Let’s imagine that you’ve been noticing a sink draining more and more slowly lately. Especially during the holiday season, you might be asking even more of your plumbing than you usually do. It’s entirely likely that your slow sink will get worse, or even become completely stopped up, before the new year. So what will you do? Go out and buy a bottle of liquid drain cleaner? No! Don’t do that! Why not? Give us a moment and we’ll explain.
Consider the pH
The pH scale of acidity to alkalinity ranges from zero, extremely acidic, to a 14, extremely basic. Battery acid clocks in at zero, lemon juice at two, and black coffee at five. Neutral pH, such as water, is around seven. Baking soda, soap, and ammonia get increasingly basic, and bleach and oven cleaner have a pH of 13. So why does the scale go all the way to fourteen? For liquid drain cleaner.
Personal Health Concerns
A pH this high means that liquid drain cleaner is extremely caustic. It can very quickly cause severe chemical burns if it touches your skin. It’s incredibly dangerous to get even the smallest droplet in your eye. And even just the fumes that rise from it can be harmful to your eyes, nose, throat, and lungs.
And we’re talking about the risk to healthy adult humans! If you have children or pets in your home, the hazard of having something like liquid drain cleaner sitting in your sink for the recommended 15 or twenty 20 becomes even more concerning.
Plumbing Concerns
Your drain pipes are not made of a magical substance that won’t be affected by this extremely strong chemical concoction. As the liquid drain cleaner sits in your plumbing, dissolving your blockage, it will also be eating away at the surface of the inside of your pipes. When it’s rinsed away, the pipes will be left roughened and pockmarked. This will provide easy handholds for future buildup, leading to more and more clogs.
What to Do Instead
If liquid drain cleaning chemicals aren’t the right choice, what should you do when your sink is draining slowly or is fully clogged? Take these three steps, one at a time.
- Plunge: With water standing in the sink to cover the bell of the plunger, hold the handle vertically and thrust downward. Your goal is to push water—and thus the blockage—down and through the drain to the sewer line. Try this several times, and make sure you have a good seal.
- Snake: Try a plastic drain snake, the kind with small protrusions that are ideal for grabbing clumps of hair, or if you’ve got it (or have a helpful neighbor you can borrow it from) try a metal hand-cranked drain auger. These tools may be able to break up or pull out whatever is blocking your drain.
- Call for Help: If these tactics don’t work, it’s time for professional drain cleaning in Tucson, AZ. A qualified plumber will make short work of your problem without risking your health or causing any damage to your pipes.
Contact Picture Rocks Cooling, Heating & Plumbing today with any questions or to schedule an appointment with our professionals.