Why Liquid Drain Cleaners Are Not Good for Your Plumbing

You are in the middle of cleaning up the kitchen in the evening and just finished washing up the dishes. You turn on the water and start rinsing off the dishes. You notice the water is slowly rising in the sink, even though there is no drain stop in place.

You check the dishwater on the other side of the sink by removing the drain stop. Yet the water won’t go down the drain. You stick your hand in the water to see if something is blocking the drain only to feel nothing is blocking the drain.

Now both of sides of your kitchen sink have clogged drains. What do you do next? Before you reach for that bottle of liquid drain cleaner and pour it down the sink, let’s talk about why you should never use these products.

1. Liquid Drain Cleaners Use Toxic Chemicals

Most brands have to use toxic chemicals to try to unblock a clog in your plumbing. These chemicals not only smell bad and can be harmful to breathe in, but can also damage your plumbing.

Certain chemicals can dissolve certain types of pipe materials. Excessive use can cause fittings, washers, and connections to erode. Before you know it, you could have a leak under your sink because the drain cleaner has eaten through the pipe.

2. Liquid Drain Cleaners Are Not Septic Safe

If you have a septic tank, drain cleaners are not good for your septic system. They can destroy and kill the useful bacteria inside the septic tank you need to break down waste. Without these bacteria, your septic tank will fill up quickly. It is never fun to come home and see waste spewing up from the ground from your septic tank.

3. Liquid Drain Cleaners Are Not Effective

Sure, the drain might work great for a short while after dumping a bottle of liquid drain cleaner down it. Eventually, clogs can return because the cleaner only removed part, not all, of the clog. In addition, the chemicals used in these products do not work with all types of clogs.

4. Liquid Drain Cleaners Are Harmful to the Environment

The containers the drain cleaners come in will still have some liquid and chemicals left inside when you toss them in the trash. The containers tend to end up in landfills where they can leach harmful chemicals into the ground. Eventually, these can get into freshwater supplies and harm wildlife, vegetation, and humans.

Safe and Eco-Friendly Clog Removal

The best way to address clogs is with an old-fashioned plunger and a little bit of muscle. If you think about it, there are only a few reasons for clogged drains:

• Hair
• Foreign Objects
• Excessive Toilet Paper
• Soap Scum
• Grease
• Food

Most of these clogs can be unblocked with a plunger to get water flowing, and without hurting your pipes or the environment. For more difficult clogs or ones that keep reoccurring, then you will want to have a professional plumber clean your pipes using a drain snake.To schedule service for clogged toilets or drains or pipe cleaning, please feel free to contact MET Plumbing & Air Conditioning at 281-599-3336 today!