Step Away From the Drain Cleaner

You’ve heard it from us before: liquid drain cleaners is terrible, and we advise you never use it. But what makes liquid drain cleaner so bad anyways? After all, it seems to remove most benign clogs. Unfortunately, drain cleaner usually does more damage than good. In this article, we’ll explain just a few of the problems with using commercially available drain cleaner.

Drain Cleaners Cost You a Lot of Money.

Replacing leaky, corroded pipes is an expense that never comes at a good time. So it’s a good idea to do everything you can to ensure your pipes remain in optimal condition for as long as possible. That means avoiding commercially available drain cleaners. Drain cleaners are extremely corrosive, and they eat away at your plumbing as they work to dissolve clogs. Every time you use these cleaners, it reduces the lifespan of your pipes. So not only are the drain cleaners themselves expensive, but they’ll cost you substantially as you need to repair and replace your plumbing years sooner.

Environmental & Biological Hazard.

Drain cleaners are volatile pollutants. When you use them, their vapours negatively affect the air quality in your home. Once down the drain, they contaminate water supplies as well as the air we all breathe. These cleaners are also exceptionally dangerous for children and pets. The same properties that allow drain cleaners to eat through clogs and metal plumbing will allow them to eat through the esophagus or stomach of your loved one. If you choose to keep drain cleaners in your house against the recommendation of our Calgary plumbers, you must store them safely out of reach of children and animals. If drain cleaner is ever consumed, immediately call 911.

Baking Soda, Vinegar, and Hot Water.

Since you shouldn’t use drain cleaner, let us outline a much cheaper and safer method for removing clogs. You’ll need a couple cups of baking soda, about a litre of vinegar, and a kettle to make hot water.

1. Start your kettle with about a litre of water.
2. Pour half a cup to a cup of baking soda down the drain.
3. Follow the baking soda with 1-2 cups of vinegar.
4. When the water has boiled, pour the entire litre of hot water down the drain. Be careful! The hot water and vinegar can mix to make vinegar-steam. Don’t breathe the steam.
5. Wait 30 minutes, then repeat the cycle.

Professional Drain Cleaning.

The above method for clearing clogged drains is fairly effective. For clogs caused by natural sources (food particles, grease, hair), this method should have water draining smoothly after just 2 or 3 cycles. But there are more complicated problems that can cause slow drains as well. If the baking soda, vinegar, and hot water method fails, it’s time to call in your trusted Calgary plumber. We can use cameras, plumbing tools, and our years of experience to help diagnose and fix the issue. We’ll also explain how you can prevent future problems.

Trouble with a drain? Have a toilet that keeps clogging? Our Calgary plumbing team is here to help! Give us a call today at (403) 452-2911 or contact us online.