Clogged drains are a routine plumbing problem among Franklin Lakes, New Jersey homeowners. All kinds of materials can clog your toilet or sink, like cooking grease, paper towels, hair, and food debris. Most people respond to a clogged sink by using bottled drain cleaner to try to dissolve the clog. However, drain cleaner doesn’t actually work as well as most people think it does, and it can actually cause damage to your pipes. If you’re struggling with a particularly stubborn clog, give us a call at 365 Sewer. We provide professional drain cleaning services in Franklin Lakes for clogged drains, sewer main lines, and more.
Drain Cleaner Doesn’t Always Work
Drain cleaners like Draino consist of caustic alkaline chemicals. These are designed to eat away at the materials that are clogging your drain, dissolving it so that water can continue to flow normally through the pipes. These chemicals are strong enough to burn your skin if handled without gloves, but they don’t always eliminate a clog in its entirety. Materials left on the sides of the pipe will continue to adhere to other material, causing a new clog to form again over time. As a NJ sewer cleaning company we have seen many sewer pipes that we need to replace or use hydrojett cleaning on because of drain cleaner chemical damage.
Drain cleaner can also cause potentially serious damage to the pipes themselves, especially if used too often. The caustic chemicals are designed to erode organic materials, but they can also erode pipes over time. There are drain cleaning fluids available that are based on organic enzymes, rather than caustic chemicals, but they’re not usually as effective for dissolving a clog. Drain cleaning fluids can also be relatively dangerous, as far as household cleaning products are concerned. They’re highly corrosive, and fatal if accidentally swallowed by a child. They can burn unprotected skin and release potentially noxious fumes, a problem in small, unventilated rooms. If they accidentally mix with other chemicals, the results can be disastrous. If you have used drain cleaner to try and unclog your drain, please tell your sewer cleaning plumber so that they protect their skin from the dangerous chemicals when opening the pipe.
Professional Drain Cleaning in NJ
A professional NJ plumber uses more sophisticated methods than chemicals to clean out drain clogs. Augurs and other specialized equipment from manufacturers like Grainger, REMS, and Ridgid allow clogs to be safely removed. These techniques are designed not to cause any damage to the pipes themselves, as well as removing clogs in their entirety. While drain cleaner may only dissolve enough of the material for water to pass through, professionals can generally remove all of the material, preventing a new clog from forming.
Professionals are also better equipped to deal with unusual sources of a clogged drain. The can take apart the pipes to remove foreign objects like toothbrushes and bath toys, which can wash down your sink or bathtub drain and block water from passing through. Their skill and expertise enables plumbers to minimize any damage while safely cleaning and repairing your plumbing, which can easily be damaged by amateur repair attempts.
Clear Your Clogged Drain
If one or more drains are clogged in your home, don’t wait until the problem gets worse. Call us today at 365 Sewer Services, at 201-234-4471. We provide professional drain cleaning in Franklin Lakes, NJ, along with fast, reliable 24/7 plumbing repair services.