Are you dealing with a clogged drain in Calgary? Do you want to know the acids plumbers use for unclogging drains? Here is what you need to know about unclogging drains.

First and foremost, it is not recommended to use any kind of acid to unclog drains. Chemical drain cleaners available in the market can potentially do a lot of damage to the pipes. A few of these chemicals have the potential to solidify inside the pipes and others can mix with typical household cleaners to cause a variety of problems. Commonly available cleaners are hazardous and can damage your septic system or garbage disposal if you don’t know what you’re doing.

The acids typically used by plumbers contain hydrochloric or sulfuric acid. These are heavy-duty acids capable of clearing soap scum, grease, food or other types of gunk in less than 15 minutes. However, it’s not safe to use these cleaners everywhere. These are typically designed to be used for newer metal or plastic pipes. Using them on old metal or plastic pipes or pipes made of aluminum, galvanized steel or stainless steel can lead to a lot of issues.

Also, acids are dangerous and can burn your skin and irritate your eyes and lungs. Therefore, it’s important to use safety gear such as safety glasses, respirator as well as proper clothing and when using acidic rain cleaners.

It is recommended to use mechanical methods to unclog a drain on your own. If the below mentioned mechanical methods do not work, you should call in a professional to unclog the drain. In short, do not try to use chemical drain cleaners on your own. Leave it to the professionals.

One of the most effective ways is to unclog a drain is a drain snake. If you do not have a drain snake which is a flexible wire with a handle at the end, you can also use a regular wire coat hanger. Straighten out the hanger and bend it at one end in order to create a small hook. Push it inside the drain and if there is any messy stuff within your reach such as hair or other things clogging the drain, you should be able to pull it out easily with the help of the hook at the end of the wire hanger. Be careful when using this technique as you do not want to push the gunk any further. When you have removed as much gunk as possible, pour in some hot water down the drain and it should be clear.

You can also use a combination of vinegar and baking soda. Mix them in equal quantities such as half a cup of vinegar and half a cup of baking soda. This mixture should be immediately poured down the drain. They will be fizzing action and it should help in getting rid of the grime and other gunk that has built up in the drain. Ideally, you should let it sit overnight but at least let it sit for one hour. Use hot water to flush it down. You also have the option of first pouring down dry baking soda followed by vinegar.

Boiling water can also be highly effective for unclogging drains. Boil a lot of hot water and pour it down the drain. Repeat the process 2 to 3 times with a wait time of around 10 seconds between each pour. It is typically the quickest way to get rid of any gunk in the drain.

To conclude, avoid using any acids on your own to unclog a drain. If you are not successful in unclogging the drain even after using the mechanical methods discussed above, call in a professional and let them do their job.