When your toilet clogs, overflowing and sending rushes of water, toilet paper—and even waste—onto your bathroom floor, panic can ensue. Of course, the priority is the cleanup. Second, however, is removing that stubborn clog from your toilet, allowing you to use your toilet again without fear.
Too often, however, homeowners rely on commercial drain cleaner products in an attempt to break up a clog. While these chemicals seem like a natural fit for the job, they’re not recommended for toilet clogs, even by their manufacturers. Mr. Rooter San Diego has compiled a list of reasons to look elsewhere when solving your toilet clog issues:
Drain Cleaners Don’t Work Well in Toilets
While they’re relatively effective at breaking up small hair and grease clogs in a kitchen sink or shower drain, drain cleaners don’t tend to work well for toilets. Often, toilet clogs are larger, more solid, and less affected by the chemical reactions drain cleaners rely on to remove clogs. In addition, drain cleaners are not effective at removing foreign objects like tree roots and toys, and will not address sewer backups.
Drain Cleaners Can Harm Your System
In order to eat away at clogs, drain cleaners employ several chemicals like lye, potash, or bleach. These ingredients cause a chemical reaction inside your system designed to break up clogs. However, if the chemicals are not able to break down the clog, they are forced to remain inside your system; over time, the heat generated by the chemical reactions can cause pipes to swell, crack, or burst under pressure.
Drain Cleaners Can Burn Your Skin
Consider the following situation—you’ve attempted to address a clogged toilet with a bottle full of drain cleaner chemicals. After your attempts are unsuccessful, you’re forced to use a physical means of busting the clog, like a snake or plunger. Unfortunately, this puts you at risk for splashing the bowl full of caustic chemicals on your face and arms, which can cause severe chemical burns.
Call Mr. Rooter Instead