Drains often get clogged no matter how careful are about what you wash down them. Of course when the problem is severe you may have to hire the services of professional drain cleaners, but less severe problems can be sorted out by using a Liquid Fire Drain Cleaner. Fire drains are even more susceptible to clogs and blocks because of their placements and the fact that leaves, twigs and other debris gets washed down these fire drains. Let us look at the way how these fire drain cleaners actually work.
Basic function of drain cleaner
A drain cleaner is used to clear clogs from a drain. Although we need to be careful with household chemicals, sometimes it becomes necessary to use them, like in the case when a drain is blocked and water has accumulated because of the block. The chemicals contained in the liquid cleaners, react with the debris that is blocking the drain and turns it into sludge by dissolving the debris. This sludge can be easily washed down the drain with a steady flow of water. There are three main types of liquid fire drain cleaner available in the market.
Caustic drain cleaners contain lye, bleach or potash of about 50% concentration. This caustic solution is particularly good at dissolving clogs that are caused by grease and hair. The chemical reaction caused by these cleaners causes the biological material to dissolve and loosens the clog. However, these caustic cleaners are not very effective with large clogs made up mainly of grease.
Function of acidic drain cleaner
Acidic drain cleaners contain 95% sulfuric acid and this acid is extremely corrosive and will be effective on most clogs. These cleaners can dissolve paper, sanitary napkins, cloth and grease and hair. Usually a Liquid Fire Drain Cleaner is used by professionals, but it is also available for the general public in spite of the dangers involved.
Function of enzymatic drain cleaner
These drains cleaners contain bacterial enzymes and cultures that are great at dissolving and digesting biological proteins. However, these drain cleaners are only effective with biological debris like grease, hair or food particles. The best part of these enzymatic cleaners is that they are the most environment friendly and also the safest when it comes to different types of drain cleaners. In spite of this they are not as fast or effective as the more hazardous caustic and acidic liquid fire drain cleaner.
All these cleaners work on dissolving the material clogging the drain and then help in pushing the remaining materials down the pipe and completely out of the plumbing system. The caustic and acidic cleaners also interact chemically with the clogging debris and hence a lot of heat is generated which melts the grease coating the drain pipes. This makes it even easier to push the clog down the drain pipe.
Tips and warnings
Chemical drain cleaners should be avoided for everyday preventive usage. Use these chemicals only when you have a clogged drain and you have used other methods to try and clear the clog, but these methods have failed. Follow all the safety precautions mentioned on the bottle or container and call for professional help if the cleaners do not work. You should also avoid using a chemical based liquid fire drain cleaner if you have a septic tank system. This is because the chemicals kill the beneficial microorganisms in the septic tank. However, some cleaners are not harmful for the septic tanks and this fact is mentioned on the bottle.
Safety measures
Always be careful while using chemical based drain cleaners. Always protect your hands and eyes with gloves and goggles while handling these cleaners. Also make sure to wear protective clothing with thick fabric in order to save yourself if you accidentally spill the cleaner. Never use a plunger once you have poured chemical based liquid fire drain cleaner down the drain. Using a plunger can cause the clogged water to erupt out and cause damage and injury. Never mix chemicals or pour down a second cleaner into the drain if one cleaner fails to clear the clog. This can cause a chemical reaction letting off toxic fumes or an eruption in the clogged drain
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