4 Reasons to Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaners

Chemical drain cleaning products claim to dissolve clogs in home plumbing systems, but they are not always the best option. In many cases, it is better to remove the clog manually, using a drain snake, or call a professional plumber. Here are a few good reasons not to turn to chemical drain cleaners as a first resort.

1. Drain Cleaning Chemicals Don't Work on Many Clogs

Chemical drain cleaning products are useful for dissolving clogs that are made of organic materials, such as food scraps. However, they have no effect at all on clogs that are caused by hard objects stuck in the pipes. They also won't work if the clog is located lower down in the sewer line, rather than in the pipe that leads directly from your blocked drain. If you have several blocked drains in your home, the cause is probably a main sewer line clog, which you need to call a plumber to fix. 

2. Drain Cleaning Chemicals Corrode Pipes and Fixtures

Drain cleaning products contain strong chemicals. As well as dissolving certain types of clogs, these chemicals also contribute to corrosion of your home plumbing system. If you use chemical drain cleaners to clean a bathtub drain, you need to be extremely careful not to let the product come into contact with the enamel. The chemicals could spoil the appearance of the finished surface.

3. Drain Cleaning Chemicals Cause Environmental Damage

The chemicals that drain cleaning products contain can be very bad for the environment. After you pour them into your plumbing system at home, they wash into local waterways, where they pollute the water and harm fish and other wildlife. If you care about the wildlife in your local area, use chemical drain cleaners only as a last resort.

4. Drain Cleaning Chemicals are Dangerous

Chemicals that are strong enough to dissolve clogs can also do serious damage to your skin. When you use drain cleaning chemicals at home, you need to wear gloves to protect your skin and take extreme care to keep the product out of your eyes. Open a window and turn on the bathroom or kitchen fan to get rid of the fumes, which can be harmful to breathe in. You also need to store chemical drain cleaners in a safe place, where kids and pets cannot access them. If you don't want to take the risk, call a plumber for help with blocked drains instead of turning to chemical drain cleaners.