Mistakes to Avoid with Drain Cleaning

We’ve written pretty frequently on how to clear away clogs in your drains. Often it includes picking out a nasty hairball or using a mix of baking soda, vinegar, and hot water. Unfortunately, a lot of Calgarians don’t read our blog, so when they try to clean their drain, they often end up making more problems than they fix. Here are drain cleaning mistakes to avoid when you’re cleaning your drains.

Using Store-Bought Drain Cleaner.

At the Plumbing Paramedics, we hate store-bought drain cleaners. Not only are many of the ineffective, but a lot of them can eat away your pipes. Whether they come in liquid form, paste, powder, or anything in between, you should avoid placing these untried chemicals down your pipes. Instead, stick to good old baking soda and vinegar. Together, they create a powerful cleaning agent that won’t harm your plumbing.

Shoving Tools Down the Drain.

Whether it’s a professional plumbing snake, a butter knife, a screwdriver, or even a bent hanger, shoving anything down your pipes is a big no-no for laypeople. While having the right tools at hand is half the battle, without the expert knowledge that comes with years of training and experience, you can actually do a lot of damage to your pipes. And if you lose your fork down the pipe or snag the hanger on something, that’ll be a huge pain to fix.

Undoing Pipes.

Unless you’re a trained plumber, disassembling your pipes will likely end in disaster. No one needs a geyser erupting in their home. If you think that pipes need to be undone in order to fix a problem, it’s time to put down the screw drive and call in the experts, don’t do drain cleaning mistakes.

At the Plumbing Paramedics, we understand that Albertans are DIY kind of folks, and we love to encourage Calgary homeowners to do the little jobs. But it’s important to do the research on how to do the task right, and if you’re out of your depth, contact an expert. Have a plumbing emergency? Contact the Plumbing Paramedics today at (587) 316-9808.