Enzymatic drain treatment
One of the two chemically opposite families the poisons service divides the drain aisle into — and the only one that works by growing something rather than destroying it.
Precautions
- Never mix with other cleaning products
- Keep away from children and pets
- Check the manufacturer's instructions
In detail
The UK poisons service divides drain cleaners into two categories that are chemically opposite, and this is the half nobody reads about. Enzymatic products contain bacteria and enzymes; non-enzymatic products are strong acids or strong alkalis. The difference in mechanism produces a difference in everything else. An enzymatic product digests organic matter — fats, food residue, hair proteins, soap scum — over hours to days as the culture works, so it is a maintenance product rather than an emergency one, and it will not clear a fully blocked pipe in the time a caustic will. What it does instead is act on the film lining the pipe wall, which is where the narrowing and the smell actually come from. Three practical consequences. It needs contact time and standing water is its working environment, so it is applied when the drain will not be used, typically overnight. It is destroyed by the other family, so a trap that has held caustic or acid will not support a culture until flushed. And it does nothing about a mechanical blockage such as a lost object.
Properties
- pH
- Approximately neutral
What works
Enzymatic drain treatment is effective against Grease Supported
Slow by design. It works on the film lining the pipe rather than clearing a blockage in the time a caustic would.
Why
- Enzymatic drain treatment is explained by Enzymes in cleaning
- Enzymatic drain treatment is explained by Biofilm
Sources for this page
Sources
What's in drain cleaner and what happens if you drink it?
National Capital Poison Center (Poison Control) · Poison or chemical-safety authority
Relied on for: That drain cleaners divide into enzymatic products containing bacteria and enzymes and non-enzymatic products that are strong acids or strong alkalis, and that some non-enzymatic products generate heat. (states this directly)
Chemistry World, Royal Society of Chemistry · Credible secondary source
Relied on for: That proteases act on proteins, lipases on fatty material and amylases on starches, which is the enzyme classes such a product relies on. (states this directly)