Is Vinegar Safe For My Plumbing?

We have written several articles mentioning the use of vinegar in your plumbing pipes.

• Does vinegar clean hard water stains?
• What dissolves calcium building in drains?
• Homemade drain cleaners that work.
• How to unclog your garbage disposal.
• Why are centipedes coming out of my sewer drain?

These are just a few of the articles that we've written for you. But you may have been told that vinegar is not necessarily safe for your plumbing pipes.

The answer is that vinegar will not harm your pipes if used in small doses as recommended in many of the recipes that you find online. No matter what your pipes are made of, pex, pvc, copper, etc. Vinegar will not harm your water pipes.

Is The Combination Of Baking Soda And Vinegar Safe For Plumbing?

Many DIY homeowners (and plumbers) recommend the combination of baking soda and vinegar to help unclog drains or to be used as maintnance to keep drains from getting clogged.

Again, no matter what your pipes are made of (as we mentioned earlier) there is no harm to them when using the recommended doses of baking soda and vinegar.

Will Vinegar Clear A Slow Drain?

If your sink is slow to drain (vs. being completely clogged) and you use vinegar on the problem as soon as you notice that it's draining slowly, the answer is that "yes" - the use of vinegar to clear a slow drain is possible.

BUT - vinegar alone will not work. Instead, you need to combine the vinegar with another agent such as baking soda.

A simple recipe of 1/2 cup of baking soda combined with 1/2 cup of white vinegar is the generally recommended formula for clearing a slow drain.

Is It OK To Pour Boiling Water Down The Sink?

If you've ever made a pot of spaghetti you most likely have poured boiling water down your drain. And if you've read anything at all about best tips on maintaining your water pipes, you may now be wondering if it's even okay to pour boiling water down your sink.

Well, the answer is not so clear cut because it depends on the material your pipes are made of and the material your sink is made of.

Know that boiling water is 212° F so any pipe (or sink for that matter) that cannot tolerate that temperature will not be able to stand up to being subjected to the high temperatures of boiling liquid.

For more details on the type of pipes that can and cannot withstand boiling water see our article on Can I Pour Boiling Water Into My Sink Drain?

If you have any questions about your plumbing system or are having some problems with it, call Atlantis Plumbing today at 770-505-8570. We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.