Common Home Plumbing Tips to Avoid – Grease and Your Drains

Many people have poured grease from pans into their kitchen sink drain only to find out later they set themselves up for a clogged drain. It is tempting to pour liquid grease down a drain, after all, isn’t that what drains are for? Actually no, drains are meant only for eliminating water and soap products.

So what does a cook do when they have a pot or pan containing grease? The best thing to do is simply set the pan aside and allow the grease to cool and harden. Once the grease has hardened, then the grease can be scraped from the pan directly into a garbage can. To finish up, take a paper towel and wipe down the insides of the pan or pot to remove as much grease as possible and then throw the paper towel into the garbage as well. It is important to make sure the grease is completely cool. Hot grease is still flammable and should never be put anywhere where it could start a fire. Sometimes the pot or pan might need to rest overnight in order for the grease to harden, but in order to avoid the common home plumbing issue of a clogged drain, waiting for the grease to harden is the best way to go.

But what if you did pour grease down your drain and now it is either clogged or the water is draining very slowly? If the water is running slowly, you can boil water in your microwave or on your stove top and pour the water down the drain. Very hot water can sometimes liquify the grease to the point where the water can flow again. If the water is not draining at all, you can try this trick. Remove all the standing water in your kitchen sink, by putting it in a bucket and flushing it down your toilet. Then take a generous amount of baking soda and pour it down the kitchen sink drain. Follow it with a liberal amount of apple cider vinegar. Allow the mixture to bubble for a bit and then pour a pan of hot water over the mixture. The chemical reaction between the baking soda and vinegar is sometimes enough to dispel the clogged grease. Of course, always be careful when working with boiling water.

If you still routinely have problems with a clogged kitchen drain, call a professional for help. For more information on how to properly use your plumbing system in order to minimize plumbing issues, please contact us.