\fR oo m-hāk\ n. Any application of ingenuity for those who are committed to observe the 613 Mitzvot. [ORIGIN: Yiddish פֿרום (frum|fR oo m) meaning "commited to observe the 613 Mitzvot, or Jewish commandments" and the English Slang term HACK (hāk|hak) or LIFEHACK (līf-hāk|lahyf-hak) meaning "anything that solves an everyday problem in a clever/non-obvious way or an appropriate application of ingenuity"]

“Frumhacks and all those who write for and are associated with it are not responsible for your actions. Things posted on this blog are not Halachically binding, and although we may or may not have checked with our Local Orthodox Rabbi, you should check with yours. Additionally certain things posted here may be dangerous to do without proper supervision, knowledge, tools or expertise. Try at your own risk and be SMART! Feel free to contact us with questions or concerns.”

I am NOT a plumber, nor do I play one on TV. In fact, outside of Mario and Luigi, I don’t know any plumbers. As you can tell from the blog, I am just a sort of handy guy who figures things out…

1. Draino

What most people don’t realize is that Draino™ (or other Liquid Plumbers) isn’t just there for when your sink is clogged. In fact, Draino™ should really only be your last resort when dealing with a clog, because if it doesn’t work and you (or a plumber) have to open up your pipes they will be filled with lye (a very dangerous and caustic chemical) or other dangerous, burning chemicals…Draino™ should be used more like a vitamin and less like an aspirin. What I mean is that periodically (every other month or so) using Draino™ will reduce the build up in the walls of your pipes that lead to clogging and slow draining.

God, I feel like I am making a commercial for an anti-cholesterol medication.

The way Draino™ works is with lye or other basic (pH, not simple) chemicals which react with the fat in grease to turn it into soap. The soap washes down the drain, where as the fat sticks to the walls and clogs up the drain. So, pouring some down the drain periodically reduces the build up of the grease and gunk that narrows your pipes and causes clogs.

2. DIY De-clog Chemicals

There are two versions of this drainhack, the first uses Alka-Seltzer and the second baking soda, in essence they are the same…

The Baking Soda Method…

Drain De-Clogger Recipe:

1/2 cup baking soda

1 cup vinegar

1 gallon boiling water

Carefully siphon all the baking soda down the drain. Pour in 1/2 of the vinegar, covering the hole so the fizz is forced down, not up (omit this for toilets, please!). Add the second half of the vinegar, following the same procedure. Allow to sit for 15 minutes or so, and then flush with an entire gallon of boiling water.

The Alka-Seltzer…

First drop in a couple Alka-Seltzer tablets down the sink, and follow it up with a chaser of vinegar (1 cup). Allow for the chemical reaction to work its magic for about 2 minutes, then run the hot water at full force to help jettison out the debris. A bonus is your drain should smell better too.

Although Bonzai Aphrodite calls this “Home Made Draino” As I said above, it definitely is not. It is more of a chemical plunger…which is cool, but Draino it ain’t.

3. MacGyver Plunger™

There is a reason that I know so much about unclogging drains and toilets. Let’s just say that if I was a superhero I would be Clog Man. No, not because I wear Crocs all the time, but because I am the king of clogging things…Whatever plumbing related item I come in contact with I seem to clog.

I discovered the MacGyver Plunger™ in Israel. One day while cleaning off my porch (after death threats from my roommates) I realized that all the filth that had been previously living on my porch was now living in the drain pipe that drained the porch and my porch was now flooded. I had no plunger, but I did notice that the drain hole was precisely the same size as a 2-liter (1.5 in the holy land) soda bottle.

The MacGyver Plunger™ was born.

For the full MacGyver Plunger™ how-to check out the video below, but the long and the short of it is, stick a bottle in the drain, or toilet or whatever and crush it down and than mimic the CPR movements. The up and down movement draws water into the bottle and forces it out again with great force, it works like a charm!

4. Empty the Sink Water with Siphon Power

The first step in unclogging a drain is always emptying the excess water that is in the sink… this is usually a pain and takes forever because most people bail the water out with a cup or bucket (usually a washing cup, the Jewish kitchen’s multi-purpose tool). But using a process called siphoning you can do it much quicker and with a lot less hassle.

Watch the video below for a full walk-through, but the gist of it is using a tube and gravity to bypass the drain and empty the water into a bucket…Those of you who have ever run out of gas and borrowed gas from a good Samaritan may know how this works.

5. Open Heart Surgery

When all else fails, you need to roll up your sleeves and take apart the u-shaped pipe underneath your sink. Check out the video for a walk-through and for a better understanding of how the drainage system under your sink works see this diagram I made with Creately.