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Dealing with clogged drains can be a messy and frustrating experience for homeowners. Whether it is the kitchen sink, bathroom shower, or toilet, a clog can disrupt your daily routine and cause unpleasant odors in your home. Fortunately, various drain cleaning methods can help you unclog your drains and prevent future blockages. However, choosing the right drain cleaning method for your Chicago home can be overwhelming. In this article, we will explore some of the common drain cleaning methods and factors to consider when selecting the appropriate method.

Types of Drain Cleaning Methods

Before choosing a drain cleaning method, you need to understand the different techniques available. Here are some of the common options:

Chemical Drain Cleaners

Chemical drain cleaners are readily available in most stores, making them a popular choice for homeowners. These cleaners work by dissolving the clog through a chemical reaction. However, chemical drain cleaners can be harmful to your pipes and the environment if not used correctly. Moreover, they may not be effective for severe blockages.

Chemical drain cleaners can be harmful to your pipes and the environment if not used correctly.

Plungers

The plunger is a simple tool that can unclog your drains by creating suction. Plungers work well for small to medium blockages and are also safe for your pipes. You can buy a plunger at most hardware stores or use a bathroom plunger for your sinks and shower drains.

Augers and Snakes

Augers and snakes are long, flexible tools that can reach deep into your pipes and break up stubborn clogs. There are manual and powered augers available, depending on the severity of the blockage. However, if not used correctly, these tools can cause pipe damage. Speak with a professional Chicago plumber if you are unsure how to use them.

Hydro Jetting Service

Hydro jetting is a high water pressure drain cleaning method that can help remove the toughest clogs. This technique is ideal for commercial buildings and residential homes with severe blockages. Hydro jetting can be costly up front, but it is a long term solution that can prevent future clogs.

Hydro jetting is a high water pressure drain cleaning method that can help remove the toughest clogs.

Factors to Consider When Choosing a Drain Cleaning Service

Now that you know the different drain cleaning methods available, here are some factors to consider when choosing the right one to use:

The Severity of the Clog

The severity of the clog will determine the appropriate drain cleaning method to use. If it’s a minor blockage, a plunger or chemical drain cleaner may work. However, a severe clog may require an auger or hydro jetting to remove it.

Pipe Material

The type of pipe in your home can also affect the drain cleaning method. Older homes may have corroded pipes, which are prone to damage with certain cleaning methods. Contact a local drain cleaning service to determine the best cleaning method for your specific pipes.

Environmental Impact

If you care about the environment, you should consider using drain cleaning methods that won’t harm it. Chemical drain cleaners, for example, can be dangerous to aquatic life. Opt for eco-friendly options such as hydro jetting or plunger use instead.

Cost

The cost of drain cleaning services varies depending on the method used. Chemical drain cleaners are the cheapest option but may not be effective or long-lasting. Hydro jetting is more expensive but a one-time solution that can prevent future clogs. Consider your budget and the longevity of the solution when choosing a drain cleaning method.

Hiring a Professional Drain Cleaning Service

If you are not familiar with the available drain cleaning methods or are unsure which one to use, consider hiring a professional drain cleaning service. A local plumber will assess the severity of the blockage by way of a sewer camera inspection service and determine the most effective method to use. Moreover, they have the expertise and tools needed to minimize potential pipe damage and ensure your drains are thoroughly cleaned. With a professional service, you can have peace of mind knowing that your home’s plumbing system is in good condition.

Conclusion

Clogged drains can be a nuisance for homeowners, but knowing the right drain cleaning method to use can make all the difference. Chemical drain cleaners, plungers, augers, and hydro jetting are all effective methods, but the severity of the clog, pipe material, environmental impact, and cost should guide your choice. If you are unsure which method to choose, consider hiring a professional drain cleaning service for expert advice and service.

Slow or blocked drains are common issues every homeowner experiences with their home’s plumbing from time to time. Due to how often we use them and what we use them for, toilet, bathroom, and kitchen drains are always at risk of getting blocked.

