Three Dangers Posed By Potent Over-The-Counter Drain Unblockers

Chemical drain cleaners that are available over-the-counter may seem like a quick, easy-to-use, and a more cost-effective alternative to hiring an experienced drain unblocking service to unclog your drains. However, homeowners should be aware of the pitfalls attached to using hazardous chemicals like this, as they can pose a danger to human health and the health of your pipes. Toxic drain cleaners can do more damage to your drainage system than is worth the risk. Here’s what you should know about the risks posed by over-the-counter drain unblockers.

1) It’s Harmful To Health And Drain Pipes

The acidic and corrosive ingredients contained in chemical drain unblocking products are designed to get rid of the gunk that causes drains to clog up, but they can also cause harm to the body and can be bad news for pipes. Exposure to ingredients such as sodium hydroxide is associated with symptoms such as chest pain, throat burns, and risk of vision loss if the chemical makes contact with the eyes. Hydrochloric acid has a corrosive effect on pipes, leading to damaged and leaking pipes.

2) It’s Not An Effective Long-Term Solution

Chemical drain unblockers may offer a quick fix, but this doesn’t solve the deeper underlying problems that may exist. Failure to resolve this issue may require you to pour these chemicals more frequently down the drain, thereby accelerating the likelihood of severe damage to your pipes. Another consideration is that some products may not work on all types of clogging. While some products will remove grime and hair, they might not be up to the job of dissolving solid mineral accumulation – meaning you’d have to use more than one product in succession.

3) It’s Not Environmentally-Friendly

We’ve all heard about the destructive effects that chemicals can have on cables and rubber pipes that make up drain systems. However, once these toxic chemicals make their way down the drain and out of them, they end up in the water system and pose a further danger to the environment and community. It can contaminate water sources, pollute bodies of water (killing the essential animal and plant life) and disrupt delicate ecosystems.

The readily available chemical unblockers that you can purchase at your local grocer may present itself as a convenient option but at great risk and cost to your drainage. It’s best to rely on professional drain unblocking services to maintain a healthy pipe system and avoid putting your health at risk. Make a better choice. For a quality, safe, and efficient service to drain unblocking, give Drain Ninjas a call.