We hope you all have a had a great week! We are back again with a new blog post. This week we are covering “Why you should NEVER pour grease down the drain!”
I realize how easy it is to just take all the fats , grease, oils and just pour them right down the sink. It’s clean, quick and simple. What if I told you , even if there is a way to pour grease down your drain line that you are probably doing it wrong. Read on to find out more.
1.) HOT Water! ~ Most people who pour grease down the drain , start by doing so by running the hot water tap until its steaming hot. THIS IS WRONG!!! By using hot water you allow the fats to become liquified. That starts off ok but as the water travels down the drain line it cools and so do the grease and oils. When they cool to the piping it allows other food particles and new grease to accumulate on the piping more quickly. This can result in a clogged drain, waste or vent line.
2.) Bacterial Enzymes ~ Even though we as a society have waged a war on bacteria labeling them as bad, we need them to survive and the same is true for your plumbing system. There are natural occurring bacteria in the drain system that break down organics such as food, oils, fats, skin cells and hair. As we use cleaners we upset natures balance effectively wiping out bacterial colonies that help keep your drain lines clean. We recommend a monthly regiment of bacterial enzymes to help restore the balance.
3.) Reuse of fats ~ Did you know most fats can be cooled and stored in your refrigerator for up to 3 months? Think about how many eggs you could cook with bacon fat instead of butter or margarine. In many recipes you can easily substitute butter with bacon or beef fats. Its the best for your plumbing and Enviroment.
4.) Water quantity ~ When fats and grease coat you drain lines the generally accumulate far down the drain line after they have cooled. The pipe from your kitchen sink is 1.5” to 2” in diameter and usually 20- 30’ in total length before it meets the main building sewer. Its takes a lot of water to wash particles from the sink to the main drain. If you just poured grease down the drain , or ran the disposal you should keep the water running a minimum of 2 minutes to flush the line out.
5.) COLD water ~ I’m not advocating this , but if you are going to still pour grease down the line at least do it the right way. Cold water presents the least harm to your plumbing system. By running cold water all fats and greases cool to a solid instead of a liquid. Also grease and fats weigh less than water so the they float on top of the water preventing them from sticking to piping. Continue to run cold water to the minimum 2 min mark and that will give you the best shot at preventing problems.
6.) Drano is a NO-NO ~ One more thing, Drano and other brand caustic pipe cleaners are about the worst thing you can use for a clogged or slow drain. Sure sometimes they work , sorta like winning the plumbing powerball lotto, but they can be ineffective at best and harmful to you at worst. Retail versions of drain cleaners are often watered down to protect the consumer from hurting themselves. Let’s say your drain is slow and you buy a drain cleaner, if water can drain so will the drain cleaner and it won’t help very much. Now let’s say the line is clogged and you’ve got water in your sink, you add your drain cleaner and further water it down rendering it useless. Also plumbers usually charge extra if drain cleaner is present because it’s harmful for us and our cleaning equipment.
Remember , if your slow or clogged drains are becoming too much to handle you can always reach our to the professionals of The Plumbing Express!
540-222-1498
