You’ve probably heard the whispers by now (or the shouts!) that grease is not something you should ever pour down the drain. But do you know why?
The reality is that once grease goes down the drain, it doesn’t just disappear. It sticks around – literally – and causes serious plumbing problems down the track.
Grease is not good for drains
Pouring grease down the drain may seem like a good idea while it’s still hot and in liquid form, but what you might not realise is that as grease cools, it solidifies.
After a couple of minutes travelling down the drain, that hot grease will turn into a cooled, solidified and sticky trap that catches any passing debris.
Over time, the buildup of debris and solidified grease can create a blockage in the pipe and slow the sink from draining. An excess buildup of grease beyond your home’s pipes can even clog local sewer systems and septic tanks.
Because grease can wreak havoc in your pipes and local sewer system, we recommend that you never, ever pour it down the kitchen sink – or any other drain in your home.
Disposing of leftover cooking grease
Rather than pouring it down the drain – which may seem like the easy option in the moment, but ends up being far more work in the long run – be sure to dispose of your leftover cooking grease in a more pipe-friendly manner.
If the cooking grease is still hot, pour it into a jar or empty can and leave it to cool. Once the grease has solidified, you can either scoop it out into the rubbish or dispose of the whole jar.
Alternatively, you can give the grease time to cool while it’s still in the pan and once it has solidified, scoop it out with paper towels and dump it all in the rubbish.
What if I’ve already poured grease down the drain?
If the cooking grease has already disappeared down the drain (that’s okay, you know better for next time), you must take action quickly to try and prevent it from solidifying.
Run the tap on the hottest temperature while pouring boiling water from the kettle down the drain. The heat from both sources should help to liquefy the hardened grease and keep it moving through the pipes.
You can also squirt some dishwashing liquid down the drain which will work alongside the hot water to clear the leftover grease from the pipes.
For grease-clearing expertise, call in the experts
If you’ve been pouring grease down the drain for years, or if you think that solidified grease might be what’s causing your sink’s slow drainage, you may need to call in a professional plumber to unclog the pipes.
The friendly team at Plan B Plumbing are experts in drain-clearing and pipe-cleaning, and with our help, things will be moving along smoothly in no time.
