Express Sewer & Drain Blog

We’ve all heard the traditional remedies to pipe cleaning, but some of these pieces of advise can actually do the opposite of what they are supposed to. For instance, chemical cleaners, contrary to popular opinion, can actually damage pipes, often far beyond repair. Here are some notable, yet still popular beliefs that many homeowners have about their plumbing that can have hazardous adverse effects on your drain pipes.

Your Drains Don’t Need Regular Cleaning

This should be obvious advice to ignore, but many homeowners find themselves with drain clogs as a result of neglecting their drain pipes or forgetting to clean them on a regular schedule. Enforcing a regular cleaning schedule would effectively eliminate clogs, and the grease buildups that occur with time, and preventatively avoid expensive plumbing disasters in the future.

Our experts at Express Sewer & Drain suggest monthly drain cleaning to limit the risk of drain clogging, and keep water flow high with minimal debris buildup. Less frustrating than weekly cleanings and more memorable than quarterly assessments, a monthly cleaning and unclogging can easily turn into a comfortable, yet still effective, maintenance routine.

With a monthly cleaning schedule, you can ensure the continued service of your drains and plumbing, and prevent any larger problems with your pipe system down the line. Some plumbing experts even suggest an annual professional evaluation of home pipe systems, as certain hazards, leaks and pipe damages can develop that self-servicing homeowners may not anticipate or recognize. 

Chemical Cleaners Are Fix-All Solutions

While chemical cleaning solutions can effectively clear a drain and dislodge clogging, they can often have troublesome, negative effects on your plumbing system. The combination of foaming action, chemicals and pressurization that makes these solutions work can react in adverse ways, severely damaging your pipes and posing potential health risks.

In addition to the chemical buildup and corrosion these solutions can have on your home’s pipes and plumbing, handling these cleaners poorly can result in chemical burns, stains and reactions. If possible, it is best to avoid these cleaners altogether.

Instead, some ‘home remedy’ cleaning methods can be just as effective and much less hazardous than chemical drain cleaners. Pouring hot water down clogged drains can easily resolve minor clogging, and even the air pressure from your regular home plunger can dislodge debris buildup. Mixed solutions of baking soda and vinegar can flush out clogs just as well as chemical cleaners in many cases.

Regular cleaning with at-home solutions can perform effectively as a preventative measure for future clogs, grease and debris buildup. Despite their ability to clean grease and clogs, chemical cleaning solutions are not worth the health hazards and pipe deterioration that comes with them.

Your Garbage Disposal Can Manage Anything You Put In It

Another piece of poor drain advice that often traps homeowners with clogs and damaged drain parts is that their garbage disposals are all-powerful waste scrappers. This is simply not true, as there are many food materials and debris that can clog or ruin garbage disposals.

It is even helpful for homeowners to stop thinking garbage disposals as garbage disposals; instead, garbage disposals are better framed as food disposals. Their sole purpose is to efficiently break down and dispose of biodegradable, malleable food materials. Anything that can build up in a garbage disposal or clog pipe walls likely will. These include:

• Grease, fats or other oils, as they build up quickly and cause clogging
• Hot water when working with food, as it can liquefy hardened grease
• Expandable foods like rice and pasta, which can expand with water inside of your drain pipes
• Fibrous food items, such as celery, corn husks and artichokes, which often jam garbage disposal blades
• Large animal bone or cartilage
• Paper products
• Bleach and other chemical agents, which damage disposal blades
• Starchy food products and waste, such as potato peels and skins
• Anything glass, plastic or metal

Homeowners who abstain from running items like these through their garbage disposal and drain pipes can expect much more effective and continued service from their plumbing. If these food and waste elements cause a significant clog in your drain, or damage to your pipe line and garbage disposal, it may be to time contact your local plumbing service professional.

Professional Drain Cleaning is Unnecessary

Whether it is because serious pipe damage has gotten out of hand, frequent leaks are causing drain problems, or you simply want a professional evaluation of your drain pipes, there may come a time when you must contact a plumbing specialist. The right plumbing expert will be able to assess the issues with your pipes, and provide a thorough review of your plumbing system’s performance.

When it is time to contact a plumbing specialist, it is important to know what to look for in a professional service; this includes a fair price, promptness and service efficiency, and (above all) service quality. The quality of their service and results should be the deciding factor in any professional plumbing selection.

The experts at Express Sewer & Drain are available for all of your drain cleaning, pipe replacement and plumbing inspection needs. Their plumbing specialists tackle any and all plumbing issues at the root of the problem, resolving plumbing performance issues with speed and effectiveness. 

If you are experiencing problems with your drain pipes, or would like to have a professional inspection of your home plumbing systems, contact us right away. Our service professionals can see to all of your plumbing needs.