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No one wants sewage spewing from their clogged drains and onto their floor. No one wants their drains to smell or be filled with flies and roaches. In sum, no one wants drain problems. However, most of us aren’t sure how to prevent those problems.

One option to prevent drain issues is to use a drain maintenance chemical.These chemicals prevent clogs from forming and thus prevent the overflows, smells, and insects we all dread.

There are many different types of drain maintenance chemicals and knowing which one to use can be challenging. At State Chemical, we sell multiple drain maintainers containing various active ingredients. Every day, we help our clients choose between the different options available. This article outlines the factors our clients consider when deciding between different products.

Our clients rely on five factors to determine which preventative drain maintenance chemical to use:

• Whether the product can clear the item going down the drain,
• The length of time it takes for the product to be effective,
• Whether the product is environmentally friendly,
• Whether their city allows them to use emulsifiers, and
• The price of the product.

Factor One: Determine Which Preventative Drain Cleaner to Use by Whether the Product can Clear the Item going Down Your Drain

Many different items are put down drains and lead to clogs. These items include fats, oils, greases, sugars, diapers, wipes, and more. Most preventative drain maintenance products work to clear some items that have been put down the drain, but do not work with other items that are put down the drain. Thus, which product you should use depends on what waste goes down your drain.

For example, a hospital struggled with mop strings going down the drain in their operating rooms. When they cleaned the operating room, more mop strings would go down the floor drain. This led to “a stress ball of mop head strings” in their pipes. The pipes would then back up, spewing sewage all over the operating room floor.

The hospital first used a drain opener to clear the clog that had already formed. It then used preventative maintenance to prevent future mop head clogs. Since they knew what was going down their drains, they chose a strong product to break down the fibers contained in the mop strings. Some products work better with kitchen waste (including fats, oils, greases, and sugars), but do not work well on fiber. By knowing the cause of their drain problems, they could choose a specialized product for that problem.

Factor Two: Determine Which Preventative Drain Cleaner to Use Based on the time it takes to be Effective

Different preventative drain cleaning chemicals take different amounts of time to work. Some drain cleaners work overnight, while others require weeks or months to take effect. Thus, which product to use depends on how long you can wait for results.

For example, the hospital with the mop string problem mentioned above could not wait for results in their operating room. Each time their operating room drain overflowed, they had to clean it before they could resume using the operating room. They, therefore, needed a solution that worked quickly and chose a product that could clear the mop strings overnight. Having a closed operating room was not a possibility.

However, that same hospital chose a product that needed additional ramp-up time for their kitchen drains. They could afford to be more patient in clearing a kitchen drain, so they chose a product that took more time to be effective. They could focus on another one of their priorities –using environmentally friendly products. Based on their level of patience, they chose to use a product that had more of a ramp-up time, but was environmentally friendly, which is factor three on this list.

Factor Three: Determine Whether You Would Like an Environmentally Friendly Drain Cleaner

Many chemical drain providers offer environmentally friendly drain cleaners. An organization called Underwriters Laboratories (“UL Solutions”) provides an UL EcoLogo® certification for drain maintainers that have a reduced environmental impact and meet sustainability standards. If caring for the environment is one of your priorities, you can choose a product with an UL EcoLogo® certification. This is exactly what the hospital mentioned above did for the product going down their kitchen drain.

Factor Four: Determine Whether Your City Allows Emulsifiers

Some (but not all) preventative drain cleaners contain emulsifiers. Some cities did not allow residents to use emulsifiers. An emulsifier works by liquifying fats, oils, and greases in a drain. However, this liquification is only temporary – the fats, oils, and greases can re-solidify in the city sewer system, causing a clog in the city sewer. To prevent these clogs, some cities prohibit residents from using emulsifiers.

To determine if your local government allows emulsifiers, contact your city’s Department of Public Utilities.

Factor Five: Determine The Price of the Product

A significant factor in making a buying decision is always price. Different drain maintenance chemicals are offered at various price points. Therefore, which product you should choose depends on the amount of room in your budget.

In Sum: The Best Product For You Depends on Your Needs

The best product for you depends on your individual needs. Like the hospital mentioned above, you may even have different needs for different drains. In picking a preventative drain cleaner, consider what is going down your drains, the time it takes for the product to be effective, how environmentally friendly the product is, whether your city allows emulsifiers, and the product’s price.

Once you determine which factors are important to you in a preventative drain cleaning product, your next step is to determine which company you want to buy from. Just as in choosing a product, there are many factors to consider in selecting a drain cleaning and maintenance company.