Homeowner shares concerning observation after attempting to fix plumbing issue on their own: 'Did I royally mess up?'

A Redditor encountered some issues under their sink and reached out to r/Plumbing for help.

"I read online that you can use boiling water to help with clogged sinks," wrote the original poster. "So I used my kettle and poured the water into my kitchen sink. Since then I've noticed a part on a pipe under my sink is wet to the touch. Did I royally mess up?"

The poster went on to describe how they took the suggestion from ChatGPT and poured Liquid-Plumr down the pipe first.

The Reddit community was quick to point out that PVC piping isn't strong enough to handle boiling water.

One Redditor suggested tightening the nuts around the circled pipe, as they may have loosened with the boiling water. If there's still a leak, they suggested loosening those nuts and clearing out any clog in the pipe. They warned to ensure a bucket is set up below and to use gloves and eye protection since there was toxic chemical cleaner used.

Chemical cleaners pose immediate danger to those who use them, but they also cause issues to ecosystems once they're flushed.

Natural cleaning products can be much kinder to plants and animals downstream. Some folks simply use a mix of vinegar and baking soda to clear pipes.

At the end of the day, the Reddit community was unanimous in vouching for mechanical drain cleaning rather than chemicals.

"Get yourself a mini cable snake," said one commenter. "One of the ones with a hand crank on the back. It'll work better than chemicals. … IMO mechanical unclogging methods are always more effective than chemicals."

"Asking someone to look at your pipes without informing them of what chemicals you used can lead to a very serious injury," said another.

Do you worry about using cleaning products with harsh chemicals in them? All the time 💯 Sometimes 🤨 Not really 🤷 No — never 🙅 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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