We know that in a stressful moment, even the most trivial solutions to a problem can seem like good ideas.
If you’ve been plunging or snaking your clogged drain for hours, those chemical drain cleaners offered at the grocery store probably sound like a perfectly reasonable idea. Plus, you can just pour them down the drain and go to bed, and by morning they’ll have worked just fine, right?
Well, no. Unless you like the taste of chemical fumes in the air and you’re a sucker for pipe corrosion, you’re going to wake up in a worse situation than when you went to bed. Chemical drain cleaners are unfortunately one of the worst ways to deal with a clogged drain in Arlington, VA, and we’ll talk about some of the reasons why down below.
Do yourself and your family a favor and call a professional to have your drain cleared. It won’t take very long, it won’t be very expensive, and you’ll be very happy with the results. We promise!
Chemicals Are Hazardous
These chemicals, when reacting with certain substances like oxygen or the materials making up the drain clog, will release fumes in the air. These fumes can be poisonous to breathe in and will lead to light-headedness, nausea, respiratory problems, and more.
Not to mention the fact that if you touch these chemicals with your hands, eyes, lips, nose, or anywhere else, you could get rashes and painful chemical burns that can make you regret even purchasing them in the first place.
Drain-cleaning chemicals are not like vinegar, which is technically an acid. They’re extremely low on the acidic pH scale (or extremely high, being “caustic” instead of acidic) which means they’ll react with even strong substances like your plumbing system.
Just avoid having these kinds of chemicals around you or your family, especially if you have young children. They’re just a bad time waiting to happen.
They Might Not Even Work
Did we mention that these chemicals might not even work? Chemical reactions are actually one of the worst ways to dissolve and deal with a drain clog, due to many different reasons.
- The clogging material might not be an easily dissolvable substance, like fats or plastics.
- Chemical reactions can only take place on the exposed surface area of the clog. If the clog is deep, it will take much longer for the chemicals to react with all of the materials, while they interact with your pipes instead.
We could go on, but the point is that you might not see the results you want in your drain when you use these chemicals. They’re just not very good at the job.
A professional plumber, on the other hand, has tools that use friction, pressure, and even pressurized water that are much more effective at eliminating clogs.
Bad for the Environment and Your Pipes
I’m sure you can imagine how bad a highly acidic or caustic chemical might be for the environment. We’re not just talking about the abstract environment, we’re talking about your local property and your plumbing system. These chemicals eat away at anything and poison critters and plants that might use the water that comes from your waste system.
Get great results by contacting McDaniel Service, Inc for drain cleaning services that are not hazardous to you and your family.