Chemical drain cleaners clear clogs that disrupt our day and cause unnecessary stress. However, quick and easy doesn’t equal best. There are pros and cons to using chemical drain cleaners as a clog removing solution, so it’s imperative to review the pros and cons before deciding if a chemical drain cleaner is right for you.

Advantages

The chemical drain cleaner is inexpensive and easy to use. Buy the bottle at any big box or home improvement store for under $10. After reading the instructions on the back, open the bottle and pour the liquid substance down the drain straight from the bottle. The liquid does the rest. Some bottles include a handle to make gripping and pouring easier. Between ten and twenty minutes later, the clog is nonexistent, so it works fast to remove the clog and is very effective. Just turn the faucet water on to flush out the liquid and leftover clog debris. Don’t worry about any foul smells while pouring the liquid down the drain as it is odorous.

It works on most drain pipes like the kitchen sink, the bathroom sink, the shower drain, the bathtub drain, laundry room drains, and utility sink drains. The liquid can dissolve drain clogs stemming from hair, food, and grease buildup too.

Disadvantages

Toilet drains have a curvy drain pipe that starts downward and goes upward, and it requires powerful force such as flushing to move waste through the drain. The liquid drain cleaner will sit at the bottom and cannot go upward because the liquid is heavier than water. Therefore, it is not effective in toilets. Furthermore, the liquid drain cleaner cannot clear out clogs caused by mineral buildup or solid objects such as toys, hair bows, or silverware.

While it doesn’t have an odor, it contains alkaline chemicals that harm skin and eyes upon contact. It releases fumes that contaminate the air inside the house. It also pollutes the soil water if a leak exists in the pipe. The same chemicals in chemical drain cleaners erode and weaken pipe structure with each use, causing leaks.

It clears existing clogs, yet the liquid causes clogging too. The residue left behind after flushing out the liquid sticks to the pipe’s interior structure similar to how grease sticks to clogs. Repeated use will shockingly build clogs, and food scraps and small debris that flush down the drain will make the clog worse. It will require another solution to remove the clog.

In closing, the disadvantages outmatch the advantages. It appears like the easiest solution is not worth it if it means gambling with your health in the initial term and dealing with clogs and leaky pipes in the long run. There are eco-friendly home remedy solutions that offer the same advantages to clear clogs with none of the disadvantages. The choice is yours, however, so choose wisely.

 

For more information, contact Vinny’s Jersey Plumbing, located in Wayne, New jersey.  We also service other towns in New jersey, such as Parsippany, Bergenfield and Ridgewood.