When you discover that a drain in your home is clogged, your first consideration might not be grabbing the phone to call a plumber. After all, why not just grab a more cost-effective jug of drain cleaner and remove the clog yourself? Well, the answer to that question is rather long, but the short answer is that trying that cost-cutter shortcut could end up costing you far more than what a plumbers visit would have cost. And that is just the beginning.
There Are No Magic Drain Cleaners
The claim on the bottle says that this liquid will “remove even the toughest drain clogs.” But then there are many lines of fine print and references made to some health and safety disclosures that you can read online. But who is going to take the time to go look up all that information? Not the person with the sink full of dirty water and a drain clog that needs to be removed. Instead, you glance at the instructions and then dump a hearty dose of the chemical cocktail into your sink.
The bottle said to wait 20 minutes, then flush with hot water. But at the 20-minute mark, the sink is still full of water. So you wait another 20 minutes. Then you cautiously begin to run hot water into the sink and hope that it does not overflow. If you are very fortunate, the hot water will prove somewhat useful, and the water will begin to trickle down the drain. This is not exactly what the bottle described, but you are glad to have the water flowing down the drain, albeit slowly.
Why The Chemical Wonder Did Not Work
First, it is essential to know that hydrochloric acid is a primary ingredient in many chemical drain cleaners. And the way the liquid is supposed to work is by eating away at the clog to allow water to flow down the drain again. But when you have a complete blockage of the drainpipe, the acid mixture can only reach a tiny portion of the clog. So the acid is sitting on top of the clog and is focused on just a small section of your drainpipe as well.
If you remember high school chemistry, acids claim to fame is creating heat to burn through other materials. And that is what it is doing in your drain pipe. But the acid is not smart. It cannot tell the difference between your drain pipe and the material clogging it. So it is merrily eating away at the clog and melting your drain line. Hopefully, you return to the scene of the crime and begin flushing the pipe with hot water before the chemicals eat completely through the drain line and compound your problems.
And Now A Word About The Health Disclosure
If you happen to check out the fine print warning, you will read about using the chemical drain cleaner in a well ventilated, open area. And unless you have an unusually large bathroom or kitchen, you will not be able to vent the toxic fumes that come rolling out of your drain. So be very careful about breathing the fumes from the drain cleaner or getting it on your skin. As we discussed earlier, the acid will burn or melt anything that it touches.
You Work Hard For Your Money
Now that you have spent your hard-earned money on chemical drain cleaner, what do you have to show for it? In most cases, you have a fume-filled home and a barely functional drain. Even if the drain cleaner only costs $10, that is not much of a benefit for the money you spent. And you will likely be shelling out more for a licensed plumber to remove the clog.
A Guaranteed Solution
When you have a tough drain clog, the only real solution is a professional drain cleaning from the team at Parobek Plumbing & Air Conditioning. Our crew of pros uses nothing but very high-pressure clean water to blast away clogs without damaging your drain lines. Call (512) 910-8123 to schedule an appointment and learn more about our guarantee that backs all drain cleaning work.
