fred19Flintstone

I've got a great plumbing tip. I live with Wilma and my two daughters and they all have long hair.  A couple of days ago, the tub drain was real slow so I grabbed the zip strip and pulled out a wad of hair the size of a large mouse or a small rat, I'm not sure.  Anyway, the drain was still slow.  I tried some liquid drain cleaner, no dice.  Drano Professional Strength crystals made it smoke a bit, but the drain was still real slow.  A buddy of mine turned me on to Thrift.  It's a crystal and real powerful and works in seconds!  We got it from a plumbing wholesaler, but I think you can get it from Amazon.  If you like Drano, this is Drano on steroids!  Be careful with it!!!

nolaegghead

That's sodium hydroxide.  Also good for making pretzels!

Yep, that's good stuff.  The only thing better for drains is sulfuric acid and it's really nasty stuff to handle.  Instantly burns flesh.  Sodium hydroxide gives you a chance to freak out when your skin starts hurting and run to the sink. 

Fred19Flintstone

MMMMMM!!!  Drain Cleaner Pretzels!!!!!

Skiddymarker

Good tip, SWMBO is the chemical queen when it comes to cleaning, kinda like Tim the Tool Man Taylor when it comes to the bucket and mop set, power is good. She will love this stuff, her birthday is coming up....

Maybe you need those screen things that go over the drain to catch the hair before it accumulate sin the trap.

nolaegghead

Ain't no substitute for lye, and that's no lie.    Behold!
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2014/08/09/338591194/for-a-proper-pretzel-crust-count-on-chemistry-and-memories

Fred19Flintstone

Skiddymarker said:

Good tip, SWMBO is the chemical queen when it comes to cleaning, kinda like Tim the Tool Man Taylor when it comes to the bucket and mop set, power is good. She will love this stuff, her birthday is coming up....

Maybe you need those screen things that go over the drain to catch the hair before it accumulate sin the trap.

Hair screen is in place.  Birthdays sound interesting at your house Skiddy:

"Here's some drain cleaner, Honey.  Happy Birthday!"

"Oh my sweet Skiddy!  You are so thoughtful!  This is the best Birthday ever!!"

fishlessman

heres the lye i use for pretzels and yes it goes down the tub drain, it will also eat the enamel in a enameled cast iron, dont ask me how i know

fishlessman

looks like no pics for me again today
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v225/fishlessman/008-26.jpg

Lit

Also good at stripping old cast iron if it really is lye.

DMW

@fishlessman Here you go:

fishlessman

pretty sure what you have will make a sodium hydroxide bomb, google it. all you need is a piece of tin foil, a plastic soda bottle, and liquid lye, and the ability to run

UrbanForestTurnings

We will have to start posting pictures of the largest hair balls.

blasting

Maybe a hairball throwdown?  Somebody might offer a cutting board up as a prize...

UrbanForestTurnings

Hope that goes over better than my redneck ThrowDown . No one posted anything legit 

theyolksonyou

Make sure you put a warning in the title if you post hair ball throw down. Hate run across that at meal time. 

tkleager

Thrift is also good for cleaning out your sinus if you have an infection.  I disagree with the "Odorless" part.  Leaves an odor in the shower for a day or so, but it is damn good stuff.  Sold a ton of it when I worked at the plumbing shop with my dad.

We dump a bottle down the drain every 6 months for the septic system.  Haven't had to pump the tank in 2 years. 

Mickey

I'm on a septic system an it sucks. Can't use anything and pay a few hundred a year for some idiot to look at each year so the county will not shut me down. 

henapple

@fredflinstone. ..looks like a laxative bottle...

GATraveller

@henapple - I'm sure it'll clean you out.  "like drinking clorox......it'll clean you out but'll leave you all hollow inside" -Frank Drebin.

Fred19Flintstone

Go easy on the cheese, drink lots of water and you'll make it!

UrbanForestTurnings

Now you tell me after I smoked 4lbs

Fred19Flintstone

That looks great!  What kind is it?  It sure looks Gouda!

Skiddymarker

Fred19Flintstone said:

Skiddymarker said:

Good tip, SWMBO is the chemical queen when it comes to cleaning, kinda like Tim the Tool Man Taylor when it comes to the bucket and mop set, power is good. She will love this stuff, her birthday is coming up....

Maybe you need those screen things that go over the drain to catch the hair before it accumulates in the trap.

Hair screen is in place.  Birthdays sound interesting at your house Skiddy:

"Here's some drain cleaner, Honey.  Happy Birthday!"

"Oh my sweet Skiddy!  You are so thoughtful!  This is the best Birthday ever!!"

You have no idea. 15 years ago the Company had us attend a time management seminar. The topic came up about how your time was the most valuable gift you could give to someone, wether it be socially or by doing something for them. Told SWMBO about it and she agreed wholeheartedly. For her BD I gave her the promise of my time, 4.5 litters of oil and a filter for a free oil change. I found out how she really felt about giving your time. It took a week for the swelling to go down after she slammed the Fram PH8A into the side of my head. Even when I do what she says, I get it wrong.  

SwampBadger

nolaegghead said:

That's sodium hydroxide.  Also good for making pretzels!

And curing olives.  In California, used to home cure gallons of olives every year.  Took two lye baths in a giant ice chest.  Thanks for the memories.

Fred19Flintstone

Skiddy, that sounds like when I gave the first Mrs Flintstone a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas.  Good intentions, but that practical gift makes a big goose egg on the noggin.

Canugghead

OK, we have a dilemma and hopefully someone has a brilliant idea to help us ...
We converted from electric to gas cooking over a year ago.  Unlike electric, if we forget to turn off a burner after simmering something on low, there's no indicator/idiot light to warn us.  You guessed it, we've left a burner on numerous times and fortunately so far no disaster yet.

Question: is there a gadget/alarm we can somehow hook up to warn us? 

Edit: this looks interesting/promising 
http://www.stoveguardintl.com/Product-Natural-Gas.html

nolaegghead

Fred19Flintstone said:

Skiddy, that sounds like when I gave the first Mrs Flintstone a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas.  Good intentions, but that practical gift makes a big goose egg on the noggin.

Perhaps the attachments desired were not included?

UrbanForestTurnings

Fred19Flintstone said:

That looks great!  What kind is it?  It sure looks Gouda!

White cheddar for my butchers.

UrbanForestTurnings

nolaegghead said:

Fred19Flintstone said:

Skiddy, that sounds like when I gave the first Mrs Flintstone a Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas.  Good intentions, but that practical gift makes a big goose egg on the noggin.

Perhaps the attachments desired were not included?

I think it was our 2nd anniversary . I ask Mama what would she like. MaMa said anything gold. Well hell I thought. I got her something gold that ran on batteries. And it wasn't a watch. 

UrbanForestTurnings

Guess what. Don't ever do that 

NPHuskerFL

I'm on a septic system. I use baking soda and vinegar followed by boiling water. Sometimes it takes a couple of shots but, it does work & it's 100% septic safe. 

http://queenofclean.com/