Most people reach for their liquid drain cleaner as soon as they notice any sign of a clogged drain. Liquid drain cleaners have the potential to damage the drain without removing the clog. Take a close look at the back of your liquid drain cleaner bottle and you may find a money-back guarantee offered under the assumption most people will toss the bottle after pouring the solution down the drain. The worst-case scenario is wasting money on a liquid drain cleaner only to have it damage your pipes and your health.
Let’s take a quick look at the top secrets about liquid drain cleaners that Coral Springs plumbers know, but probably won’t tell you.
1. Store-Bought Liquid Drain Cleaners Can Inflict Costly Damage
Pipe damage is likely the last thing on your mind when using liquid drain cleaners to clear a clog. Nearly every single liquid drain cleaner on the shelves of Coral Springs stores contains corrosive chemicals. These are not lightly corrosive or mildly abrasive chemicals; they are highly corrosive to your pipes and everything around them. These chemicals are meant to eat away at the material clogging your pipes, but they also cause pipe corrosion.
There is no way to tell how many times the previous owners of the house used liquid drain cleaners. Unfortunately, repeated exposure to the chemicals in these solutions causes the pipes to weaken. Your home’s pipes will gradually weaken to the point that they will become highly prone to leaks. It might be necessary to replace significant portions of the pipe years earlier than otherwise would be necessary. You can avoid such a scenario with professional drain cleaning services offered by our Coral Springs plumbers.
2. Liquid Drain Cleaners Should Not Come in Contact with Your Skin
Most Coral Springs homeowners are quick to grab the liquid drain cleaner from below their sink and pour it right on down the drain as soon as a frustrating clog sets in. Read the small print on the bottle and you will find that exposure to liquid drain cleaners is terrible for your health. If the cleaning solution comes in contact with your skin, it can cause painful burns and irritate the eyes and lungs. The chemicals used in the comparably cheap and off-brand varieties of liquid drain cleaners have especially toxic ingredients. Even the fumes of these drain cleaners can compromise your health, sting your eyes, and irritate your respiratory system. Unfortunately, these fumes will linger long after you pour the solution down the drain.
3. Liquid Drain Cleaner Ingredients Spur Powerful Chemical Reactions
When the unique chemical combination used in liquid drainage solutions interacts with your home’s pipes, quite a powerful chemical reaction occurs. This reaction creates heat, bubbling, the breakdown of fat, and the dissolution of protein. Liquid drain cleaners contain everything from bleach to lye, salt, aluminum, and sodium nitrate. The combination of lye and aluminum shards is especially flammable. The bottom line is, that the combination of chemicals used to create liquid drain cleaners is extremely harsh for your home’s plumbing system, human health, and our increasingly sensitive environment.
4. Liquid Drain Cleaners are not a Lasting Solution
Chemical drain cleaners will blast through some of the clogged portion of the pipe so water can move on through, yet this is merely a temporary solution. The majority of the gunk will remain along the drain walls, causing additional debris to accumulate. You need the assistance of the best plumbers in Coral Springs to truly address your plumbing system’s faults. There is no sense in paying for one liquid drain cleaner after another when you can directly address the problem with the help of Coral Springs plumbers.
- Here are a few plumber-recommended ways to prevent drain clogs:
Avoid dumping leftover food, coffee grounds, and grease into the kitchen drain. Throw them in the trash instead. - Keep hair strands out of the bathroom drain. Install a mesh screen or a perforated shower drain hair catcher.
- Refrain from flushing dental floss and feminine hygiene products down your toilet. Dispose them in your garbage bin.
- Install a lint catcher on the hose of your washing machine.
- Use baking soda or vinegar to get rid of drain clogs in an emergency.
- Pour hot water in the sink after every use to avoid buildup of grease and debris in the drain.
Conclusion:
Liquid drain cleaners may be a convenient solution to unclogging your pipes, but they provide only temporary relief and at the cost of your health. Further, they cause irreparable damage to your pipes and drains, leaving you with only one costly option – replace them. It is always better to call experienced plumbing professionals to address your home or office plumbing issues in the best and most cost-effective manner. Hopefully, unraveling the above secrets will help you engage the right plumbing professionals to keep your plumbing system in good shape.
Erica's Plumbing, Air Conditioning & Restoration is a Call Away
Reach for your phone instead of liquid drain cleaner the next time you have a clog or another plumbing problem. Give us a call at (561) 782-2779 as soon as you need help with anything plumbing-related. Our 24-hour emergency plumbers in Coral Springs provide are here for you if a plumbing emergency arises. Give our local plumbers in Coral Springs a call morning, noon, or night and we will send someone over as quickly as we can.
