If you have ever encountered a clogged drain before, you know how annoying they are. Whether the drain is simply slow or completely blocked, getting rid of the problem is a much bigger challenge than it might seem. And to make matters more frustrating, this problem is all but unavoidable. No matter how much you try to keep your drains clean, accumulated grime from day-to-day use will eventually contribute to a clog or full obstruction that prevents your drain from working.
There are plenty of products out there that advertise themselves as a “fast” and “easy” solution to your drain clog problems. Many of these products are liquids, where all you have to do is pour some of the product down the drain and it will work its magic to eliminate your clog (or so it might claim). However, these liquid drain cleaners are extremely strong acids and generally cause far more problems than they solve. Here are five things they do to your drains that you might not know about.
Corrode Your Drain Lines
A strong acid is great for eating through things, and theoretically, this is a great strategy for getting rid of a clog. But here’s the problem: drain cleaners eat through things indiscriminately. That means they’ll corrode pretty much anything they come in contact with, and that includes drain pipes of nearly all types. When you’re pouring that magic chemical down the drain, you’re actually causing immense damage to the drain line itself, and drain clog removers can damage your drain to the point where the pipeline needs to be completely replaced. All of that means a much more expensive and time-consuming repair that could have otherwise been avoided. (Not to mention these chemicals can also eat through things like safety gear and plumbing tools, resulting in injuries to plumbers who try to fix the problem after the fact.)
Corrode Your Sewer
Think the corrosion stops with your drain line? Think again. The further down your drain network these chemicals travel, the further they carry their corroding properties. It isn’t uncommon for extensive use of chemical drain cleaners to cause permanent sewer line damage. While a leaking drain is one thing, a leaking sewer line is a much bigger, more intensive, and more expensive project to have to deal with. Do yourself a favor and avoid it by simply clearing away your clog the right way the first time.
Not Solve the Clog Problem
Here’s the thing with those chemical drain cleaner products: they don’t necessarily solve your problem at all. More often than not, these chemicals appear to solve the problem simply because they have poked a hole in the clog that is large enough to allow water to recede at a faster speed. All the while, the clog remains in place and continues to grow and accumulate. Before long, the issue returns and the same drain is clogged once again.
Pollute the Sewage System
Anything you put down the drains in your home is eventually going to end up in your sewage system. While the sewage system is built for sewage, it isn’t built to handle certain types of substances. These polluting substances eventually find their way into reclaimed water and in turn can pollute our rivers, oceans, and even the groundwater table. A polluted groundwater table is particularly bad, as this is the water that many of our plants, trees, and even animals use as their much-needed source of moisture. It may not seem like much, but all of it builds up over time, and this is how we are seeing elevated levels of previously unthinkable substances in the water we previously regarded as pure and safe.
Move Your Clog Further Down the Line
Finally, liquid drain cleaners may not actually get rid of your clog at all. Sure, in some cases they can dislodge the clog and open up a drain line. However, liquid drain cleaners almost never eat all the way through the clog itself, and that means it will only travel further down the drain network. Should the clog catch and reform further down, getting rid of it could be even more difficult, resulting in a bigger repair. The worst would be if it were to create a clog in your sewer line, creating a blockage that obstructs every single non-irrigation drain in your home.
If you have a clogged drain, let the team at AAA Service Plumbing, Heating & Electric take care of it for you! Call us at (303) 313-3333 today.
