I’ve got a clogged sink, and have been reading the labels on a bunch of different products lately. I’d always assumed that they were a strong acid of sorts, which would dissolve whatever sort of material was built up in the pipes. But I’ve noticed that a lot of these products specify that they’re non-corrosive, so I’m not sure what other sort of mechanism may be at play here.
I’ve stuck my hand in sulfuric acid and lye. No problem. You will instantly locate each and every microscopic cut on your hand. Sulfuric reacts with water to dilute instantly. Lye OTOH, yeah, takes a minute to get that off. But you will never see your hands so perfectly clean!
And if y’all mess with either, wear some damned goggles. A glass of water to the eye will quickly fix sulfuric, but you’re screwed if you splash lye in there.