Why Pouring Grease Down the Drain is a Recipe for Disaster
We’ve all been there. You’ve just finished cooking up some delicious bacon or ground beef, and now you’re left with a pan full of hot, liquid grease. The temptation to just pour it down the kitchen sink is real—it seems like a quick and easy cleanup. But trust us, that moment of convenience can lead to a massive headache down the road.
Think about how that grease hardens into a thick, sticky mess in the pan once it cools. Now, imagine that same gunk building up inside your plumbing pipes. It’s a recipe for a serious clog.
“But I Use Hot Water!” – Why It Doesn’t Help
A common myth is that running hot tap water while pouring grease down the drain will wash it away safely. Unfortunately, that’s just not the case. The hot water from your tap isn’t nearly hot enough to keep the grease in a liquid state all the way through your plumbing system.
As it travels down the pipes and cools, the grease will solidify and stick to the inside of your drains. Doing it once or twice might not cause an immediate backup, but over time, this buildup will catch other debris and create a stubborn blockage that water can’t get through.
3 Telltale Signs of a Grease Clog Forming
If you’re worried you might already have a problem, here are a few signs that a clog is building up in your pipes:
- Slow Drains: Water in your sink takes longer and longer to drain away.
- Gurgling Noises: You hear strange bubbling or gurgling sounds coming from the drain after you’ve used the sink.
- Bad Smells: A foul, lingering odour is coming from your pipes, caused by the old, trapped grease and food particles.
These are early warnings. Ignoring them can lead to a complete backup that often requires professional drain cleaning services to fix.
The Right Way to Dispose of Grease
Properly disposing of cooking grease is simple and will save your pipes.
- Let it cool: Leave the grease in the pan to cool down and solidify completely.
- Scrape it Out: Once it’s hard, simply scrape the solid grease into your green bin or garbage.
- Wipe the Pan: Use a paper towel to wipe out any remaining greasy residue before washing the pan.
If you’ve been pouring grease down the drain and are starting to notice issues, don’t wait for a full-blown backup. The team of professional plumbers in Toronto at Drain Experts Plumbing is here to help with expert drain cleaning services to get your pipes flowing freely again.
