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Did You Know That Chemical Drain Cleaners Can Wreak Havoc On Your Drains?

Most of us have seen the commercials. Your bathtub is backed up. All that you have to do is pour this magical solution down the drain and it clears your stoppage for you. Poof, like magic that clog is gone!

The real life reality of it is that in almost 20 years in the plumbing profession we’ve seen more harm than good from chemical drain cleaners. Face it, we can’t see the condition of our plumbing below the ground or on the inside of the pipe. It is like a foreign alien land that we don’t ever want to acknowledge even exists.

Yes, sometimes clogs are simple hair stoppages in the p-trap. But before you go pouring chemicals down your drain line that may not be able to handle it, try removing the hair yourself. You can remove hair stoppages with a drain cleaning wand available at most hardware stores.  This plastic wand won’t harm your drain. If it doesn’t work you’re better off to hire a professional plumber.  You risk further damage to your drain by pouring chemicals down your line.

What happens when you pour chemical drain cleaners down your drain line? The chemicals do actually eat through hair and mild build up. What they fail to show in those fancy commercials is that the chemicals can also eat through your plumbing.  If you’re plumbing isn’t in good shape and isn’t plastic, you’re slowly or even sometimes immediately eating a hole through your drain line.

We’ve had several clients that have experienced this very problem. Clients pour chemical cleaners down their tub line to clear a stoppage. The next thing they know is that the problem has just escalated. Now a simple drain clean with a cable has turned into pulling out their tub and replacing their waste and overflow. The response is always the same when people see the hole eaten through their drain line. Clients always say “We didn’t know, no one told us.” Well we are here to warn you! Take caution when using chemical drain cleaners. Not all drain lines can handle the chemicals and it is often better to be safe than sorry.

Services in Phoenix & Beyond

When you’ve found yourself in need of plumbing services in the Phoenix, Glendale, Scottsdale, or Chandler area, you can trust Robins Plumbing to provide you with prompt and expert care, contact our team today! In addition to our toilet services, we also offer a variety of residential and commercial plumbing services, including: drain cleaning, water heater repair and replacement, sewer camera inspection and locating, backflow prevention, commercial and residential jetting, water treatments, and more. Visit our reviews online to see what others have to say about our local plumbing company!