Most homes suffer from a blocked drain at some time, and one of the first things many goes for when this occurs is an over-the-counter drain cleaner. We watch commercials on TV promoting the efficacy of a drain cleaner without considering the possible dangers the product may cause to you or the drains and pipes in your house.
How can drain cleaner impact your health? Is drain cleaners flammable? It’s usually a good choice to know about a chemical before utilizing it in-home tasks.
Is Drain Cleaners Flammable?
Most of the chemical drain cleaners are oxidizing and extremely flammable. They are also extremely caustic and hazardous to your health.
How Do Chemical Drain Cleaners Work?
Drain cleaners are frequently available in powder, crystal, liquid, foam, and gel forms. They all operate in basically the same manner.
The harsh chemicals in the products react with the blockage to produce gas and heat. This dissolves the barrier so that the water may continue to flow.
The high toxicity in the drain cleans such as bleach, peroxide, lye, and others are dangerous. They may be deadly if eaten or breathed and can even cause severe burns if they touch the skin. It is best to remain safe and contact experts that specialize in drain cleaning.
What Are the Dangers of Drain Cleaners?
There are numerous reasons why you will be better off asking for a drain cleaning professional for any blocked pipes instead of simply forgetting about it and waiting for an issue to arise.
Health Impacts
Because the chemicals are synthetic, they are intended to be particularly strong to clean out blocked drains. The potency of drain cleaners should warn you exactly what these chemicals may do not just to your health but also to the pipes in your house.
A drain clearer aims to dissolve whatever is blocking the drain. This may be a mix of soap, shampoo, and hair in the shower and dish detergent, food, and grease in the kitchen.
Once the liquid is put down the drain, it gets into the action, churning and dissolving the muck while producing odours, which may continue to radiate from the drain days later.
One of the ingredients included in certain drain cleaners is sodium hydroxide. This deadly medication manifests with chest discomfort, severe stomach pain, bloody vomit, terrible mouth and throat suffering, and burns in the mouth and throat. Vision loss is also possible if the chemical goes into your eyes, and scarring may develop when the chemicals touch your skin.
Damage to the Pipes
Chemical drain cleaners utilize a mix of strong chemicals, which may quickly burn through any obstructions in the pipes. While it will clear the tube of possible blockages, the chemical reactions will also expose your pipes to heat and gas.
This may be deadly to your lines, particularly PVC soft pipes or ancient ones more prone to leaks. Old seals, chalking, and metal fittings may also begin to rust if they endure too much contact with strong chemicals.
The greatest harm that may occur is when the cleaner fails to clear away your blocked drain fast.
The pipes may be blocked owing to a problem like a tree root breaking through or a joint fitting coming loose, which a drain cleaner can’t clear away. In such circumstances, the drain cleaner is left steaming in your pipes, which provides it enough time to do damage. This will mean that you will be spending an increasing amount of money to get a drain cleaning expert to come out and fix your plumbing.
Harm to the Environment
One of the most hazardous plumbing wastes is chemical drain cleaners. The residue from the drain cleaners frequently seeps into the groundwater and soil. It is harmful to any animals and plants in the region and humans who utilize the groundwater regularly. It is just preferable for the environment to avoid these hazardous chemicals and instead hire drain cleaning experts.
Danger to Homeowners
Drain cleaners are also manufactured with hazardous chemicals that may be very damaging to the individuals using them. They emit poisonous gases that may inflict burns on the skin, eyes, and the interior linings of the respiratory system and other health problems. They may also cause severe burns and rashes if they come in touch with your skin.
Even if you take safety precautions like wearing gloves, they may still find a way to burn you. Drain clogs, pipe leaks, and pipe bursts may result in severe burns to the skin if they create a backup in the system. Some chemicals may even shoot into your flesh while plunging the drain into pulling out the blockages. The chemical is too hazardous to utilize.
Additional Costs
While drain cleaners are advertised as a cheap alternative, they may be very costly to homes. The damage to the septic tanks and pipes may imply that you have to spend a lot of money on repairs, upkeep or replacements.
What Are the Safer Clog Alternatives?
There are numerous more methods to get rid of clogs in your drainage system, and we will go through them one by one.
Firstly, you may try using the plunger. Plunging the pipe may frequently generate enough pressure to remove the blockage.
This is an affordable solution to the issue. All you have to do is to seal the plunger around the drain so that you can generate a vacuum to draw the blockage out.
You may also try creating DIY drain cleaners at home. You may use various mixtures, including baking soda and vinegar, to burn through the pipes. Pour 1/2 cup white vinegar and baking soda down the drain.
Do make sure that you give it enough time to burn through the blockage. Chase the combination with hot water so that it washes out fully and flushes away the jam along with it. However, these DIY methods shouldn’t be used too frequently because vinegar is very acidic, but it is still better than commercial drain cleaners.
Go to the pros
Even with choices available, the best option has to be employing professional services for drain cleaning. They are the most effective, safe, and dependable chance to take care of the blockages in the plumbing system.
If you are experiencing the issue more frequently than you should, they can also treat the underlying source of the problem so that you don’t have to battle blockages every day. They thoroughly examine the entire system, which enables them to identify the precise issue with the plumbing system.
Conclusion
Professional Plumbers utilize safe techniques like drain cables and cranks to cope with blockages. This protects your pipes protected from any damage. Some plumbers also have a mixture of natural drain cleaners that care for jams while preserving your lines from harm. So since drain cleaners are combustible and not suitable for long-term usage, it would be better if you went to the professionals before attempting yourself.