Why You Should Avoid Drain Unblocking Chemicals
When a customer calls us for help with a drain blockage, we’re always happy to help. If we can suggest something that may help you solve the issue over the phone without paying for a callout, we will do so. But we never recommend chemical drain cleaners because of the serious damage they can cause.
While it’s very tempting to use them, drain unblocking chemicals can do far more harm to your plumbing than good. Whether they are in gel, liquid, foam, crystal or powder form, they all work pretty much in the same way. When you pour drain unblocking chemicals down your sink or toilet, the corrosive chemicals react with the clog. If they work as you would hope, the chemical process will dissolve or liquefy the blockage and the problem will be over and done with. But this same chemical reaction can also dissolve pipes. Especially any areas that are old, damaged or made of plastic.
We can understand why people use these cleaners. We’ve all been there. You already have a dozen things going on; you’re most likely on your way out the door (probably to your wedding as luck would have it!) when suddenly the toilet is backing up and overflowing into the bathroom.
There’s no right time for a drain blockage to happen and everyone wants to have the problem solved as quickly and as painlessly as possible. But most people are unaware of how often these drain unblocking chemicals result in severe damage. We’ve seen this enough times to know that this solution can turn an already unpleasant experience into a nightmare.
“I won’t be making that mistake again!”
We have had calls from clients who ran into trouble after they’d used a chemical unblocker. In some cases, it even looked like the problem had been solved. Until a few days later, they started to notice a smell. By then, a simple blockage had turned into severe water damage to walls and flooring that took weeks of expensive, disruptive work to resolve.
Drain unblocking chemicals might solve your problem. But they may also burst or dissolve an area of the pipe and create a leak somewhere inside or under your home. You may have brand new piping in most of the house, but it just takes one joint or one length of old or plastic pipe. The risk is simply not worth the pay-off.
If you decide to take the risk, be aware that these solutions contain strong acids which are not only harmful to your health, your piping, the environment, they can also damage your finishes, including the enamel on bathtubs and toilets. Handle these chemicals with caution! And learn the steps you can take to avoid blockages in the future.
If you have a drain blockage and need advice, feel free to contact us on 1800 437 246
If you have used any of these products and you call us out to your home, please advise our operative of this so that they can proceed safely.
