Drano is a sodium hydroxide-based household drainage cleaner chemical. Drano is sold in several forms including sodium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite, sodium nitrate, sodium chloride, and aluminum.
This article will offer you deep insights into the effect of overnight application of Drano on drain pipes, sinks, tubs.
Can you leave Drano overnight?
Yes, you can leave Drano overnight. After pouring the Drano product into the drain, you can leave it overnight for a difficult clog. . Drano will react to the clog, and heat generated from the reaction will dissolve the clog. But the reaction will harm the PVC pipes as the heat generates stress.
You can leave Drano overnight. But it is not always recommendable. Drano is a drainage cleaning chemical. After pouring Drano into the clogged drain, the chemical reacts with the clog. Drano burns through the clog and dissolves clogging waste.
Drano is used in the drain pipes, sinks, tubs to clear out the clogged materials from the pipes. Drano cleans the drain and sink pipes through a chemical reaction. But heat generates as a byproduct of the chemical reaction. This heat can cause damage to the PVC pipes.
Heat generates enormous stress to the pipes. Plastic pipes are not made to withstand drastic heat. The durability of the pipes reduces drastically due to heat. Leaving the Drano overnight in the pipes generates heat, and the heat can diminish the durability of the pipes.
The effects of pouring Drano on drain pipes, sinks, and tubs are discussed hereafter –
In drain pipes:
It won’t be wise to leave Drano overnight in the drain pipes. Drano cleans the drain pipes by burning and removing the clogging stuff from the pipes. But pouring Drano in the drain will damage the PVC pipes.
The chemical composition of Drano is mostly sodium hydroxide. Sodium hydroxide generates heat when reacted with the clogged drain.
The heat produces stress on the PVC drain pipes. And thus it reduces the durability of the drain pipes. Though you can leave Drano overnight in the drain pipes, it is not recommendable.
In the sink:
You can leave Drano overnight in the sink. Sink material can withstand heat to an extent. Drano produces heat reacting with the clogged material in the sinks. Drano burns the clogging waste and cleans the drain.
For this reason, you can leave Drano overnight in the sink.
In the tub:
You can leave Drano overnight in the tubs. Tubs are specially made to withstand heat and hot water. Tubs can withstand the heat generated from the clogged material and Drano reaction.
For this reason, it is entirely safe to leave Drano overnight in the tubs.
What happens if you leave Drano in the drain pipes overnight?
If you leave Drano in the drain pipes overnight then the chemical may burn off the pipe. Drano is a drainage cleaner chemical. It reacts with the waste materials clogged in the pipes and burns waste.
Here we have discussed the possible outcomes if you leave Drano in the drain pipes overnight –
Burning the hair or grease:
If you leave Drano in the drain pipes overnight then the chemical will burn the clogged hair or grease in the pipe. Drano reacts with the clogged material and burns waste. Heat is produced due to the chemical reaction of Drano with the clogged waste.
But Drano is not powerful enough to remove all the jammed waste into the pipe. The chemical reaction will burn some of the waste but the majority of the clogging material will remain in the pipe.
Creating stress in the pipe:
Drano is a drainage cleaning chemical. Drano produces heat when the chemical burns the waste material clogged in the drain pipe. But the heat produced from the chemical reaction can be sometimes intolerable for the plastic pipes as heat generates enormous stress on the pipe walls.
Frequent use of Drano in the PVC drain pipes can reduce the durability of the pipes and cause problems such as pipe leakage and burning.
How long can I leave Drano?
You can leave the Drano max gel overnight into the drain or sink pipes before flushing the chemical down with warm water. Flushing with water will easily clean the chemical and remove all the waste material from the pipe.
But after applying Drano max gel overnight, you have to wait for another 6 hours and then you can flush the pipe with warm water.
You can leave the Drano foamer 15 to 30 minutes into the pipes before flushing the chemical down with warm water. Drano foamer is handy to use for slow-running drains. Drano is a chemical that is used to clean drains, sinks, and tubs.
Drano creates a chemical reaction with the waste materials clogged in the pipes.
But the reaction also generates heat as a byproduct and the production of heat can cause the burning of the PVC pipe walls. You can easily remove the clogging material within half an hour if you apply Drano foamer in the drain.
Can you leave Drano for longer than 30 minutes?
Yes, you can leave Drano for longer than 30 minutes. In the difficult clogging situation, you can let the product sit in the drain for as long as overnight. You have to let the product react with the clogged stuff before you flush it with warm water.
But usually for a slow-running drain, leaving Drano for 30 minutes is enough to remove the clogged waste.
How often can you use Drano Max Gel?
You can use Drano Max Gel once a month. But Drano is corrosive and it hampers the pipes. Drano removes drain clogs chemically. Drano reacts with the waste material in the drain and burns the waste products. But the chemical also burns the pipe.
For this reason, the less use of Drano Max Gel in your pipes is better. Try not to dump hair or grease into the pipes.
Will Drano damage pipes?
Drano is a corrosive chemical and it will certainly damage pipes. Drano burns through the grease and hair materials into the pipes. But along with the wastes, Drano also burns the pipes.
This damages the pipe and frequent use of Drano in the drain pipes can significantly reduce the durability of the PVC pipes.
For this reason, try not to use Drano frequently in the pipes. Drano especially damages the PVC pipes. PVC pipes are not made to withstand high heat temperatures. The chemical reaction of Drano with the waste generates high heat and it also damages the pipe walls.
How to properly use Drano?
The proper procedures of using Drano in the drain pipes are listed hereafter –
Hold the Drano with rubber gloves:
Hold the Drano with rubber gloves. Drano is a drastically corrosive chemical and you may burn your hands with it. So use a rubber glove while holding and pouring Drano into the drain or sink pipe.
Pouring Drano:
Pour the chemical into the drain. Let the chemical sit into the drain for 15 to 30 minutes. For difficult clog, you may leave the Drano into the drain overnight. But Drano has corrosive effects on pipes also.
Flushing with water:
You may flush the chemical with warm water after leaving the Drano for a while to react with the clogged material. You can also use cold water for flushing but using warm water is recommendable for a better wash.
In case of overnight application of Drano in the drain pipes, wait another 6 hours before you flush the chemical with warm water.
What to do if you put Drano too long?
The procedures you have to follow if you put Drano too long in your drain or sinks are listed hereafter –
Wash with water:
First, you have to wash the drain or sink pipes with cold water. Flush the chemical with water. This will lessen the effect of Drano on the drain or sink pipes. Also using water in the clogged area will reduce reaction heat.
Remove the clogged waste:
You can manually remove the clogged waste from the drain or sink pipes. But make sure to wear rubber gloves before handling the waste mixed with corrosive chemicals. Mechanically remove the clogged waste from the drain or sink pipes. Lastly, use water to clean the clogged area.
Check for any crack into the drain or sink pipes:
If you leave Drano too long in the drain or sink, the chemical will damage the pipes and porcelain sink. After removal of the waste from the pipes, be sure to check for any visible damages to the sink or drain pipes. You may require to change the damaged pipes.
Final thoughts
You can leave Drano overnight in the drain pipes to remove the clogs but the chemical will damage the pipe. Drano is a corrosive chemical and it burns the waste material. But Drano also burns the drain pipes. For this reason, it is not wise to leave Drano overnight in the pipes.