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Annoying drain clogs made history if you own an auger

Here are their three reasons to steer clear of chemical drain cleaners
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A plumber uses an electric auger to unclog a tub drain.Photo via iStock.

There are few more annoying or disruptive problems in your home than a clogged drain.

Whether it’s your kitchen sink, toilet bowl or bathroom sink, clogs can often make them unusable when you can least afford it.

Now, you have to go out to the store and find a chemical drain cleaner, one that won’t damage your pipes—or try and find a plunger, either at the store or somewhere in your house, because you know you have one, but it’s not where you left it.

The folks at Johnson Plumbing and Heating in Estevan have an alternative - an auger, or what is also called a drain snake.

Serving customers since 1967, Johnson Plumbing and Heating Estevan has plenty of experience in dealing with issues like this. Here are their top three reasons to steer clear of chemical drain cleaners.

  1. Chemical drain cleaners are often composed of ingredients that are good at dissolving whatever has clogged your drain. However, they can be really harsh on the environment. And, if your drain is seriously clogged, pouring a drain cleaner into standing water in a sink or toilet bowl will not immediately or miraculously clear the blockage either. It can take time to work as it slowly seeps into the drain.
  2. If you have a more severe blockage, such as a sewer drain pipe on the exterior of your home, chemical drain cleaners will not help. Very few chemical products or even a plunger will make an impact, and you are still releasing chemicals into the environment through the pipe.
  3. Chemical products, especially when used repeatedly, can damage or weaken the PVC pipes that are common in homes today. So, by trying to solve one problem, you can begin developing another, making the situation even more costly and inconvenient.

Instead of chemical products, Johnson Plumbing recommends using an auger to unclog the drain. An auger is a slender, flexible coiled (helix-shaped) metal wire that can be rotated by a machine and can easily be fed through standing water of a clogged sink to physically remove a blockage.

Augers are a quick solution and good for preventive maintenance for your home’s drainage pipes by removing the buildup of mould and bacteria, which can often lead to unpleasant smells in your home.

For more information on how an auger can help maintain and unclog your home’s drain pipes, plus a host of other plumbing services in Estevan, visit Johnson Plumbing and Heating’s website at johnsonplumbing.ca.