No one wants to start brushing their teeth or washing their hands only to realize their sink drain is clogged. It’s gross, it’s annoying, and it’s definitely inconvenient.

There are many drain cleaners you can buy at the store for a quick fix but using those can eventually cause more harm than good. Here are some reasons why you should not use store-bought drain cleaners to fix your drain clogs.

How Chemicals Can Affect Your Pipes

A diagram of how drain cleaners enter pipes of homeowners in Brandon, FL.

When you use these drain cleaners, they come with caustic chemicals inside them. These chemicals can actually cause your pipes to weaken over time if you keep using the drain cleaners. The chemicals work to break up the clog, but the reaction generated when these chemicals mix releases heat. If you have PVC pipes this especially is harmful to them.

Sometimes, the chemicals don’t work so well and can just end up sitting in your pipes. As they weaken, the potential for them to burst increases.

A burst pipe can cause unanticipated damage to your walls and other structures in your home.

Drain Cleaners Can Have an Adverse Effect on the Environment and You

The cleaners you buy at the store have toxic chemicals in them and when you use them, you’re pouring them down the drain into the water supply. If you have a septic tank, then it’s going straight through your drain field into your tank. When these chemicals end up in the water supply, it can affect wildlife and other humans. The leftover residue in the bottle ends up in the garbage dump, where it could pour out into the soil.

Additionally, these cleaners put off some harmful fumes that can affect you and your family. These fumes don’t disappear once the cleaner disappears down the drain. They stay in the air for a while after the cleaner has been used.

Drain Cleaners May Not Even Be Effective

Your pipes may be clogged, but there could be underlying issues such as a sewage backup. If this is the case, then a drain cleaner won’t be effective in solving the problem. If the problem is caused by a broken pipe, then you’re just pouring the cleaner down a pipe that leads to places unknown.

What You Should Do When You Have a Clogged Drain

A plumbers snake can unclog drains in Riverview, FL.

The best course of action to take when you have a clogged drain is to call a plumber like Curtis Plumbing who can take a look at the issue and diagnose what’s really happening. A trained professional will be able to tell you exactly what needs to be done. It’s tempting to use a quick fix like a drain cleaner, but doing so can lead to other, more costly issues for you down the road.

Don’t use a drain cleaner when you have a clogged drain. Call us instead!

We service areas in and around Riverview, Brandon, and Valrico, FL. Our clients know and trust us to fix their plumbing issues. If you have a blocked drain, call us today at (813) 672-4111!