A bottle of chemical drain cleaner under the sink can shift some clogs, but these are among the most hazardous products most households keep, and they can damage the plumbing they are poured into. Here is what is actually in them, what they can do, and what clears a drain without them.
What Is in Chemical Drain Cleaners?
Most fall into two groups. The alkaline kind contains sodium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide. The acidic kind contains concentrated sulfuric acid. Bleach and lye turn up in household formulations as well, usually in high concentrations.
They work by dissolving organic matter such as food waste, hair and grease. How well they work depends almost entirely on how far the clog sits from the drain opening, because the chemical has to reach the blockage while still concentrated enough to act on it. The further away the clog, the less it does. That is why these products rarely shift a clogged toilet, and why they do almost nothing for a sewer line.
What They Can Do to You
Contact with these chemicals can cause burns, blindness and inflammation of the respiratory system. That is the reason for the warnings on the label, and the reason the container needs to be stored somewhere children and pets cannot reach.
What They Can Do to Your Plumbing
Corrosive cleaners attack metal pipes, and repeated use is hard on older plumbing in particular. Spills and splashes also damage the surfaces around the drain, including wood, paint, aluminum and fiberglass.
Safety Precautions When Using Chemical Drain Cleaners
If you are going to use one, these are the precautions that matter:
- Read the label and follow it. Dosage and contact time are not suggestions, and products are not interchangeable.
- Pour slowly. These cleaners work by reacting with the material in the drain, and a fast pour is what causes splashback.
- Protect your eyes and hands. Rubber gloves and eye protection, every time.
- Never mix products. An acidic cleaner on top of an alkaline one, or either on top of bleach, can react violently.
- Keep it off surfaces. Wood, paint, aluminum and fiberglass all mark.
- Store it out of reach of children and pets, in its original container.
The Better Alternative: Professional Drain Cleaning
The safest and most effective option is to have the drain cleared mechanically. A drain snake or water jetting removes the blockage rather than trying to dissolve it, and reaches clogs that no liquid will touch.
- It removes the obstruction completely, including the material a chemical cleaner would only bore a hole through.
- Nothing hazardous comes into the house.
- Nothing corrosive sits in your pipes, which matters most in an older plumbing system.
- It lasts longer, because clearing the pipe wall is what stops the clog reforming.
If a drain is slow or blocked, call Grand Lake Plumbing & Heating. We clear drains and sewer lines across Grand County, and we would rather do that than see a corroded pipe later.
