While it may be tempting to run down to the closest big-box store to pick up a bottle of drain cleaner, chemical drain cleaning solutions are not the quick and easy fix that you may think they are. While they will occasionally clear a clogged drain, the problems that they can cause are simply not worth the risk. Keep reading to learn some really important reasons to not grab for a plumber in a bottle next time you have a clogged pipe.
If your toilet is clogged, you never want to grab a bottle of drain cleaner to unclog it. When drain cleaners sit on porcelain for a long time it can actually eat right through it. This can cause your toilet to crack and spill its contents all over your bathroom floor and also causing you to have to purchase a replacement toilet.
But that is not even the worst of it. The mixture of what is in your toilet, the porcelain, and the drain cleaner could actually cause an explosion. When this happens, you are looking at replacing your toilet, your vanity, and a heavy cleaning and possibly re painting of your bathroom.
Using liquid drain cleaners can also actually make the clog worse. The chemicals in the drain cleaner can react with household chemicals in your drains that will have the effect of turning everything in your clog into a chunk of concrete. If this happens, you will end up calling a plumber and having to have them replace a portion of the pipe instead of simply having to clear a clog. While on the topic of having to replace pipes the continued use of chemical based drain cleaners can eat through large section of plastic pipe over time causing a simple drain cleaning to become a large plumbing problem.
In the short term, liquid drain cleaners may seem like a cheap alternative to hiring a plumber. The reality of using liquid drain cleaners is not so cost effective. Given the choice of paying a plumber to unclog a drain or having to replace plumbing fixtures or drain pipes, most home owners would agree that it they would rather have a plumber unclog a drain the proper way from the start.
Do you need to have your drains unclogged in the Columbia area? Give us a call today at 803-513-5749.