Like human health, grease can be incredibly harmful to your drain pipes. You may have heard through the gape-vine that it’s ok to pour grease down your drain as long as it is diluted with hot water or dish soap. In reality, you should never be pouring grease down your sink - read on to find out why.
Why is grease so harmful to drains?
Grease solidifies once it cools off. Sure it’s hot and free flowing when you’re pouring it out of the pan but once it’s had a few minutes to settle, it will solidify in the pipes and act as a sticky magnet for gunk and debris. As time progresses, this blockage can clog the pipes or slow the drain. Beyond clogging your households’ drains, grease clogs can have an on-flow effect to local sewer systems and septic tanks. If you ever hear plumbers joking about ‘fatbergs,’ know this is exactly what they're referring to!
How to properly dispose of leftover cooking grease
The likes of bacon grease, lard, butter - any grease that solidifies at room temperature should not be entering your drains. Oddly enough, cooking oils (think olive, vegetable, canola oil) that are liquid at room temperature, should also never be poured down the drain. This also applies to oils you find in canned food such as tuna.
Grease – If the grease is still hot, simply pour it into a designated grease jar or can of your choosing - for instance, a mason jar is a suitable container. When the container fills up, simply scoop out the solid grease into the bin or even better, throw out the entire thing. When cooking, leave grease in the pan to solidify and then wipe it out with paper towels.
Cooking Oils – Similarly, allow the cooking oil to cool off before you attempt to dispose of it. If there is less than a cup of oil, just pour it into the bin with a few paper towels to absorb the moisture. This may not be viable if you’re dealing with large amounts of oil. If you need to dispose of more than a cup for instance, you can save plastic jugs with screw tops to collect used cooking oil in and throw the entire container away when it’s full.
I already poured grease down the drain, what do I do?
If you recently poured oil or greasy substances down your drain not knowing the potential consequences, it may be possible to get it out of your drain pipes.
Pour about 2L of boiling water down your drain to liquefy the grease in your pipes, while simultaneously running the hot water tap to flush the liquified fat. Pouring dish soap down the drain will also aid this process.
Although not a solution you should rely on or consistently do, this is a great clearing method for isolated incidents. It's important to know that it will not eradicate the problem entirely.
Call the experts at JAB Plumbing
If you’re a household of serial grease users and haven’t been disposing of it correctly, chances are you might be needing professional help to unclog your pipes!
Our team specialises in all kinds of drain clearing services and we would love to be of assistance to you! Book your appointment today at 1800 225 552
