Flies: bleach down the drain okay?

People seem to be split whether to use bleach to clean, disinfect, etc. in a drain. Some plumbers swear by it, conversely, there are "four things you should never pour down the drain" and similar articles that exist.

We think the recent cluster of flies that hang out by a large kitchen window are coming from the kitchen drain. Unfortunately, they look like regular house flies (although they move a little slower), not pictures of Drain flies I've seen. When I plug the drain, there are very little to no flies.

Q: is it okay to pour 1 cup of bleach followed by hot water (or a water/bleach ratio) in the drain?
* we have a garbage disposal
* we do not use any ammonia products near the drain
* no septic tank

Will this harm the disposal? If it's okay to use, do I let it sit for sometime? I tried the vinegar/baking soda method a few times, but not sure if it's effective.

 

Welcome to the forums.

I moved your thread to the indoor pest control forum as fly control is the end result.
The regulars will respond on the bleach question and the bugman will address the fly issue.

I don't know the answer to your question about pouring bleach down the drain but I don't think it's the ideal product for pest control.

I do know a good way to determine if flies are coming from the drain is to cover it with clear cellophane tape. The flies will try to go towards light and will get stuck to the tape.

 

Drain flies look like moths not house flies.
Get Rid Of Drain Flies | Drain Fly Control Treatment
Bleach is not going to effect anything.
It's used everyday in washing machines everyday.

 

Thanks, I now realize there are many forums. Initially, I thought there were only those from the "Forums" drop down list at the very top of this page.

 

PJ and Joe pretty much summed it up. Isolate the drain to see if they really are coming from there. Typically only small flies such as joe linked to will come from drains. Anytime flies come from drains it is because of decaying organic matter. Any chemical used will only work for a while. The best idea is to clean the drain with water under pressure or the proper tools.

Can you take pics of the flies, close up so we can see details? In any case you should take them to the county extension agent for proper ID. Knowing what specie the fly is will lead us to where it is coming from. Then we can take positive action.

 

Thanks, I'll take a photo of flies. Even if flies are not coming from the drain, is it safe to pour a bleach into the garbage disposal? Again, there's no ammonia in or near the drain.

 

I found this on a disposer site......

Don’t use harsh chemicals like bleach or drain cleaners. They can damage blades and pipes. Borax is a natural sink cleaner and sanitizer that effectively works on odor-causing mold and mildew that accumulates in garbage disposals.

 

Bleach is harsh and I don’t know enough about plumbing and such to advise on it’s use in this situation.

Disposals oftentimes get a ring of “gunk” on the underside, near/at the top. Mechanical cleaning as described earlier is needed. Any chemical poured in there will simply go where the waste water goes which is obviously open and mostly clear. Dirty/slow drains generally require more work than simply pouring in a cleaner.

 

Bleach is harsh on pipes, but not diluted (think washing machine.) Not sure about garbage disposal though.

I just tried an enzyme based cleaner which is more for long term maintenance than any short term problem. It's the same stuff Roto Rooter and like try to cross sell you for $40, mine was $8 at Home Depot.