Drain Cleaning Service Tips: Are Chemical Drain Cleaners Safe For Use? | San Antonio, TX
Photo By BanksPhotos at istock
There are myriads of ways your drains can get clogged. Ranging from food particles, grease to hair, you need a good drain cleaner to get rid of these tough clogs. Skilled plumbers have many ways of dealing with clogs. One of the most controversial ways of dealing with clogs is the use of chemical cleaners. A better understanding of the potential effects and the alternatives of chemical cleaners can help you take better care of your pipes.
How Drainage Pipes Work
Drain pipes are tasked with the duty of carrying away used water while the vent pipes take care that the foul air and sewer gases do not flow back into your house. Over time, these pipes and vents require drain cleaning service. Depending on the use-age of the pipes, siphonage and back-pressure might occur in the pipes, which may then cause clogging.
How Efficient Are Drain Cleaning Home Remedies?
Drain cleaning services include both preventative measures and general maintenance of your drainage system. Home drainage cleaning treatments tend to lie on two extremes. Some are very temporary and do not clean your system thoroughly, while others can be very dangerous to your health and the longevity of your system.
Temporary home remedies may indeed work for a while if the clogs are tiny and early detected, however, they clog back up again faster than you’ll see it coming. These temporary measures include:
- The use of soap and water
- The use of salt and baking soda
- The use of vinegar
- The use of coke
The more dangerous home remedies for drain cleaning services are chemicals.
Chemical Drain Cleaners
Often homeowners opt for chemical cleaners because they are effective and inexpensive. However, over time the risk chemical cleaners present a costly long-term endeavor that isn’t worth the risk.
Retail store drain cleaners mainly come in three main guises. They are either in liquid, gel, or powder form. These cleaners contain powerful chemicals. Chemical reactions involving the exchange of protons and neutrons are known to produce heat. This can escalate the corrosion of old metal pipes or softening the PVC pipes often used in home drainage systems today.
There are three key types of chemical drain cleaners. These include:
- Caustic Drain cleaners: The litmus test places them on the scale of bases or alkalis. They give neutrons to the greasy clog turning it into a soapy substance that easily dissolves or washes away.
- Oxidizing Drain cleaners: These contain peroxides and nitrates, chemicals that oxidize the clog’s organic material of the clog, releasing heat and gas that clears the blockage.
- Acid Drain cleaners: These high concentrations of sulfuric and hydrochloric acids attract electrons from the clogs, which react with hydronium ions releasing heat required to melt congealed grease. They are rare in stores and are mainly sold directly to plumbing companies.
Effects Of Chemical Drain Cleaners
Despite looking like the go-to solutions, chemical drain cleaners may result in more damage than good if directions are not followed to the T. If you are in San Antonio, TX, and are in need of drain cleaning services, contact our bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of San Antonio technicians who are skilled and trained to offer the best drain cleaning.
Below are reasons why you should rethink the idea of running to the store to purchase a chemical option for your drain cleaning services.
- They are highly hazardous to your health.
Fumes released from the chemical reactions during the drain cleaning process could not only be irritable but dangerous. Working with improper gear or a slight misuse of directions could result in serious skin, lungs, eye, nose, or mouth irritations, burns, or far much worse health effects. Improper storage may also result in accidents from spillage or even death if consumed. Be sure to look out for hazardous warnings.
- They have elevated corrosion.
The chemical processes that the chemicals initiate generate heat. These chemicals designed for drain cleaning solutions cut through hair, grease, and other clogging materials. Their corrosive effect is not only specific to the drain pipes either, and after a while, they will have to be replaced from damage.
- They are a danger to the environment.
Spillage of these chemicals is harmful to the ground areas and water sources. If not properly disposed of, the chemical-containing containers may be a serious danger if they end up in a landfill.
- It is not always the right solution
Beyond hair and grease, pipes could be clogged for a variety of reasons. In such instances, you might find that the chemical drain cleaner is not the solution for you, and you might have to consult a plumbing company for drain cleaning.
- They could cause damage to fixtures.
The corrosive nature of these chemicals is not particularly restrained to pipes. Fixtures like sinks could have their enamels suffer the effects of the strong acids or bases in these chemicals.
The Better Drain Cleaning Services Solution
When looking for a drain cleaning service, it is essential to get a professional plumber with not only the skills to handle a clogged drain but also the experience of dealing with clogs. Seemingly easy, DIY solutions often seem easy, but they may also have irreversible effects that may cost you more in the long run to rectify.
Some of the advantages of dealing with a professional drain cleaning include:
- Your water flows easily
- The vents and traps are in good conditions to keep odors away
- Your drain damages are repaired
- Your bills lessen
- You maintain a clean and healthy home
bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of San Antonio is the leading drain cleaning service in San Antonio, TX. We boast an A+ rating on BBB and are 5-star rated by HomeAdvisor. We are driven by customer service, and no matter your needs, we have a ready solution for you. We offer premium plumbing services and are available 24/7. Get in touch with us today for more information about our drain cleaning service and more.
Priority Service