When your sink or shower stops draining, many people’s first thought is to go buy some chemical drain cleaner to fix it. However, this quick fix isn’t necessarily the solution you think it is. Here’s why you shouldn’t use chemical drain cleaner in your home.
Chemical Drain Cleaner Doesn’t Work
Chemical drain cleaner may seem like a quick fix. After all, it usually promises to work in about 30 minutes. The problem is, it doesn’t do as much as it says it does. One of the primary reasons you shouldn’t use chemical drain cleaner is because it doesn’t remove whole blockages.
If your shower or sink fills up with water and then won’t drain for hours or days, there’s something big blocking it. Whether that’s years of hair buildup or a pest that got stuck in it, chemical drain cleaner will barely touch it. Even if you pour the biggest bottle into your drain, as soon as a gap has been made in the blockage, all of the chemical solution will drain through and disappear into the pipes below, leaving most of the blockage in place.
Running hot water into the drain afterward will clear out the remaining chemical solution and may even drain better than it was. However, even if it drains at a fairly normal speed, another week of use will have it slowing back down as that small gap in the blockage fills back in with hair and other matter. Then, you’re back at square one, buying more drain cleaner and giving more money to the company that’s offering it.
Chemical Drain Cleaner Damages Pipes
You shouldn’t use chemical drain cleaner, not only because it doesn’t work very well, but because it damages pipes. The type of chemical solution that can eat through blockage matter is also powerful enough to erode away the insides of your pipes. And, the more frequently you use it, the more it has the opportunity to do so. All of the exposed areas of pipe surrounding your blockage will sit there being eroded away until a hole big enough for the solution to drain is created. This erosion eventually will lead to cracks, breaks, and bursts in your pipes. That means plumbing replacement, which is very expensive.
It Can Cost More in the Long Run
You have to repeatedly purchase drain cleaner in order to keep opening up new blockages in the poorly cleared drain. That adds up quite fast. Plus, the damage it does to your plumbing means future potential plumbing replacements. Those can add into the thousands of dollars. Spending a bit up front to have someone come and clear your drain properly may seem like a waste, but it ends up being more affordable overall.
What to Do Instead
Give us a call at Reliable Drain & Plumbing if you need a clogged drain cleared. We can use a snake to completely remove blockages without damaging your pipes in the process. If your blockage is caused by something bigger, we’ll find that out too. Imagine the damage if the blockage was a broken pipe and you poured corrosive drain cleaner inside! We want to help you avoid that kind of disaster with our quality plumbing services.
