With winter at our doorsteps, you may find that drain lines seems to clog more often than usual.
Why is that?
Well, if grease and oil are washing down your drain, chances are they are the main culprits. Where these fats may have easily made it through your pipes on a regular day, the cold of winter makes them congeal much faster than usual. The result is a clogged drain line.
Of course, you can try to clean out clogs yourself but, do you really know what you’re doing? You may have good intentions, but many drain cleaning options are not only dangerous to your pipes, but they can harm your family too! Here are common concoctions used to unclog drains.
Chemical Cleaners
Most households have a bottle of drain cleaner hidden somewhere in a cupboard. When these cleaners are effective, though they rarely are, it is due to the fact they contain strong bases that eat through grease and blockages. It doesn’t take an expert to know that these bases can cause you bodily injury, but they can also produce harmful fumes if inhaled. If these chemicals are powerful enough to dissolve the blockage, imagine how they can affect your body.
Once in contact with your eyes or skin, these base chemicals can cause a painful rash or even chemical burns. Inhaling it can cause irritation to your throat and lungs, which may lead to sneezing and headaches.
Needless to say, these chemicals can also be harmful to your plumbing system. The corrosive chemicals don’t just work through the blockage; they can also eat through weak areas in pipes and damage sealants! This damage can not only lead to further clogs, but it can also create brand new leaks in your system.
Baking Soda and Vinegar
A popular alternative for cleaning clogged drains, mixing baking soda and vinegar may be quite the show but isn’t very effective. It may fizz, but it won’t do anything more than clean the surface. You can’t wash oil and grease away with the resulting mixture, let alone clean out the gunk clogging your drains.
Lye
You can find lye in some chemical drain cleaners. While you don’t need a permit to buy it, it’s still more dangerous than most household items.
Lye is combustible once exposed to moisture, a necessary component in activating its corrosive power. The heat lye produces once exposed to water can actually melt through plastic pipes in your plumbing system.
Let Professionals Handle Your Clogged Drains
Leave clogged drains to those with the right equipment. Your DIY efforts may backfire and end in disaster! Not only will you end up with expensive repairs, but you may also end up in the hospital.
Instead of resorting to buying chemicals or concocting your own drain cleaners, trust the best plumbers in Denver, Done Plumbing, Heating, Cooling, and Electric. We offer you fast, efficient solutions from qualified, certified, and licensed technicians, especially for clogged drains. We keep our prices are affordable without compromising the quality of our work.
