draino

[ard]

Hi all, someone here had mentioned using Draino to submerge the carbs for cleaning, and de-shellacking purposes, I tried to do search to find out more detailes, have not been successfull at it, any info. about this? I think it is more environmentaly friendly.

ard

[Nessism]

I suggest keeping to more conventional methods...for obvious reasons.

[t3rmin]

Draino environmentally friendly??? My guess would be it's worse...

[Guest]

If available use Berrymans Carb dip. Use Draino for your drains :twisted:

[Boondocks]

Hi all, someone here had mentioned using Draino to submerge the carbs for cleaning, and de-shellacking purposes, I tried to do search to find out more detailes, have not been successfull at it, any info. about this? I think it is more environmentaly friendly.

ard

If someone mentioned this, they may be up to destructive mischief. There is a lot on information on the web about making bombs with Drano and aluminum foil. Crystal Drano is aluminum chips and lye with no claims to "environmental friendliness". Quoted from Aluminum Combustion:

...aluminum will react violently with alkalis such as sodium or potassium hydroxide. It is the reaction that occurs when crystal Drano is contacted by water. Drano is aluminum chips and lye. So long as it is dry, no reaction. When wet, a reaction proceeds that is very exothermic (hot) -- in addition, hydrogen gas is liberated....

...Aluminum metal (especially powdered) can react with water in the presence of base or acid to produce hydrogen gas. Any modest amount of heat or other energy source -- a match, a static spark, light, a cosmic ray!, and so on will ignite the hydrogen which in turn will ignite any nearby combustibles....

...Aluminum is actually a very reactive and flammable metal, but it is normally protected by an inert coating of aluminum oxide. Dissolving the oxide, though, exposes a fresh aluminum surface, which reacts vigorously with air and water. Sulfuric and nitric acids can dissolve aluminum oxide, as can alkalis such as lye or caustic potash....Mixed with water, the alkali makes a caustic solution that dissolves the aluminum's oxide coating, allowing the aluminum to react with water and generate heat....

The same reaction occurs in the commercial drain cleaner "Drano." This consists of sodium hydroxide, blue dye, and aluminum turnings. When placed in water, the lye removes the oxide coating from the aluminum pieces causing them to fizz as they displace hydrogen from water. This makes it sound like the Drano is really working effectively, even though it's the lye that actually cleans out the drain clog....

Very Bad Idea.[-X #-o

[Guest]

I've never checked it out, but I think that most carburetors are made from zine, not aluminum. Does anyone know for sure?

Either way, use carb cleaner, not Drano, to clean carbs.

[Boondocks]

Carburetor bodies may be either zinc or aluminum. The old Brit bike Amals were made of zinc pot metal, but Mikuni VM's are aluminum. Keihins probably contain aluminum parts at the very least. See Motorcycle Carburetor Restoration Services for a reference to cleaning aluminum parts. Zinc isn't mentioned, other than zinc plating.

[spyderrocs]

i wouldnt do it, even if it doesnt blow up it could still leave a resedue sp?.