Is Store-Bought Drain Cleaner Ruining Your Drains?

Is Store-Bought Drain Cleaner Ruining Your Drains?

Your drain is moving slower than normal, it’s gross and annoying so you stop by the store and grab a jug of your favorite drain cleaner. It’s such an easy and affordable solution to your clogged drain problem. These drain cleaners are specifically targeted at homeowners to help them quickly clear clogs, after all.

We’ve all done it, but is it really as good for your drain as it claims to be?

We hate to break it to you, but that store-bought drain cleaner you’re using is slowly ruining your entire plumbing system. Ask any professional plumber, and they’ll tell you that this is not a great solution for a number of reasons.

In this article, we’re talking about how these so-called “drain cleaning solutions” may not be solutions after all.

They’re Not a Complete Drain Cleaner

Here’s the deal, the chemicals that you’ll find inside liquid drain cleaners are typically only formulated to dissolve some, not all, common sources of drain clogs. For example, many of these cleaners are effective at dissolving hair—which is great because this is one of the most common causes of drain clogs.

But if your clog is caused by soap scum, grease, or grime, there’s a good chance that your chemical drain cleaner won’t be able to get the job done.

They Can Make Your Problem Worse

When the cause of your drain clog doesn’t respond to your store-bought drain cleaner, what happens is the cause of the clog simply slides further down into your plumbing. When this happens, the chances of you being able to clear the clog on your own without the help of a professional plumber get slimmer and slimmer. Once the clog moves far enough into your plumbing, professional tools will be required to break it up.

They Damage Your Pipes

Aside from the fact that they may not be effective at clearing your clog, there’s also the fact that chemical drain cleaners come with a whole host of other harmful side effects. For starters, these chemicals are extremely dangerous for humans and pets. If you were to get any on your hands or in your eyes, chemical burns and other irritations can result. It’s absolutely imperative that you keep these cleaners out the reach of children and pets.

Next, these cleaning chemicals can actually cause severe damage to the lining of your drain pipes. As professional Columbia SC plumbers who have seen firsthand what drain pipes look like when too many chemical cleaners are dumped down them, we can tell you that it’s not a situation you want to deal with. The result is having to replace your drain pipes well before you should be required to do so, and it’s not an easy or cheap project to complete.

Leave Your Clogged Drains to the Professionals

Although it seems easier and more convenient to just dump a gallon of store-bought drain cleaner down your drain the next time things start to back up, we hope that this article has made you think twice.

The bottom line is that if you want a long-term, effective solution for your clog that won’t cause any secondary damage, you need the help of a professional plumber like the ones at On Call Plumbing Heating & Air in Columbia SC.

On Call Plumbing Heating & Air
3770 Fernandina Rd
Columbia, SC 29210
803-781-4357
https://www.oncallsc.com

source https://www.oncallsc.com/is-store-bought-drain-cleaner-ruining-your-drains/