You'd have to be in a pretty old, and well kept house to still have iron pipes, some brass traps under the sink, but I don't recall ever having seen copper drain pipes.

I know baking soda will keep the smell down, but I've never heard of using it to clear the pipes. But as you said, it doesn't seem to work. Hmmmm, could be why I havn't heard of it as a drain opener !

>> make sure your pipes aren't PVC or else you know what; Melty Melty. <<
Oh come on ! If you think hot water will melt PVC pipes, you should NOT be posting advice. Better to ask questions and learn. And who does'nt have PVC pipes these days ? :-(

that's strange.. don't know how that link got in there

The hot water sounds interesting but I'm not sure how well that will work. For two weeks now I've tried to clear a clog in the place I'm staying. It's a nice cabin with heated floors. The toilet flows just fine but the shower, bathroom and kitchen sink back up. If they back up too much then the heating does not work. I suspect the water heater has some kind of sensor that can detect the lack of out flow. It gets pretty cold here.

I've tried many bottles of draino, snaked the line from the bathroom and kitchen and tried plunging and those inflatable pulsating jets you put in the line. None have worked.

I'll try next pulling the washer out and seeing if I can snake from it's drain. Perhaps that will get me closer to the problem. As yet snaking from the other sinks has not gotten me very far before the snake binds up.

I'll try hot water but I'm not optimistic

>> Zipitclean<< The only sure fire way to prevent pregnancy, and avoid those nasty STD's !! :-)

One possible mechanism of action is the foaming that results when the two are mixed. The formation of air bubbles helps to break up a compacted fibrous material. It's effectiveness depends on what's causing the clog and how compacted it is.

And the foam is nothing but Carbon Dioxide gas in bubbles of the degraded vinegar.

Hey, The plug is the missing ingredient!
I dunno if baking soda and baking powder are the same? But I use Baking POWDER and vinegar. But with the plug in after very quickly!
Anyone ever have those old camera film containers when you were kids??? Or actually even now if you don't take digital photos. Theyre little black plastic cylinder thingamies (yes of coarse thats their technical name lol!)
Anyway, a bit of baking powder in one of those, a little bit of vinegar, quickly put on the lid and shake once, throw FAST! lol! The lid pops off, foam goes EVERYWHERE! Woo hoo! every..where!?.......--silence?-- Oh .......ahem! ...Well it seemed a lot more exciting as a kid lol!
So I use vinegar and baking powder in totally blocked drains with that same concept in mind. The combo seems to eat thru hair or do something weird. But the part not mentioned in previous posts is the necessity to put the plug in!
It fizzes up and all that, but I think what the foam doesn't cleanse, the air pressure makes up for. The build up would sorta push things thru a little faster. And the little magic bubbles cleanse as it calms down. Well thats what I reckon anyway.
But please, don't do too much just incase? I'd hate to be responsible for something hugely funny happening like the entire pipe burst or some such incrediblly unlikely event. (However, I'd love photos on that rare occasion? he he!)
ANyway, so I hope that helps someone? Its all in the plug! Go the plug! ha! : )