Just realized the plumber who said skip the liquid drain cleaner was right after my sink turned into a science experiment

Mila Mitchell · 2026-10-31T22:45:05.816405+00:00

My uncle has been doing plumbing for like 25 years and he kept telling me to quit pouring that gel stuff down my bathroom sink. I ignored him because the bottle said it was safe for pipes and it was only $8 at the hardware store on Maple. So last Saturday the sink clogged up again and I dumped half a bottle in, and about 20 minutes later the water started backing up with this awful smell and these black flakes floating around. Turns out the stuff had eaten through an old rubber gasket under the trap and water was dripping into the cabinet below. I had to pull everything out, mop up the mess, and my uncle came over and just shook his head at me while he swapped in a $4 part. He said the gel just melts the gunk into a sludge that clogs deeper, and a $12 drain snake would have fixed it the first time. Now the cabinet smells like a swimming pool and I owe him a pizza. Has anyone else had a drain fix go this sideways, or am I the only one who trusted the bottle over family?

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Just realized the plumber who said skip the liquid drain cleaner was right after my sink turned into a science experiment | Busted Repair Horror Stories - HW Forums