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dangers of chemical drain cleaners

Dangers of Chemical Drain Cleaners

When you’re faced with a possible blocked drain, you may think of the many advertisements you’ve seen for chemical drain cleaners and drain unblockers. You think of how easily the chemicals appear to dissolve the blockage to restore free-flowing water once again. As nice as the animations look, drain problems are rarely solved by a one-size-fits-all solution. 

At Unbeatable Drain Cleaning, we provide a wide range of drainage services because drains are a complicated system with many important elements. If one element breaks down, it affects the entire system. Our experts are trained to not only clear your drains but diagnose why the blockage happened and help you to avoid its reoccurrence (something that a bottle of chemicals just can’t do!).

In this blog post, we’re going to explore the disadvantages (even dangers) of using chemical drain cleaners.

Damage to pipes

Chemical drain cleaning solutions use either alkaline compounds (like Sodium Hydroxide) or acidic compounds (like Sulfuric Acid) in high concentrations to dissolve hair, fats, oils or other substances which may be causing the blockage in your drains. However, these corrosive chemicals also cause damage to the lining of your pipes. If chemical drain cleaners are allowed to sit in pipes, such as getting stuck behind a blockage or in a U-bend, they can eat through the pipe. This leads to leaks, foul odours, mould and even expensive property damage.

Dangerous chemical reactions

Say you’ve tried a certain brand of drain unblocker and had no success – the blockage remains. You may think “this brand doesn’t work” and head out to buy a different brand. However, as mentioned before, some drain cleaners are acidic and some are alkaline. If you unknowingly mix an acidic drain cleaner with an alkaline drain cleaner you can experience a host of dangerous and costly side effects. These include heat build-up in your pipes causing them to rupture, poisonous Chlorine gas being emitted into your home and hot chemical-infused water shooting out of your drains.

Never knowing what caused the issue

Chemical drain cleaners treat the symptom, but not the disease. There are many reasons why your drains may be slowing down or blocking up. These are relatively mild signals from your drains that something is wrong beneath the ground. The only way to know the true cause of your issue is to consult a professional. Prevention is always better than a cure!

Septic Tank Failure

Your septic tank is full of useful bacteria which feed on the waste from your home and play a big part in treating your wastewater. When you pour toxic chemicals, like drain unblockers, down your drain they enter your septic tank and kill these beneficial microorganisms. With regular use, these drain cleaners can cause a complete failure of your septic system.

Possibility of injury and illness

Drain cleaning products being stored and used in your home can pose a huge risk to your family’s health. If you use a drain cleaning product, use it in a well-ventilated area as the fumes are toxic. Keep children and pets away from the product at all times. Accidental ingestion of these substances can lead to life-threatening illness. If you decide to call a professional to clear a blockage after attempting to clear it yourself, always let us know what you have used so we can take the necessary precautions to protect ourselves from injuries such as chemical burns and fume inhalation.

Drains are an important part of our households, so we should treat them as such. If you’re experiencing slow drains, water levels rising or foul odours, talk to us at Unbeatable Drain Cleaning. Our expert Drainage Engineers will diagnose the issue, solve it in a timely manner and help you to look after your drains in the future. 

Call us on 1800 303 663 to arrange a call-out!

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