Dangers of Chemical Drain Cleaning Solutions
Ordinary drain cleaners that you find on the shelf of your hardware store are some of the most dangerous products that you can keep in your home. Not only are they dangerous for you and your family, they’re also dangerous to the figurative organs of your home– the very plumbing they’re marketed to solve. Your pipes and plumbing fixtures can all be damaged by them.
What They Are
Most drain cleaners are liquid and are made of lye, caustic potash and/or sulfuric acid. Others are made from bleach, peroxides and nitrates. They eat away at metal pipes, so you can imagine what they do to your skin. Most drain cleaners are effective for dissolving grease and hair. Other drain cleaners are made of acids like sulfuric and hydrochloric acid, but are not generally sold to the public. All drain cleaners create heat which is necessary to melt grease and dissolve hair.
Your Plumbing
Drain cleaners can dissolve clogs, but they’re usually only effective for those that are near the surface. Old plumbing has its own problems when these drain cleaners are used. They have a corrosive effect on metal pipes, and can create holes in them. Then you really have some plumbing problems. A clogged drain can then turn into a leaky pipe, resulting in wall and floor damage and bills for a plumber, carpenter or other tradesmen.
Your Family
Drain cleaners are responsible for a large segment of all toxic exposures in the United States. Whether they get in you or on you or a family member, drain cleaners can burn. Before using any drain cleaner, read the manufacturer’s instructions on how to use it and what to do if it gets on you. Keep any drain cleaner away from children and pets. Ingesting it can be fatal. Aside from burns and poisoning, chemicals in drain cleaners have been directly linked to hormone disruption, birth defects, brain damage and cancer.
Drain cleaners might appear to be simple, quick and inexpensive solutions to clogs. They’re also dangerous for your family and home. Avoid the potential for damaging your own property and possible severe injuries to you or your family. Give a professional plumber a call. That’s just one of the reasons why we’re in business.
Are the pipes clogged up in your Berkeley home? If you’re having trouble, give Albert Nahman Plumbing a call at (510) 876-9725 , so we can get down to the root of the problem.
