Reasons Why You Should Never Pour Grease Down The Drain
Apart from being detrimental for your health, grease is likewise bad for the drainpipes as well. You might have heard that it will be okay in case grease is poured down the drain so long as it is done with dish soap or hot water. According to some individuals, a blockage will not be caused in case liquid cooking oils are poured down the drain.
However, in reality, grease should never be poured down the drain. In the following paragraphs, we will take a look at the harmful effects caused by oil on the drain of your residence. We will likewise mention some alternative methods for getting rid of all these materials.
What can happen once grease is poured down the drain?
Being fluid, it is quite simple to pour grease down the drain. Nevertheless, it is going to solidify when the temperature of the grease becomes low, and this will form a clog which you’ll find quite tough to remove. Although you might be unaware of the issue, a time will arrive when the accumulation of grease in the pipes can result in a blockage as well as other plumbing issues.
The problem will become worse in case the grease does not stick to the pipes and instead, flows right into the sewers. This is where oil from all the restaurants and households in your area is going to combine. These formations of grease will break down over time to form glycerol and fatty acids.
The fatty acids are going to form fatbergs (which are actually compounds resembling soaps) after binding with calcium within the sewers. When there is an increase in the sewer level, the fatbergs are going to cling to the ceilings of the sewer where they will be increasing in size, thus blocking the whole sewer pipe in the long run.
A fatberg will be able to grow to a size which will be limited by the sewer’s size only. In the year 2019, a fatberg having a dimension of 210 feet ended up blocking a drain in Sidmouth, Britain. As a matter of fact, in excess of 8 weeks was taken by the sewer team for dissecting this huge mass of fat.
How to dispose of grease correctly
It is possible for oil, grease, and fat to form a clog within pipes even though the oil is fluid at the normal room temperature. However, in case it is not possible for you to pour the stuff down the drain, how will you be able to dispose of used olive oil, lard, or bacon grease?
Cooking oil
After making use of coconut, olive, sunflower, or avocado oil for cooking, wait until the oil has cooled down. Following this, soak up this oil using paper towels prior to washing the pan. The paper towels must be thrown in the trash can. However, disposal with paper towels can prove to be quite costly and wasteful in case you have used plenty of oil.
Instead, the oil has to be poured into a glass container with a lid for reuse in the future. In case you do not have any intention of using the oil once again, it has to be poured into a disposable container having a screw top (for instance, a soda bottle). Throw the container away once it becomes full.
Grease
Wait till the grease within the pan solidifies after cooling down. Following this, get rid of the grease from the pan with the help of a spatula and it should be thrown in the trash. Make use of a paper towel for soaking up any leftover fat or oil within the pan.
In case a substantial amount of grease has to be disposed of, make it a point to pour the grease into a container while it is hot and liquid as well. Once the container becomes full, it can be either emptied into the trash or the container can be thrown away. On most occasions, restaurants usually have a selected container for oil.
What will happen in case grease is already poured down the drain?
The majority of the individuals are not aware of the issues that can be caused by grease within a drain system. In case you have poured oil unknowingly down the drain, it might be feasible to get the oil out of the drainpipes into the sewer system.
Boiling water has to be poured down the drain for liquefying the grease within the pipes. While you are pouring boiling water down the drain, the hot water tap has run for flushing the liquefied fat. It is a fact that the emulsification of water and oil is allowed by the surfactant molecules, and for this reason, dish soap has to be poured down the drain as well as along with the boiling water.
Although dish soap and hot water might assist in getting rid of the grease from the pipes, it is nevertheless going to accumulate within the sewer system. Moreover, it might not be able to eliminate the problem entirely.
Communal effort
It is a fact that it is possible for raw sewage to spurt from all the manholes within the locality in case a water authority is not able to deal with a fatberg successfully. For preventing this situation, it is imperative for the restaurant owners and the homeowners to work together for preventing the accumulation of grease within the sewer system. Even though your own drain might not be blocked by grease, it is your responsibility to help in preventing sewer issues in your locality.
What has to be done for avoiding clogged drains?
In case you have ended up making some grease by frying bacon, you should allow it to become solidified within the pan or it should be poured into a jar for solidifying there. The grease can be then wiped up using a paper towel. One delicious way for reusing bacon grease will be to fry an egg by making use of bacon grease.
Take the help of professional drain cleaners
Professional assistance might be required in case you are pouring grease down the drain for quite some time. This grease is going to hold on to the debris which is blocking the pipes and needs professional cleaning. For this, you need to come in touch with the best Arlington plumbing services for unclogging the drains and cleaning the pipes. Our plumbers are quite experienced and technically equipped given that they have rendered their services for a significant amount of time successfully. Therefore, do not give any second thoughts and call them today.