Hopefully, the last time you had a drain clog in your bathroom it was easily resolved with a plunger and a little bit of elbow grease. Most of the time, however, homeowners turn to the liquid drain cleaners you can pick up at pretty much any hardware or grocery store. The way these cleaners are marketed could easily lead you to believe that they’re the standard for approaching bathroom clogs, and drain clogs throughout the rest of your home.
Unfortunately though, as our professional New Port Richey, FL plumbers will tell you, this is just not the case. We do not use these chemical drain cleaners and we don’t encourage our customers too, either. In short, the reason why liquid drain cleaner isn’t the answer is because it’s not as effective as you think, it’s actually harmful to your plumbing, and it’s highly toxic and awful for the environment. We’ve shared more details below.
Liquid Drain Cleaner Is Ineffective
You might hear drain cleaners referred to as drain openers, and this would be a more accurate term. It cuts through a clog, but it doesn’t completely remove it like a professional plumber with a drain snake or a hydro jet would. In fact, even the cleaner itself stays within your pipes, building up with what’s left of the clog, and forming a new clog just a few short months later—leaving you to yet again find a drain cleaning solution.
It Damages Piping
Were you aware that liquid drain cleaners eat through clogs with acid? If you think that doesn’t sound great, you’re right. That acid eats through the clog alright, but it also eats at the metal and plastic of drainpipes. As we mentioned above, they often stay in the pipe after use. This leads to corrosion within your plumbing that weakens the pipes, leaving them susceptible to breakages and leaks. The heavier the clog is, the worse this effect will be, since the chemical drain cleaner will rest in your pipes even longer.
It Is Also Highly Toxic
As you can imagine, something with the ability to eat away at the metal and plastic of your plumbing system is going to be very toxic. There are chemicals such as lye and sulfuric acid in these bottles, and it can be harmful to get on your skin or anywhere near your eyes. Even the vapor in the air after pouring liquid drain cleaner down the bathroom sink or the bathtub is harmful—it can impact your respiratory system and your eyes. It’s just a better idea to keep liquid drain cleaner out of your home altogether.
Liquid Drain Cleaner Harms the Environment
You know how we said the drain cleaner stays in your pipes? This is because it’s a viscous liquid—meaning some stays in the bottle, too, after use. Then these bottles end up in landfills, where the chemicals will start seeping into the ground, and even the groundwater. Acid isn’t exactly nature-friendly.
Contact IERNA’s Heating & Cooling today for quality plumbing services, including non-invasive and effective drain cleaning services.