In many cases, liquid drain cleaners, drain unblocker , drain declogger, and sink clog removers are capable of damaging pipes and toilets.
One of the main reasons plumbers dislike liquid drain cleaners is that they can actually cause more harm than good. These products contain harsh chemicals that can corrode your pipes and cause damage over time.
Drano is a very caustic liquid, and extremely dangerous. Sometimes it may not unclog a drain, and it just sits in the drain. If someone were to open that drain without knowing Drano is in it, it could splash on that person and cause severe injury. Also, Drano, over time, will eat away cast iron drains pipes.
Drain cleaners don't hurt the pipes if you use them according to the directions on the bottle. That said, if you use them against the instructions, you could cause damage to the drain system of your house. As long as you follow the step by step directions, liquid plumbr has never cause me any issues.
Just pour a half cup of baking soda into the drain and follow it with two quarts of hot water. Baking soda is a great cleaning agent for cleaning sink drains, as well as shower and tub drains, and it'll absorb foul odors, too.
The fizzing reaction and gas created may help loosen some small blockages. However, it is not typically strong enough to break down larger clogs or remove hard-to-reach debris. As a result of the above facts, if you have a serious drain clog, using baking soda and vinegar is unlikely to be effective.
Drain Cleaner Can Damage Your Pipes
Drain cleaner is caustic, meaning it will eat away at your pipes — even the tougher types. If your home employs plastic pipes, use the solution sparingly, if at all. It can even eat away at metal pipes. Use the solution once to break up a clog, and you could be safe.
Some of the best Drano alternatives include using a plunger or pipe snake, soap or salt mixed with boiling water, or baking soda and white vinegar. Also, for maximum effectiveness, you can combine several of these methods together to get rid of the clog.
While white vinegar alone may not be as effective as a baking soda and vinegar combination, it can still help unclog drains with minor build-up. Pour about 1 cup of white vinegar into the drain, let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour, and then rinse with hot water.
This is a big deal when you live in a home with a septic system. We were always hesitant to use certain products in the past and Green Gobbler's products truly give us peace of mind. The Green Gobbler Drain Clog Dissolverdoes not contain bleach or sodium hydroxide, and it's safe for PVC and copper pipes.
In addition to cleaning from a pro once per year, keep your drains clean with a weekly and monthly maintenance routine. This maintenance will greatly limit the risk of blockages and damage to plumbing drain pipes throughout your house, as well as buried sewer lines outdoors.
If the clog is more than some eggshells trapped in the pipe, then drain cleaner won't help it. Sometimes drains back up because of sewer problems or broken pipes, which obviously a drain cleaner won't fix. Instead of using these harsh chemical cleaners, try using a plunger next time you have a clog.
They can cause leaks by making your drain pipes more brittle. Drain cleaners typically work in one of two ways using chemical reactions: They get hot enough to melt a clog. They become caustic enough to corrode or burn through a clog.
Plumbers unanimously encourage homeowners not to use Drano due to its corrosive nature. The chemicals in Drano can erode not only the clogged material causing the blockage but will also quickly eat away at the metal plumbing pipes themselves, causing more harm than good.
Heat 2 or 4 liters of water on your stove or in a kettle to just short of boiling. Add about 1/2 cup of salt. Try pouring this down the drain, then wait 15 minutes before seeing if it will clear more easily. If you need a stronger cleaning, pour 1/2 cup of baking soda down the drain, then add 1/2 cup of vinegar.
Drano Max Gel Liquid Clog Remover
The best drain cleaner overall. A thick gel that descends through standing water to the source of the clog and starts to work melting soap scum, grease, and other gunky obstructions, is safe for plumbing and septic systems.
To start, measure out one cup of baking soda and pour it directly into the affected drain. Follow this by adding an equal amount of white vinegar. As these two substances interact, they create a bubbling effect that penetrates and breaks down the gunk and grime lodged within your pipes.
The chemicals in the product are designed to break own the clog, but if left for too long, they can start to break down the pipes themselves. This can lead to cracks and leaks in the pipes, leading to various issues, including water damage and flooding.
Chemical cleaners can eat away at your pipes, and boiling water can melt important components. Over time, this damage can lead to leaks and expensive plumbing repairs.
Properties and Uses: Hydrochloric acid, also known as muriatic acid, is a highly corrosive acid used extensively by plumbers to clear severe clogs. It reacts rapidly with organic materials in drains, breaking them down into simpler compounds that can be easily flushed away.
While harmless for most metal and PVC pipes, prolonged exposure to the acidic nature of vinegar might corrode certain metals, like copper. PVC pipes, on the other hand, can withstand these substances without damage.