With a pan full of leftover grease or cooking oil, you might be tempted to pour it down the drain and run the hot water. Since it is a liquid, you may reason that nothing could possibly go wrong. You might not know it, but pouring grease down the drain is one of the worst things you can do for your plumbing. It may seem harmless at the moment. However, over time, it can lead to major problems that are messy, expensive, and frustrating to fix. Find out why this habit can cause serious plumbing issues in your home and how you can take steps to prevent them.
Grease Can Cause Problems
When you pour grease down the drain, it may be hot and runny. However, it doesn’t stay that way. As it travels through your pipes and cools down, it will solidify. That greasy liquid turns thick and sticky, an it will harden into a sludge that clings to the inside of your plumbing.
Along with that, grease will collect other debris in your pipes. Food scraps, coffee grounds, and soap scum all become a part of this massive grease trap.
At first, you may not notice anything. As you keep pouring down grease, it builds another layer of sludge in your plumbing. Over time, your pipes become narrower until water struggles to flow. You might start to hear gurgling, and your drains will slow. Eventually, they may stop working. Now, you have real trouble in your home and will need to call a drain cleaning service.
When that happens, you have a clog that cannot be fixed with a plunger. You might need a plumber to snake the drain and jet the line. In serious scenarios, they may even have to cut into the pipe. This repair could cost hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Grease Affects Indoor and Outdoor Plumbing
Grease-related clogs can creep up on you. Your drain might seem slow, or the water might bubble a bit. Sometimes, your sink smells a little funky. These seem like small annoyances. However, they are all early warning signs of grease buildup behind the scenes.
If your home is connected to a municipal sewer system, the problem will not stop at your front door. When you pour grease down the drain, all that fat and oil collects in the sewer lines. Over time, it forms massive blockages known as fatbergs.
When they block up sewer lines, the waste has nowhere to go. That can lead to sewer overflows, environmental contamination, and even backups into homes and businesses nearby. Sometimes, raw sewage can push its way back up into your home through toilets, drains, and tubs. This is unsanitary and destructive. You can have damage to walls, floors, and personal belongings. As you can imagine, the repair bills can be astronomical.
Common Misconceptions About Grease and Plumbing
Many homeowners think that the garbage disposal will handle the grease. Unfortunately, that is not true. Garbage disposals are great for grinding up food particles, but they do nothing to stop grease from causing problems in the drains. They can make things worse. Since they break up food, those pieces can get stuck in the grease accumulation.
Pouring hot water down the drain is another misconception. When you do that, it might push the grease a little farther down the pipe. Unfortunately, it will not stop it from solidifying. This is not solving the problem. It is just causing a bigger blockage down the line and might even be harder to clear out.
What You Should Do in These Situations?
You want to make sure grease goes down the drain. Instead of pouring grease into the sink, you will want to let it cool. Then, you can empty it into a can, jar, or another container.
However, if you think you may already have an issue, you may want to reach out to a professional plumber. They can inspect your plumbing to see if grease is causing problems. Fortunately, they have the tools and skills to unclog your pipes and get the water flowing freely again.
Professional and Reliable Service
When you need a professional plumbing repair team in Palm Desert, CA, reach out to Righty Roo Plumbing & Air. We are here to help with your household’s plumbing needs, including unclogging any greasy buildups. Plus, we offer 24/7 emergency services for major plumbing problems. Contact us today to schedule an in-home appointment.
