What Not to Do With a Clogged Drain
Unfortunately, most of us have experienced a clogged or slow drain. Hopefully, your clogged drain experience happened when you were comfortably at home with time to address the issue and not when you were not at a friend’s house during, say, a party!
You may have even tried to unclog the drain yourself, and maybe you also were able to get it unclogged. You might have also used some of the methods we say you shouldn’t do below. That’s okay! We know that sometimes the methods work…the key word there is ‘sometimes.’
Perhaps you were able to unclog using a method we don’t recommend, but what if next time you use the same method but you end up causing more damage to your pipe or drain? Below we offer suggestions of what not to do with a clogged drain.
5 Methods Not to Use With a Clogged Drain
1. Never Use Chemicals
You’ve probably seen commercials with declogging products or possibly used one yourself in the past. We caution against using those chemicals for two significant reasons. One is that the substances may do the job of getting rid of the clog; however, these chemicals can also damage your pipes or worse! Two, those products contain potent chemicals, and you need to be very careful not to get any on yourself.
2. Don’t Use Homemade Unclogging Tool
Don’t just take an old wire hanger and jam it down the drain. The hanger wasn’t designed for removing clogs in the first place and can cause further damage to the pipes by scratching. Even worse, what if that old hanger breaks off when it’s down the drain, and now you have an even bigger issue.
3. Don’t Pour Boiling Water Down
Pouring boiling water down the drain can do more harm than good. Depending on what the clog is it might help break down the clog; however, pouring boiling water down the drain might cause rusting or a breakage down the pipes.
4. Never Mix Cleaning Products
Don’t just start pouring different cleaning products down your drain. Certain cleaning products aren’t supposed to mix, and you might be making the problem worse! If you pour a product down the drain and don’t see any results don’t just pour a different one down. This can cause rusting or breaking down of the pipes and create an unsafe chemical reaction. If you do call for a plumber after trying a cleaning product, let the plumber know what you used.
5. Don’t Put Off Calling for Help
We know that clogged or slow drains are frustrating and you want it resolved quickly and without paying an arm and a leg. Don’t put off calling for professional help come to fix the clog safely and rapidly.
Find a local plumber you can trust to get there fast and get your drain flowing again while protecting your home’s pipes.
One Hour Rooter is your trusted plumber in the metro Minneapolis area. Call us at 612-354-8984 if you need help with any plumbing projects.
