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Should I Use a Liquid Drain Cleaner or a Plumbing Snake?

Posted on May 17, 2022 by Melbourne Plumber

Drain clogs happen. They are a part of life. More times than not the culprit is a mix of soap and biological debris aka hair and skin cells. But this is not always the case.

There can be physical items blocking your drain as well. This is why it is important to know which type of method you should use to unclog your drain.

First thing’s first. How long has your clog exited? Did it happen suddenly? Or did it slowly build to this point? These questions will help you figure out what type of drain cleaning mechanism you should use.

If your blockage came on slowly and finally resulted in the current clog it is probably a good idea to try a liquid drain cleaner. These cleaners are specifically designed to eat away at organic material. This action will help free your pipe from blockage.

If the drain clog happened suddenly and with no warning, there may be a heavier blockage at work. You may want to jump right to the plumbing snake.

Of course it may help to start with something less abrasive and time-consuming. Try your toilet plunger on the drain while running super hot water. This may knock the blockage loose and you are all set. If this doesn’t work move on to the chemical drain cleaner or the snake.

If you are not comfortable operating these items then it is probably a good idea to call a professional plumber in your area. They can usually be out same-day and have your problem resolved in less than an hour.

Advantages of Calling  a Professional Plumber:

• They do the hard work
• It gets done quickly and efficiently
• The work is usually guaranteed

The only disadvantage of calling a professional is that you spend more money. But there is also the chance that you spend money and time on chemicals and a snake only to have to call the professional plumber anyway.