We’ve all been there. You’ve had a long day and you’re tired of dealing with a clogged drain in your kitchen or bathroom. So you head to the grocery store and see the aisle full of “plumbing chemicals” that guarantee your clog will be removed. Some of them even say that they’re “natural chemicals” when they’re probably the furthest thing from natural in the world!
Basically, we’d like to spend this blog post as a PSA to keep homeowners away from these chemicals. We see people use them in their kitchens, their bathrooms, and even when it comes to toilet plumbing in Bucks County. Your pipes aren’t built to handle these corrosive or caustic chemicals, and we’ll get into all the details below.
Just remember one thing—nothing can replace old-fashioned craftsmanship delivered by a quality plumber. Our team has the necessary tools to clear your drain without harming your plumbing system or you!
They Don’t Work, Period
If you take anything away from this blog post, let this be the first and most important thing—chemical drain cleaners don’t work. They might seem like they work, or they might have colorful packaging that insists they work quickly and effectively, but they don’t.
The truth is that they’re designed to cause a chemical reaction to the materials clogging your drain, but that heavily depends on the specific materials in your drain. Some materials won’t react or be broken down by the chemicals you pour down the drain, so instead the chemicals start to eat away at the lining of your pipes and ruin your plumbing system.
As enticing as the prospect of chemical drain cleaning might be, it just doesn’t work.
They Will Ruin Your Plumbing
We mentioned that chemicals will ruin the interior of your plumbing system, but we think it’s important that we dive into just how this works.
Chemicals that clear drains are either caustic or corrosive, meaning they break down whatever substances they come in contact with. They’re not living, so they don’t discern between good materials and bad materials to break down, they just start eating away at whatever they’re confronted with.
Unfortunately, the lining of your pipe is not designed to take in caustic or corrosive chemicals. This makes them susceptible to corrosion and will quickly reduce the lifespan of your plumbing system by having these chemicals there.
Chemical Drain Cleaners Are Awful for Your Health
Have you ever been in the room while someone uses a chemical drain cleaner? The odor alone is enough to send everyone fleeing from the scene. Chemicals like these produce noxious fumes that will cause skin, eye, nose, and mouth irritation if you’re even near where the chemicals are poured. The worst part is that these fumes will last for hours and even days while the chemicals slowly react with the material in your drains, so you might have your whole kitchen be out of commission while you wait for something that might not even work!
Do yourself a favor and call for professional plumbing service. We can take care of a drain clog lickety-split and without harming your health or your plumbing system.
Call Carney Plumbing Heating & Cooling for quality drain cleaning services.