Is Drano Bad For Pipes?

Drano is a popular pipe cleaner, marketed for home use to eliminate buildup in pipes and clear clogs. However, just because something is marketed as safe for your pipes doesn’t mean it is. People often use Drano when their sinks, bathtubs, or other plumbing backs up and want a quick fix without spending much money. Here’s why that’s a problem.

Drano’s Strong Chemicals

The chemicals Drano uses to clear clogs from your sink are unsafe for your plumbing because your plumbing isn’t supposed to handle chemicals like that. For example, when you pour Drano down your sink, it will create a chemical reaction that will bring the compound to a boiling level, and your sink isn’t meant to handle these chemicals at these temperatures. Many people who used Drano report cracks in their ceramic and damage to the connection between their pipes.

Drano claims their compound is safe to use in plumbing pipes; however, these chemicals are not safe for the binding plastic between pipes or the ceramic in your sinks, toilet, or showers. These chemicals are only graded for the metal portion of your pipes. So if your pipes use a lot of other materials or are PEX tubing, for instance, Drano can eat away at them.

Corrodes Your Plumbing

Plastic pipes often can’t handle Drano because they’re not graded to handle harsh chemicals like that. However, if your pipes are made entirely from metal, you might not have a problem with corrosion, lucky you! Unfortunately for the vast majority of us, our pipes use a mix of materials or the more common, modern PEX material.  If you use Drano to clear out your pipes, you risk corroding your plumbing, which will cost you a lot more money in the long run.

Using Drano to clear out your plumbing once or twice over the course of a decade or two might not cause damage, but if you’re a frequent Drano user, you will face problems. So it would be best to be gentle on your pipes and avoid the solution altogether.

A Temporary Fix to a Potentially Serious Problem

Drano also won’t fix every type of problem your plumbing might have. While it may work to clear a clog caused by hair. For example, if you’re facing a log because you have roots in your drains, then using the Drano won’t help. It would be best to call a plumber immediately when you’re facing backups to ensure that you’re treating the right issue.

If you spend too much time treating the wrong problem with Drano, your plumbing situation could worsen and cost you much money in the long run. Using Drano to avoid the bigger problem is not an effective way to clear your drains permanently.

Drano Alternatives

If you don’t have the money to call a plumber immediately, you can use Drano alternatives that are much safer for your pipes. For example, one alternative you can use to freshen the room’s smell is pouring baking soda and vinegar down your drains. This will cause a bubbling chemical reaction that can help shift and clogs

Drano is a popular pipe cleaner, marketed for home use to eliminate buildup in pipes and clear clogs. However, just because something is marketed as safe for your pipes doesn’t mean it is. People often use Drano when their sinks, bathtubs, or other plumbing backs up and want a quick fix without spending much money. Here’s why that’s a problem.

Drano’s Strong Chemicals

The chemicals Drano uses to clear clogs from your sink are unsafe for your plumbing because your plumbing isn’t supposed to handle chemicals like that. For example, when you pour Drano down your sink, it will create a chemical reaction that will bring the compound to a boiling level, and your sink isn’t meant to handle these chemicals at these temperatures. Many people who used Drano report cracks in their ceramic and damage to the connection between their pipes.

Drano claims their compound is safe to use in plumbing pipes; however, these chemicals are not safe for the binding plastic between pipes or the ceramic in your sinks, toilet, or showers. These chemicals are only graded for the metal portion of your pipes. So if your pipes use a lot of other materials or are PEX tubing, for instance, Drano can eat away at them.

Corrodes Your Plumbing

Plastic pipes often can’t handle Drano because they’re not graded to handle harsh chemicals like that. However, if your pipes are made entirely from metal, you might not have a problem with corrosion, lucky you! Unfortunately for the vast majority of us, our pipes use a mix of materials or the more common, modern PEX material.  If you use Drano to clear out your pipes, you risk corroding your plumbing, which will cost you a lot more money in the long run.

Using Drano to clear out your plumbing once or twice over the course of a decade or two might not cause damage, but if you’re a frequent Drano user, you will face problems. So it would be best to be gentle on your pipes and avoid the solution altogether.

A Temporary Fix to a Potentially Serious Problem

Drano also won’t fix every type of problem your plumbing might have. While it may work to clear a clog caused by hair. For example, if you’re facing a log because you have roots in your drains, then using the Drano won’t help. It would be best to call a plumber immediately when you’re facing backups to ensure that you’re treating the right issue.

If you spend too much time treating the wrong problem with Drano, your plumbing situation could worsen and cost you much money in the long run. Using Drano to avoid the bigger problem is not an effective way to clear your drains permanently.

Drano Alternatives

If you don’t have the money to call a plumber immediately, you can use Drano alternatives that are much safer for your pipes. For example, one alternative you can use to freshen the room’s smell is pouring baking soda and vinegar down your drains. This will cause a bubbling chemical reaction that can help shift and clogs and is completely safe for your pipes. The odor elimination is a nice benefit!

Final Thoughts

Contact us at (520) 214-2149  today, and our experts will help diagnose what’s wrong with your drain, and we will fix it. The longer you wait to fix whatever is going on with your pipes, the worse your plumbing situation will become. Therefore, it is best to immediately handle plumbing situations with a professional, so you don’t make things worse by wrecking your pipes with Drano.

Drano can destroy your sinks, toilets, and bathtubs if you use it too often, and many alternatives are safer. If you damage your plumbing more than it already was by using harsh chemicals, it will cost you even more to get everything fixed.

and is completely safe for your pipes. The odor elimination is a nice benefit!

Final Thoughts

Contact us at (520) 214-2149  today, and our experts will help diagnose what’s wrong with your drain, and we will fix it. The longer you wait to fix whatever is going on with your pipes, the worse your plumbing situation will become. Therefore, it is best to immediately handle plumbing situations with a professional, so you don’t make things worse by wrecking your pipes with Drano.

Drano can destroy your sinks, toilets, and bathtubs if you use it too often, and many alternatives are safer. If you damage your plumbing more than it already was by using harsh chemicals, it will cost you even more to get everything fixed.

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