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.
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.
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.
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 chemical reaction that liquid drain cleaners cause inside your drain pipes (often using hydrochloric acid), creates heat to dissolve any blockage. These products are effective for small clogs, but they will not work well for larger ones. High heat can melt or cause the deformation of plastic pipes.
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.
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.
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.
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.
For stubborn clogs: baking soda, salt, and vinegar
To clean your drain with baking soda, salt and vinegar, mix half a cup of baking soda with half a cup of salt and pour the mixture down the drain. Boil 1 cup of vinegar and pour it down the drain — the combination will cause a fizzy and bubbly chemical reaction.
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.
Hydrochloric Acid (Muriatic Acid)
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.
For a fresh-smelling, natural drain cleaner, mix 1/2 cup of baking soda with 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Pour this effervescent mixture down the drain and let it sit for an hour to break down the gunk and grime. Rinse with hot water to wash away the loosened debris, leaving your drains smelling citrusy and clean.
Baking soda and white vinegar are sustainable substitutions for Drano. Most people have these items in their pantry at any given time. Pour a half cup of baking soda into your drain with a half cup of white vinegar. Let it sit for about thirty minutes, then pour in boiling water.
They can also damage plumbing fixtures and even cause environmental damage if left too long without rinsing away. Can liquid drain cleaner make a clog worse? A liquid drain cleaner can sometimes make a clog worse over time if you use it improperly or too much.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Using innovative drain unblocking technology, Mr Muscle's new biodegradable formula delivers the power to unclog bathroom drains in just 5 hours. Use it at night, let it work its magic and wake up to freely flowing drains.
Drano is a serious chemical that can't be left sitting for too long. It is made to corrode and break down clogs, but when left there for too long, it can actually corrode your pipes, this can lead to cracks and eventually water damage in your home.
Allow enzymes to work overnight or while at work (six to eight hours) before running water in drain again.
You can use Drano® Clog Removers to unclog a kitchen sink, bathroom sink, shower or clogged bathtub, but DO NOT use them in toilets. For clogged or slow-running drains, apply the product and let it work 15 minutes, then flush with hot water. For tough problems, allow 30 minutes before flushing.
Using a chemical drain cleaner can cause your pipes to crack. Most chemical drain cleaners contain sodium hydroxide, which can reach 133 degrees Fahrenheit in a very short time when it contacts water, which is why a drain cleaning company usually wouldn't recommend chemical drain cleaners.