When this happens, it is normal that you will want to cut costs by trying to fix the problem yourself. Like most homeowners, says DRP Management, you will reach for a drain snake, plunger, chemical drain cleaner, vinegar, or baking soda, each time your drains show signs of trouble.

But do DIY drain cleaning solutions work? Are you really saving money when you use them? What is their long-term impact on the health of your drains? Is there a right time to use DIY drain cleaning methods, and what are their limitations? This post answers those questions.

Common DIY drain cleaning methods and why they can be a bad idea

The most common do-it-yourself methods for clearing clogs and blockages from your drains are:

Handheld drain snakes
Plungers
Baking soda, vinegar, salt, and boiling water
Chemical drain cleaners

Chemical drain cleaners are easily the worst things you can pour into your drains. While they may clear your drains, they do so at a huge cost. Chemical drain cleaners have acids in them. These acids do not discriminate between the material blocking the pipe and the pipe itself.

Chemical drain cleaners not only shorten the lifespan of your pipes, but they also harm the environment. The acids in chemical drain cleaners will not only dissolve the clogs inside your drain but corrode your pipes and eventually find their way into the soil, which will leach into groundwater.

The other DIY drain cleaning methods in this list are only suitable for removing clogs close to the drain opening. If the material blocking your drainpipe is further inside the pipe, removing it with the above drain cleaning methods is often impossible.

Baking soda, plungers, salt, vinegar, and hot water are only useful when you have an emergency. Because they do not actually remove the material blocking the pipe but merely push it further down the pipe, they cannot be used as a long-term fix.

But if you do not understand these DIY drain cleaning methods and use them as your go-to solution for drain issues, you can expect the following problems.

The trouble with DIY drain cleaning

Health and environmental issues

In addition to the harm they do to your drainpipes, chemical drain cleaners are also dangerous to your health. The toxic compounds inside drain cleaners linger in the air after the cleaner is flushed into the drain. They may eventually end up inside the lungs and stomachs of humans and pets.

Furthermore, using chemical drain cleaners is almost the same as putting poison in your drinking water. These harmful substances flow from your drain into the city sewer system and finally into the water bodies that feed the natural systems where we get our drinking water.

DIY solutions ignore the root cause

When you hire a local plumber to unclog drains in your home, that plumber adopts a holistic approach, including the entire plumbing system and how you use them.

This ensures that whatever solutions they employ for the issues will have a lasting effect. Conversely, DIY drain cleaning solutions are temporary fixes that do not address your drain problem’s underlying cause.

Your drain problems never go away

DIY drain cleaning methods only worsen the issues with your drains. Unlike when you use a professional plumber, DIY drain cleaning does not highlight the things you are doing that may hurt your drains. They also don’t altogether remove the offensive materials inside the drains. The result is that those drain problems only worsen with time until they do massive damage that will cost a ton of money to fix.

You can’t do preventive maintenance with DIY drain cleaning

With DIY drain cleaning, you must wait until there is an issue with your drains before you take action. These solutions lock you into a reactive mindset where you are always one step behind the problems with your plumbing.

A professional plumber, on the other hand, can help you create a preventive maintenance program via a sewer rodding service, that will let you avoid major issues with your drains, prolong the life of your plumbing and help you save money in the long run. You should also think about having your drains and sewer lines hydro jetted every 5-6 years for a full and thorough cleaning.

Save money and time

Hiring a professional plumber to solve the issues with your plumbing can help you save time and money. A professional plumber will find and solve those issues in a fraction of the time it takes you to find them.

Furthermore, when selling your home, the fact that your plumbing is managed by a professional makes much difference. Buyers have more confidence when the systems are under the care of an expert, and they are often willing to pay you more for the peace of mind that comes with that knowledge.

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Choosing the Right Drain Cleaning Method for Your Chicago Home