Can Drain Cleaner Damage Pipes?

11/1/2022 (Permalink)

Can Drain Cleaner Damage Pipes?

Drain cleaners are a quick, easy way to unclog your drains. They're especially useful when you've got a major clog that can't be fixed with simple measures like plunging or plunging and flushing. Drain cleaners contain powerful chemicals that can eat away at the gunk in your pipes and help clear them out, but these chemicals aren't good for any material around them—including pipes themselves. If you use too much of this stuff regularly, there's a chance it could damage your pipes over time. Here's what you need to know about using drain cleaner safely.

Drain cleaners often referred to as lye or caustic soda, can unclog drains by eating through the gunk blocking the pipe.

The main ingredient in drain cleaner is sodium hydroxide (NaOH), which reacts with fats and oils to form soap bubbles that float up the pipe. This process works well on most materials but not all: some of these clogs are made of concrete porcelain or other hard materials that don't dissolve easily when exposed to harsh chemicals like sodium hydroxide.

The reaction between sodium hydroxide and fats occurs very quickly—in fact, under ideal conditions (like warm water), it only takes about 30 seconds for a drain cleaner solution to start working!

The chemicals in drain cleaners don't just eat away at organic material in drains, they can also eat away at the pipes themselves.

Drain cleaners are not just for organic materials. They can, in fact, damage pipes made of soft metal such as copper or aluminum.

If you have a drain cleaner that contains a chemical called sodium hydroxide (also known as caustic soda), it's best to be careful when using it on your drains and water heater. When combined with water, sodium hydroxide produces heat and some level of corrosion. If the solution is left in contact with the piping long enough, it could cause permanent damage to those pipes made from soft metals like copper or aluminum by eating away at them over time.

If your pipes are made from a soft metal like copper or aluminum, you might notice almost immediately that your pipes are being damaged by drain cleaner. These types of metals can be dissolved by sulfuric acid (the main ingredient in drain cleaner) and will wear away quickly if it's left in contact with them for too long. You may even see corrosion on the outside of the pipe after using this cleaning method, as well as inside where no one will see it—making it difficult to tell if there is any damage at all until a later time.

If you have clogs in your drain and want to tackle them without risking damage to your pipes, there are a few things you can do.

If you have clogs in your Olathe, KS drain and want to tackle them without risking damage to your pipes, there are a few things you can do.

The first thing to try is using a plunger to try clearing the clog. If this doesn't work, you can use a plumber's snake or even a wire coat hanger as an alternative method for removing the blockage. If either of these options fail, call a plumber immediately—the problem may not be fixable by yourself and could cause major damage if left untreated. Lastly, if the clog is still there after trying all these methods, then it's time for drastic measures: drain cleaner!

Using drain cleaner too much can damage pipes.

There are a few things to keep in mind if you've used drain cleaner too much.

• The chemicals that are used in drain cleaners are strong and can eat away at pipes.
• Using them too much can cause your pipes to become brittle and break more easily.
• Damage caused by using this product is not always visible immediately, so it's important to be aware of the signs that something might be wrong with your pipes.

Drain cleaners can be a convenient way to unclog your drains, but they should be used with caution. If you have clogs in your drain and want to tackle them without risking damage to your pipes, there are a few things you can do. First, try using some baking soda and vinegar or boiling water to loosen up the gunk before calling in a professional like SERVPRO of Olathe/ Lenexa. If those techniques don’t work, call an expert who knows what they’re doing so that they can fix the problem without causing further damage!