Tonight we went to Wal-Mart in search of a quick fix to our basement drain problem. We asked the wizened old toothless man that was working at Wal-Mart for something to unstop a basement drain. He took me to the industrial chemicals aisle. The bottle we settled on was “Main Line Cleaner” and was in a relatively nondescript white bottle. It had DANGER SEVERE CHEMICALS or something like that on the bottom and POISON on the other side. On the neck of the bottle was a small sticker that said GUARANTEED TO WORK.
I am skeptical.
I got another 15 gallons or so of water out of the carpet pad tonight, and water has taken to pooling near the drain. I used the shop vac to pick up whatever water I could from the drain before starting to pour the chemicals down there. I got just under 1/4 of the bottle poured out before it started pooling, but the bottle said to use all of the product at once for best results. So I now have a puddle of severe chemicals in my utility room.
Hopefully I will either wake up tomorrow with an unstopped basement drain or a hole eaten through my foundation. Either way, water will be able to evacuate. Otherwise, its back to the drawing board. I do know one thing… with the amount od spray-off that the shop vac has been providing I am NOT going to vacuum up any spare chemical that may remain tomorrow, lest I be blinded.
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Okay – since I have only seen your house on google maps, you seem to be surrounded by trees – or at least were when the satellite came overhead. It’s possible, if the caustic chemicals don’t work, that tree roots have worked their way in to the main sewer line leaving the house. The roots themselves aren’t _that_ awful but they do accumulate things that lead to blockages… If the chemicals don’t work, you may need to snake it so I wish you luck with the chemicals! dbv
Thanks Dave… I was kind’ve hoping you’d have some sage advice to offer on this. Somehow I figured that a man that can get himself out of a river and build himself a dock could help me figure out how to snake a drain.
Its going to be a call to Roto Rooter if the pool of chemicals still exists tomorrow morning. This same company that made this drain crap also made a “root dissolver” but I don’t think I’m going to throw any more money out for chemicals that could be spent getting the job done right.
just pour a bottle of bleach down there and then a bottle of amonia. that should fix it.
just for the record, i am kidding. with my luck this would be the first time you ever listened to me, then i would have that on my conscience. i am never quite sure how well you computer geeks know your chemical reactions. I usually figure that geeks know alot, but the vanirjones always goes and proves me wrong. Some geeks only know one thing and are completly gullable.
at least make a new one, and besides, what sort of argument is that, you are again showing your inability to make a comeback that doesnt involve computers.
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