Dirty drains can compromise your home’s plumbing system. When you want to clean them quickly, you may consider using drain-cleaning chemicals that you can buy at the local hardware or big box store. Before you purchase them, you should understand the risks of using them and why you can get better results by hiring professional plumbing technicians to clean your home’s drains.
6 Reasons to Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaners
The chemicals you can buy to clean your home’s drains can pose a risk to you, your family and your plumbing system. These six reasons highlight some of the hazards of using them to clean your home’s drains.
1. Pipe Damage
Drain-cleaning chemicals can damage your home’s pipes. Pipes made from materials like PVC or plastic may not tolerate the potent ingredients found in these cleaners.
You could create holes or cracks in the pipes if you were to pour these chemicals down your drains. You would then put your home at risk for water damage and also face paying for costly pipe repairs or replacements because of the damage these chemicals caused.
2. Risk to Family Members and Pets
Chemicals designed to clean your home’s drains can likewise pose a hazard to your family members and pets. For example, using them in a poorly ventilated room could make you and others around the area sick with the chemicals’ noxious fumes. These potent cleaning chemicals can also cause painful burns if they come into contact with someone’s skin, eyes or nose.
3. Protective Gear to Handle
Preventing dangers like chemical burns can require you to use specialized protective gear to handle these drain-cleaning products. You may have to buy and wear latex or rubber gloves to avoid coming into contact with the toxic ingredients in them.
You may also need to wear a respirator mask and eye goggles to prevent chemicals from splashing in your eyes or nose. You can avoid buying this gear by having a professional technician clean your home’s drains.
4. Environmental Impact
The products you can buy at the local store for drain cleaning can harm the environment around your home. They can contaminate the soil, water and air if you mishandle them or dispose of them improperly. Plumbing professionals may use more eco-friendly methods for cleaning your home’s drains, allowing you to minimize the negative impact your drains have on the environment.
5. Temporary Results
Additionally, products available at the hardware or grocery store for drain cleaning typically only provide temporary results. They might remove smaller clogs and some of the debris in your pipes.
However, they often fail to keep the pipes clean and provide you with long-lasting results. You may have to keep buying and using them to keep the drains open enough for water to flow out of your sinks and bathtub.
6. Chemical Reactions
The products you can buy to clean your home’s drains can also cause harmful chemical reactions if you misuse them or combine them with other chemicals. For example, if you use a product that contains ammonia in conjunction with bleach, you can create dangerous fumes.
The chemical reactions not only could make you and others in your home sick. They can seriously damage your home’s plumbing and cost you money for repairs.
7 Reasons to Trust Professionals for Drain Cleaning
Instead of using chemicals to clean the drains in your home, you can hire a technician to clean them out professionally for you. These seven reasons explain the benefits that come with relying on professional plumbers when you need effective drain cleaning.
1. Effective Cleaning
Professional drain cleaners have the resources to clean out your home’s drains effectively. They know what methods to use to remove clogs comprising of debris like hair and grease.
They also know what chemicals to use to remove residue like grease and food that gets stuck inside the pipework. The services they provide likewise eliminate any odors coming from inside your drains.
2. Damage Prevention
Further, experienced technicians know how to clean your home’s drains without damaging them. They know what techniques to use to remove clogs and residue without causing damage like holes and cracks. You can get clean drains without the worry of having to pay for repairs because the plumber you hired damaged them during the cleaning process.
3. Safety
Likewise, plumbing professionals know how to work safely without putting you and your household at risk. They may use eco-friendly products that do not cause noxious fumes or burns if you come into contact with them. They may also ventilate the area if they do have to use potent chemicals for removing tough clogs or cleaning out years’ worth of residue.
4. Specialized Equipment
Skilled plumbing technicians have access to specialized equipment designed specifically for cleaning out your home’s drains. This equipment can include:
- Scopes
- Augers
- Plumbing snakes
- High-pressure water jets
- Industrial-grade plungers
- Bio-enzymatic cleaners
They can also use cameras to guide equipment like snakes that they put down your drains to find and remove clogs deep inside the pipework. These resources ensure you get professional, long-lasting results, as well as plumbing services that are well worth the money you pay for them.
5. Longer Plumbing Lifespan
Having a plumbing pro clean your drains can protect the lifespan of your home’s plumbing. Replacing the plumbing can cost a sizable sum of money. It can also take a significant amount of time to complete this project.
Additionally, removing debris like grease and food inside the pipes can protect them from damage like corrosion. Regular drain cleaning not only helps your pipes and drains last longer but also costs less than replacing your home’s plumbing.
6. Prevention
Regular drain cleaning can also help you prevent future clogs in your home’s drains. Your tech may recommend ways that you can keep your drains clean longer and prevent debris like hair and grease from getting inside of them. These tips, combined with having a plumber professionally clean out your drains at least once a year, can maximize the efficiency you get from your home’s plumbing system.
7. Service Guarantee
Finally, the technician you contract with may provide you with a guarantee of your drain-cleaning services. This guarantee ensures you get results that meet your expectations and provide you with reliable results. If this professional makes a mistake, causes damage or fails to get your drains completely clean, the guarantee can spare you from having to pay for additional repairs or cleaning services.
Choose Us for Your Home’s Drain Cleaning
We have 20 years’ worth of experience when it comes to efficient and reliable drain cleaning. Our team focuses on getting the job you hire us for done quickly. However, the technicians we have working for us also pay close attention to detail and provide high-quality workmanship at affordable prices.
We also offer a full line of services for your home’s air conditioner, furnace and ductwork. You get upfront, honest pricing and will never find hidden fees on your final bill. Our techs show up to your home with fully stocked service trucks to ensure we get the job done right the first time.
Our team provides you with the effective drain-cleaning and plumbing solutions you need for your home. Contact us to learn more!