Caustic Soda Down Drain Here

“Ma’am,” Del said, his voice hollow, “what did you pour down there?”

Del took off his cap and ran a hand through his hair. “This isn’t a clog anymore,” he said. “This is a crime scene. You’ve got chemical burns on your pipes, your subfloor, and your foundation. Your house is digesting itself from the inside out.” caustic soda down drain

Clara, practical and stubborn, refused to call a plumber. Her husband, Tom, had always handled these things. But Tom had been dead for three years, and the toolbox in the basement still smelled faintly of his coffee breath and motor oil. “Ma’am,” Del said, his voice hollow, “what did

The insurance adjuster came three days later. He used words like “excluded chemical reaction” and “negligence.” The environmental cleanup crew wore white suits and respirators. They neutralized the remaining lye with a weak acid, then cut out two tons of contaminated wood, concrete, and cast iron. The house never quite smelled right again. It always carried a faint, acrid undertone, like burnt hair and old bones. You’ve got chemical burns on your pipes, your