Drano In RV Shower: Is It Safe? [+How To Clear A Drain Naturally]

Is your RV shower drain clogged, and are you considering Drano? Wait, wait! Before doing that, please read this whole guide to the end.

In this post, we’ll share whether or not you can use Drano for your RV shower, how to use it, the consequences, alternatives, and more helpful information. So let’s dive in!

Can You Use Drano In The RV Shower?

In general, we don’t suggest using Drano for the RV shower because harsh chemicals like it can damage plumbing parts. However, if there’s no other choice than to use it, ensure that it doesn’t remain in contact with the RV plumbing system for long.

Please note that by not suggesting it, we don’t mean you can’t use it ever. You definitely can, but only if you can use and flush it out of the system as soon as you can.

Allowing it to be in contact with plumbing parts for a long time may not be a great idea.

Caustic chemicals like Drano can damage parts in the plumbing system, such as pipes and fittings.

Over time, Drano can cause some serious harm to your plumbing. Since it can cause harm to your plumbing after long repeated use, professional plumbers don’t recommend Drano.

Let’s take a closer look at Drano to understand it better.

So Drano is a caustic lye-based drain cleaning the blockages in the drain. (A lye is a strong alkaline solution, specifically of potassium hydroxide, used for cleaning and washing purposes)

When you pour Drano into the drain, it dissolves the components that block your plumbing system. A series of reactions occur for cleaning the clog.

●      Firstly, the lye in the Drano dissolves the substance causing the clog.

●      The aluminum present in the product reacts with the lye, which causes the temperature in the pipes to rise and reach a near-boiling level. This helps in speeding the decomposition process.

●      Lastly, the lye in Drano turns into a fizzy foamy matter that dissolves the physical mass, causing the clog, thus creating the space for water to wash the clog out.

What Happens When You Use Drano In The RV Shower?

When you apply Drano through your RV shower drain, it will remain at the top of the clog. It will continuously react and generate heat until the clog is dissolved.

Now this phenomenon can put a lot of stress on the drain. The generated heat can soften, break or even collapse PVC pipes.

Moreover, when dissolving the clogs, Drano can also weaken the glue that holds the pipes together. So over time, the repeated use of Drano can lead to a more expensive problem!

With Drano, damage also occurs to the environment. After you use Drano and flush it away, it has to go somewhere. So when it enters the municipal sewer system, it has an impact on the environment since it can have harmful effects on plants and animals that come in contact.

Drano can also cause contamination of your local water supply.

Furthermore, Drano may not always be an easy fix. For example, if you keep experiencing repeated clogs, the problem could be a serious plumbing issue rather than a clog.

So instead of using Drano multiple times, It might be wise to find an alternative or call a plumbing professional.

But overall, if you use it occasionally, and that too when you don’t have any other choice, you shouldn’t have to worry that much.

How To Use Drano In An RV Shower?

The most common cause of shower drain clogs is hair. And Drano has made a specific product just for this purpose. So assuming that you would be using the Drano Hair Buster Gel, here’s what you need to do:

Step-1: Open The Bottle & Pour It:

The Drano bottle has a childproof cap. So first, you need to push down the cap with your palm. Then turn it counterclockwise.

Caution! Never squeeze or splash Drano. If it happens, then don’t forget to clean the area right away once.

Now gently pour the whole bottle down your drain. As per the website of Drano, you need to pour the whole bottle slowly down your drain.

Step-2: Lock The Bottle Cap

Locking the cap immediately after you use Drano is important to avoid any spillage. So to do that, push down on the cap and then screw it tightly.

Step-3: Wait For It To Work

Next is when you need to wait for the Drano solution to work. It would be adequate to make the solution sit in your drain for 15 minutes to work.

However, if the problem is challenging, you may have to make it sit for longer like 30 minutes.

Step-4: Flush It Away

Finally, flush it away with hot water! So that’s how you can apply Drano to your RV shower drain.

Simply put, apply the Drano product to the affected area, wait for the needed time, and then flush it away with hot water.

However, the timing of how the Drano works in removing the clog can vary a bit based on the nature of the clog and the product type you are using.

Drano Products:	Purpose:	Timing:
Drano Hair Buster Gel	Tough Hair Clogs	7-30 minutes
Drano Max Gel Clog Remover	Tough Clogs	15-30 minutes
Drano Kitchen Gel	Standing Water Kitchen Sink Clogs	15-30 minutes
Drano Kitchen Granules Clog Remover	Greasy Kitchen Sink Clogs	15-30 minutes
Drano Liquid Drain Cleaner	Budget Choice For Clogs	15-30 minutes
Drano Snake Plus Tool + Gel System	Clogs That Require Manual Loosening	30 minutes (after you use snake)
Drano Dual-Force Foamer Clog Remover	Garbage Disposal Clogs	60 minutes

How To Unclog RV Shower Without Harsh Chemicals?

#1. Manually Remove The Items That Cause Clogs

Try to remove the drain cover from the RV shower drain. And then you can use something to remove the hairs – which are most likely to cause the clogs. You can use something like a Hair Snake (Check it out here on Amazon).

#2. Use Baking Soda And Vinegar

You can also use baking soda and vinegar mix. To use this method, first drop 2-3 teaspoons of baking soda down the drain. Then pour vinegar and wash away the whole mixture with hot water.

You may need to repeat this process several times till you see the water start to flow down your drain smoothly. Pour boiling water down the drain to help loosen up the trapped product and body oils.

Are you looking for safe products that you can use for an RV shower clog? Then you can use products like Green Gobbler. Check it here on Amazon.

#3. Use A Drain Snake

A drain snake which is also known as the plumber’s snake) is a tool used in clearing the clogs in the plumbing system.

You can get a basic one here from Amazon for unclogging the RV drain.

Once you have the drain snake, you can use it to poke around and yank out hair inside the drain.

Watch this video to see how to use a drain snake:

#4. Use Boiling Water

If the drain snake method was unsuccessful and you didn’t find any clearly visible obstruction in the drain, this method should work.

Take a pot of boiling water and pour it gently down the drain. The hot boiling water should dissolve any soft physical particles build-up in that area.

If needed, you can also repeat the same process two or three times and observe the result.

Prevent Your RV Shower Drain From Becoming Clogged?

Here are some of the tips you can follow to prevent the RV shower drain from becoming clogged:

#1. Installing a Hair Catcher:

One of the best ways to prevent shower clogs is to stop the biggest culprit of clogs before it reaches the drain. The most common reason RV showers clog is the hair, so you can install a hair catcher to prevent it from clogging the drain.

A hair catcher is just a device kept on the shower drain. So all the dirt, debris, and hairs get collected in it rather than inside. You can then just discard the unwanted particles from it in the garbage every once in a while.

#2. Flushing The Drain Regularly:

A hair catcher may prevent the hair and debris from getting inside, but it may not prevent the oils from getting inside. So you need to flush the drain weekly to avoid clogging.

#3. Brush Your Hair Before Shower

Another preventive measure that will add to your arsenal is brushing your hair before getting into the shower. If hair is the most likely problem of these clogs, then why take a chance?

Final Thoughts

In short, here’s the key takeaway about using Drano for RV showers: For occasional usage, okay. But long-term and repeated usage is not recommended because of the harmful impact on the plumbing system.

More Helpful RV Guides Recommended For You!

●      Why RV Shower Faucet Leak & How To Fix It?

●      How Long Do 20-100 Gallons of Water Last In RV?

●      Why Water Leaks Under RV Shower Pan & How To Fix It?

FAQs:

---