One shot drain cleaner ruined/stained PVC bath tub - anyway to repair?

spudgun00

Hello,

My new flat has had a clogged bath tube since I moved in. I finally got around to pouring some one shot drain cleaner (I.e acid) down it and it is unclogged now. However, everywhere it has touched my bathtub has white marks. It feel like it's sitting on top of the material rather than burnt it away. is there anyway to clean this?

FreeBear

Short answer, no.

You could try putting some toothpaste on a damp cloth and rubbing the affected area. Toothpaste is a mild abrasive, so it might shift the stain, but it may take the shine off.

grumbler

Just to clarify some things:
- bath is likely to be acrilic, not PVC,
- unblocker is likely to be alkali, not acid. 

Jeepers_Creepers

As FB says, the most likely solution will be to gently abrade it away by using a 'cutting compound' like T-Cut (used for polishing car paintwork). This certainly won't damage the bath as it will only remove the lightest possible amount, and will leave that area nicely polished to boot.

What colour is your bath? How bad are the marks?

I think it's also worth emailing the manufacturer of the product and ask them.

danrv

Yes, could try T-Cut. The version for metallic paint I think is more gentle than the regular.

nofoollikeold

1. I'd try T cut as suggested above.
2. "One Shot" (the drain cleaner used by the OP) is 91% sulphuric acid, or sulfuric acid as it is now called. Deadly dangerous stuff.

Rosa_Damascena

nofoollikeold said:

1. I'd try T cut as suggested above.
2. "One Shot" (the drain cleaner used by the OP) is 91% sulphuric acid, or sulfuric acid as it is now called. Deadly dangerous stuff.

Yet it came highly recommended by a plumber when I had the misfortune of a blocked toilet. (The problem was the wrong size exit pipe, the previous owners were reluctant to spend a few quid where it was needed).

Needless to say, I left it on the hardware store shelf when I realised what it contained.

spudgun00

Yes it's acrylic not PVC, quite right. Will try T-Cut and toothpaste. Bath is like a creamy white. This stains are pitch white and are around the drain. I did email the manufacuter and they recommended trying Cif which did nothing.

grumbler

I think this can be unrepairable as concentrated acid can irreversibly damage some plastics and some covers. That's what happened with my laminated kitchen worktop. It became less gloss and changed the colour where my son spilled the acid.

FreeBear

nofoollikeold said: 2. "One Shot" (the drain cleaner used by the OP) is 91% sulphuric acid, or sulfuric acid as it is now called. Deadly dangerous stuff.

Unless you have a licence to purchase & store acid, it is next to impossible to buy sulphuric acid stronger than 15% (battery acid grade). And just to show what an [redacted cuss] the law is, you can still buy 40% hydrochloric acid over the counter without needing a licence.

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-introduces-tough-new-measure-to-prevent-acid-attacks

grumbler

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/acid-drain-cleaner-dubbed-face-13017932