Can You Use Chemical Drain Cleaners in Your Motorhome?
Drano is a caustic chemical cleaner that creates heat to eat away any obstruction in its path. This is one chemical people (usually first-time motorhome owners) prefer to use when they experience a clog in their vehicle. Drano is a very-harsh chemical that, when used to unclog, can damage the piping system of an motorhome. Let’s look at some areas In an RV where Drano should not be used. They include:
- Toilet: do not pour Drano or other chemical drainer cleaners in the toilets of a motorhome because it can cause damage to the black tanks, dump valves, rubber seals, and pipes.
- Sinks: As mentioned earlier, Drano is a caustic chemical cleaner, a harsh chemical that can cause damage to the water holding tanks and any rubber seals of the sink.
- Showers: Avoid using chemical cleaners in your showers. It can cause damage to the water holding tanks of your motorhome.
- Motorhome black and gray tanks: All pipework in a motorhome is connected and drains into a black and gray tank, and the use of Drano and other abrasive cleaners damages the dump valves. Plus, it kills the bacteria in these tanks that are needed to break down waste and damage them.
In essence, the chemicals used to produce Drano are too harsh for the pipework of a motorhome, and it would be wise not to use it in your vehicle. Luckily, there are safer alternatives, some of which are:
- Vinegar and baking soda: These items may look cheap, but they are very effective when used to unclog pipework in an RV. They use this acid-base chemical reaction in unclogging and cleaning your sink.
- Hot water: This is another easy and effective way. Hot water helps break down solids in your tanks and pipes easily, thus, helping you flush them down. When using hot water, it is advisable to use it moderately, and too much can still damage the pipe work.
- Enzyme-based drain cleaners: Compared to Drano, this is a better alternative to use in a motorhome; it breaks down oil and fats sediments in the tanks and pipes, and since it contains fatty acid, it lowers the PH level eliminating odors.
- Drain bio drain cleaners: This is a biologically made treatment used to degrade and eat out fat and oil sediments that clog the piping work of a motorhome. It also eliminates odors. This cleaner is effective because it was initially made for boat and RV use.
We have successfully looked at better alternatives for motorhome use instead of Drano, and now let us get to the cause of this problem. Without the sink clogging, there would be no need to use Drano, so we should avoid our sink getting clogged. Let’s look at something that can clog pipe work in your vehicle and try to avoid them.
- Fats and oil
- Hair
- Foreign objects
- Use of bar soaps and waxy hair conditioners.
Conclusion
The main point of this article is to show you that Drano and other chemical cleaning agents are bad for your motorhome’s pipework and that there are better alternatives. The best way to care for your motorhome’s pipework is to do away with habits that cause blockage and regularly run maintenance on the pipeline of your RV.
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