A lot of things can make your drain clogged. This includes hair, wipes, tampons, food, and, most importantly, harsh chemicals.
Harsh chemicals can be harmful to your drain PVC pipes. Many suggest that vinegar is effective in unclogging pipes, but will vinegar hurt PVC Pipes when on them?
Although vinegar is acidic, it won’t hurt your PVC pipes. When used on PVC pipes, it won’t generate heat inside the PVC, unlike other chemical cleaners that potentially melt PVC pipes.
If you want to use vinegar to unclog your PVC, the best way to about it is to pour baking soda down the pipes.
Read more about using vinegar on PVC pipes, its advantages, and if it’s a good alternative for unclogging PVC pipes, along with other frequently related questions.
Table of Contents
- Will Vinegar Hurt PVC Pipes?
- Can Vinegar Damage PVC Pipes?
- What Makes Vinegar a Better than Other Cleaning Chemicals?
- How To Clean a PVC Pipe with Vinegar
- FAQs
- Will Vinegar Hurt PVC Pipes – Final Verdict
Will Vinegar Hurt PVC Pipes?
No, vinegar will not hurt your PVC pipes as it is not formulated like other harsh chemical cleaners.
Vinegar is acidic, meaning it can be corrosive. When used on PVC pipes, it doesn’t generate heat inside the pipe, which could make it start melting.
This makes it a better cleaning solution for your toilet, bath drain, or shower than other harsh commercial cleaners.
Can Vinegar Damage PVC Pipes?
As stated earlier, vinegar cannot damage PVC pipes. In addition to being acidic, vinegar is also corrosive at the same time, and it can damage PVC pipes.
Generally, vinegar has an acetic acid content of approximately 4-7%, and pickling vinegar (roughly 7%) has the highest acetic acid content.
It is not recommended to use anything over 7-10% for unclogging PVC drain pipes since it contains acetic acid. You can only buy something over 10% with a license if it is even higher.
Vinegar is strong enough to bite through some natural materials, but PVC pipes are not that soft. PVC pipes are also known for their cost-effectiveness, strength, and durability.
Also, they are corrosion-resistant and thermoplastic, so getting in contact with vinegar won’t harm them.
Vinegar is an effective cleaning solution and is often better than many store-bought cleaning supplies.
No matter what caused the clog, whether it is hair, food, or wipes, no matter how severe the problem is, do not reach for harsh chemicals.
You also use vinegar to clean shower heads, bath drains, PVC pipes, and toilet bowls.
Even if you only want to clean your toilet bowl with vinegar, once you flush it, vinegar will start running through the drain pipes and get the job done.
What Makes Vinegar a Better than Other Cleaning Chemicals?
Some commercial cleaning products are available in stores or markets, but many are harsh and incompatible with certain pipes, especially PVC pipes.
PVC pipes are durable, corrosion-resistant, and solid. However, they cannot withstand the chemical reactions that other commercial products may cause.
These commercial chemical products can damage PVC because they contain sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, or sodium hydroxide, thus producing too much heat when mixed in water.
This high heat is bad for PVC pipes because it can damage them when it exceeds a boiling point. When PVC pipes are exposed to heat, they melt.
So if you pour these chemical products into your PVC pipes, you risk damaging them.
On the other hand, vinegar will not hurt your PVC since it contains 4-8% acetic acid, which is too low to damage a pipe.
Try pouring hot water after applying vinegar with baking soda to your pipes. Many people confirmed that you could successfully unclog your pipes using hot water.
However, you should be wary of doing this because PVC is plastic. The boiling water can cause it to melt and leak too.
How To Clean a PVC Pipe with Vinegar
Vinegar can be very effective when used on clogged drains. You can unleash its cleaning power by mixing vinegar and baking soda. This combination produces carbon dioxide when combined.
Due to the pressure generated in the pipes, carbon dioxide can lose and goop out nearly any material when it comes in contact with water.
We suggest you use distilled water or apple cider vinegar as the most effective.
Here’s how to clean your PVC pipe with vinegar
- Pour a bowl or bucket of warm water down the drain
- Create a mixture of 1 cup of vinegar and 1 cup of baking soda, and pour it down the drain.
- You can close the drain to allow more pressure to generate in the pipe if you’re fighting a severe clog.
- Allow the mixture to sit for 10-15 minutes, pour another bowl of warm water and wait for the fizzing reaction.
Read Also: Does Baking Soda and Vinegar Dissolve Hair in a Drain? Explained
FAQs
Can I Use Vinegar and Dish Soap Together?
Yes, you can use the two together to unclog your sink. The mixture of dish soap and vinegar makes a great sprayable cleaner, or you can pour it down the kitchen sink when it is not draining.
If there are many greases down there, use salt as well. You can use salt to break down grease and fat accumulations in drains, then pour a bucket of warm water as soon as you’re done.
Lemon water is another option. Any homemade or DIY solution except those that contain chemicals will work. You can also use soft drinks like (coca cola or Pepsi).
These drinks are acidic, can help unclog smaller hold-ups in PVC, and won’t damage it.
Is Baking Soda And Vinegar Safe For Plumbing?
Many DIY homeowners (and plumbers) often use baking soda and vinegar to unclog drains or prevent drains from getting clogged.
Again, no matter what the pipes are made of, it will not damage your pipes as long as you use the recommended doses of baking soda and vinegar.
What Cleaning Chemical Should You Mix with Vinegar?
Mixing vinegar with hydrogen peroxide would enhance vinegar’s cleaning power.
However, combining these two powerful cleaning chemicals might damage your PVC pipes. Also, do not mix vinegar with bleach, as it can damage your pipe.
Can I Pour Boiling Water Down The Sink?
If you’ve ever made a pot of white rice, you most likely have poured boiling water down your drain.
You may now wonder if pouring boiling water down your sink is okay if you’ve read anything about maintaining your water pipes.
Well, the answer is quite unclear because it depends on the materials that make up your pipes and the materials that make up your sink.
Since boiling water is 212° F, any pipe (or sink, for that matter) that cannot tolerate that heat will not be able to stand up to being subjected to the high temperatures of boiling water.
Will Vinegar Hurt PVC Pipes – Final Verdict
The answer is NO! You can use vinegar on your PVC pipes, which will not damage them. Vinegar is acidic, but its acidity is not high enough to hurt your PVC pipes.
On the other hand, using cleaning chemicals that contain sulfuric acid, hydrochloric acid, and sodium hydroxide on your PVC pipes is not a good idea. Their heat can damage and melt the pipe seals.
Use vinegar and baking soda to clean and unclog your drain pipes. It is the best, safest, and budget-friendliest way to unclog your PVC pipes.