3 Ways Drain Cleaning Can Help Beyond Just Clearing Out Clogs
Having your drains professionally cleaned can do a lot more than just help your pipes drain faster. A good drain cleaning can help get rid of foul smells, reduce the noise your pipes make, and even help them last longer.
Get Rid of Bad Smells
Some of the things that build up inside your pipes and cause them to drain more slowly, such as gunk from soaps, body washes, and other products, can also start to smell pretty bad. This is typically because gunk promotes the growth of bacteria, which in turn can start to emit gases like hydrogen sulfide, which smells like rotten eggs. As a result, you may notice some nasty smells every time you get too close to your sink or when you start running water.
Occasionally the smell can come from the water itself, so it helps to be able to rule that out. If that's not the case, then the smell is likely coming from your drain pipes. A thorough cleaning will get rid of the gunk and bacteria and will drastically reduce, if not completely eliminate, the foul smell.
When your plumber visits to clean your drains for you, ask what kind of upkeep might be necessary to keep these odors at bay. Using chemical cleaners can harm your pipes, but your plumber may suggest other methods that can help keep these bad smells away.
Reduce Pipe Noises
Pipes make noise for all sorts of reasons. Rattling sounds often come from pipes that aren't properly secure, and whining or shrieking sounds can come from pipes where water pressure is too high. Older pipes that have a buildup of gunk on the inside are effectively smaller than they were when they were new, which can cause them to start making noise when water runs through them.
Getting rid of this buildup can reduce strain and pressure on your pipes. It's a good idea to have noisy pipes inspected regardless to see if there's another factor at play, such as being improperly secured, but a thorough cleaning can alleviate many sound-related issues, which makes it worth exploring.
Help Pipes Last Longer
Some gunk that builds up on the inside of pipes can be mostly harmless apart from the odors they cause, but other types of buildup, like sediment or scale from hard water, can be more harmful. This can be corrosive, especially to materials like cast iron. As time goes on and scale builds up, the corrosion can get worse.
Because it's corrosive, scale buildup should never be cleared away with chemical cleaners; this can further weaken already damaged pipes. Instead, plumbers can use their own tools to descale your pipes to attempt to remove much of this buildup. This may not completely fix the problem, but it can help your pipes last that much longer by reducing the effects of corrosion from hard water.
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