Zep Drain Defense Enzymatic Drain Cleaner Powder - 18 Ounces - ZDC16 - Safe for Pipes and Septic Systems, Pack of 1, white

This product works great!! You have to follow the instructions, and use it for 3 nights straight, otherwise it may not work. I didn't fully understand about the drain cleaners till now. Some are meant to power through pipes and cut a hole through the gunk and have your drain open up and let the water flow through - like Liquid Plumber Gel, which are more like a strong acid to burn their way through. Enforcer DC16 is an enzyme based drain cleaner which actually eats away at the gunk in your drain, which takes a bit of time. Once it eats away all the gunk - your pipes are totally CLEAN and water flows great. That's why it takes 3 nights (of eating) especially when you haven't done this in a long time.I used this in my kitchen sink and bathtub drain for 3 nights. My kitchen drain was running just okay, so I used a plunger just like 3 times, and then suddenly the kitchen drain ran beautifully.However, then the bathtub drain completely closed and I was shocked at how much gunk came up - more than I ever saw. What apparently happened was that the enzymes ate the walls of the pipes (drain) and cleared off all of the gunk in the pipes but it overwhelmed the drain pipe, and now no water was going down. I put in a half of a bottle of the Liquid Plumber Gel, and it took almost one hour before the Gel (acid) burned through and the water then completely went down, and ever since the drain is the best it has been in a long time. Water flows down very well. The enzyme cleaner hasn't just made a hole in the gunk, but actually cleaned it out, which is what an enzyme cleaner does. Fantastic!!!Now, I just have to do the maintenance scoops every month or two months and the drains will be fine. It's really easy to use also. Just put the scoop in hot water in a 16 oz jar, and put in the drain at night - 3 nights in a row. I think it's always best to run some hot water in the drain - about 1 minute, prior to putting the enzyme down for the best results.I looked at other enzyme cleaners, and some are in liquid form. It's definitely more expensive (paying for convenience and water). This is actually very convenient with the scoop inside. It's cheaper, very effective, and takes up less space. All I know is that this works fantastic. You just have to be patient for the 3 nights, and you might need something like Liquid Plumber Gel the first time you do this, (and a plunger) if you never did this before, and there is lots of hair, gunk, grease etc. in your pipes, and it takes all of this off your pipes for the first time.

This is not a replacement for Drain-o or Liquid Plumr. This is for extended use when your drain is not already clogged. Drain-o is like the ER, and this stuff is like doing exercise. It's preventive. I've used it maybe every two months for the past five years, and my drains work as well as they ever have.I will say, it is a little more finicky having to mix a powder in a cup, as opposed to the 'pre-mixed' jug type, because you need to leave a drain untreated so you can rinse out the container afterwards. It's just an extra step compared to pouring something out of a jug, but I suppose it saves the storage space.

I'm writing this review in order to maybe help someone else that has a drain fly problem. I first saw 1-2 drain flies on my tile shower wall. I first started making my own baking soda/salt/vinegar solution and pouring down the drains. I did A LOT of cleaning of the sink and shower pipes. And, I unscrewed and cleaned out the U-pipes under the sinks. I was still seeing a few flies in the bathroom. Secondly, I tried In Vade Bio Drain cleaner (thick gel) from Amazon. Thirdly, I tried ZEP Liquid Heat Gel Industrial Drain Opener (thick gel) from Wal-Mart. Fourthly, I used Zep Drain Defense Pipe Build-Up Remover Power. This one is the best value because you mix only a small scoop with a pint of water. (I do deduct one star because of the packaging. The canister came in a brown flat paper bag like envelope. When I opened the envelope up, powder had spilled out in the bag. When I got that mess cleaned up, I discovered that the scoop was at the bottom of the canister. Other reviewers have also written this. If the canister had a thin plastic seal on the top, it wouldn't spill out during shipping even if the screw-on cap came off. That's just a suggestion for the company.) This product says - "Made in the USA". I think the two (2) Zep products were good ones. After thorough investigation of the tiled shower, which I had stopped using while fly killing, I found dead drain fly larvae around the cracked grout where the grout flooring meets the tile wall of the shower. The flies were breeding in the shower pan. I have had a fan running in the shower 4 days now. I haven't seen any drain flies in 2 days now. I ordered Tekko Trio Foam from Amazon, and that came in today. I've now sprayed that in the crack line of the grout all the way around the shower. During this whole 10 day process, I've kept the drain openings covered when not in use.UPDATE: Flies were still not completely eliminated after using multiple products, so I hired a carpenter to tear out the whole shower floor & about 4 inches up the shower wall and start from scratch to replace the shower floor. Whenever the carpenter tore out the tile on the lower 4 inches of the shower bench, 8-9 flies swarmed out. He said it looked like the drain flies had made a little cave under the shower bench. It has been a long process tearing out the shower floor and replacing it. My advice to anyone with drain flies in a tile shower is to keep going further to find the source of the moisture and fix it. Then, you will have no more flies.