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Reasons to Avoid Chemical Drain Cleaners to Unclog Your Drain
You think you’re saving money by using a readily available chemical drain cleaning solution instead of calling a plumber for your clogged drain. But are you? What are the real costs involved?
When you read the label on a chemical drain cleaning product there are a number of precautions listed. You are advised to keep the product away from children. If swallowed these chemicals are extremely toxic. Burns will occur if any of the product touches your skin, and your eyes and mucous membranes can also be seriously injured. The fumes are irritating and should the cleaner be mixed with one containing bleach or ammonia, the gases released are dangerous. In fact, some of the chemical drain cleaners could also react with products used previously and generate an explosive reaction.
Chemical drain cleaners are also harmful to pets, though you will find no warning on the label. Those same chemicals that can cause you injury are also able to hurt your pets should they come into contact with the product.
Though the cleaners claim to be safe for pipes, some of the chemical reactions generate heat which may soften PVC piping over time, especially if they are used frequently or proper procedures are not followed. The very chemicals used to dissolve the clog may also damage your piping. Septic tanks may become imbalanced chemically as the cleaner kills off some of the “good” bacteria.
Chemical drain cleaning solutions are some of the most hazardous household products available. In this age of environmental awareness, we should be mindful of the chemicals we use. What we pour down our drain eventually makes its way into our water system.
The costs of using a drain cleaning product are not just the price of the bottle. They have hidden costs that far outweigh any perceived benefit. With the threat these cleaners pose to our health, our children and pets, and our environment, their use should be avoided.
Got a clogged drain in your Burlingame home? Call James Caccia Plumbing Inc at (650) 442-1470 and schedule a service call today!