Husband poured boiling water down bathroom sink, huge row!

[ThatLilacHedgehog]

I have a blocked bathroom sink upstairs, my husband tried pouring kettle boiling water down the sink, I told him not to, but when he poured it, smoke from the boiling water was coming out from where the pipes are no water appears to be leaking, just steam from the pipes.

has my husband caused problems? Am I being unreasonable in being angry with him?

could the boiling hot water have melted or caused a leak in the pipes?

No, your husband has not caused an issue with the pipes.

I pour boiling hot water down my sinks followed by a cap full of caustic soda and leave it overnight. Then the following morning, I pour about 1.5 litres of boiling hot water down the plug hole and this clears the pipes.

Life is too short to be pecking his head over it and you should apologise to him.

Your kitchen waste pipes are made of?

Don’t jump on OP! I think she has a point!!

Modern homes will use PVC fittings, and hot water can melt piping and loosen the glue that sticks them together. It should be okay to pour hot water down a kitchen sink if you run the cold tap at the same time. But it is better to wait for the hot water to cool first.

PVC pipes can withstand temperatures up to 140°F (60°C), but boiling water is typically around 212°F. Prolonged exposure to boiling water can soften and distort PVC pipes, causing them to lose their shape and potentially leak or become blocked.

So I think doing it once is fine @ThatLilacHedgehog

But repeated use could be problematic.

"prolonged exposure" is going to be more like soaking plastic pipes in boiling water surely?

How do some people manage to ( presumably) get through all those years of school, yet emerge with so little education?

Good grief. What have I just read? Your poor husband! He must be wondering what kind of woman he is married to. One who doesn't understand the difference between smoke and steam, and one who has no idea about methods of unblocking a bethroom sink.😂

@MontysBakehouse

Ignoring the PVC itself, glue is often used to hold joints in PVC piping together, and that glue can be more quickly melted by exposure to boiling water.

They're not glued. They are solvent welded. It's very different.

You seem to be posting stuff from American websites, for some reason.

This!
I hope you are .
Sorry honey, I massssively overreacted over you trying to fix a problem.
I'm really sorry. ( I don't understand physics and acted out)

But really OP, boiling water isn't even a bad solution, you usually pout boiling water in the kitchen sink (because it is sometimes fat, which melts with boiling water. (This will cause steam btw-because the water is hot))
It doesn't work as effectively in bathroom sinks since the blockage is usually (your ) hair.
Anyway, even if he made a mistake I think it was hugely immature to have a 'huge row'.
Would you like him to have a 'huge row with you over something so trivial?
'i told my DW not to put more salt in the soup, it won't fix the blandness, she did and now it's too salty! Caused a huge row. As she poured it into the bowl steam could be seen from over the side of the bowls. Why is this? Has she ruined our bowls?'

Quite easily it would appear. They walk among us.

This.
We (me) often have to clean out the pipes and trap etc. Amazing how hair and crap builds up (well, my hair 😬), so worth doing regularly.
He won't have done any damage.
Drain snakes are useful to have under your sink, along with bicarb, vinegar etc.

A plunger unblocks sinks really well. I also use it in the shower to unblock.
Are your pipes made of chocolate?
I'm curious as to what he thought the boiling water would do but also why you thought it would be a huge problem.

I thought this would be about upsetting Jinn!

Fairy and boiling water arey first to go to

It's not normal to get that angry for this, it really isn't

A huge row after pouring boiling water down a sink. Whatever next!

I wish we had such trivial things to row about

An important reminder to never drain cooked pasta in the bathroom 🤔

Goodness this is a level of diy Incompetence seldom seen, how can you not know putting boiling water down is absolutely fine.

It's not smoke. It's steam.
It's not a problem.

Wow, imagine bothering to create an account just to stick the boot in a bit more. Nice!

I'm not sure what the pile on is for really. It's quite clear that OP was worried that as steam was coming out the actual pipes that this might mean they are no longer sealed. I'm sure she doesn't need it pointing out that boiling water creates steam 🙄

No it's going to stay there forever and ever.
Get a new sink.

Why on earth did you pick a fight with him? Poor chap!