Can I Pour Grease Down My Drain?
Grease is one of the main culprits our Mesa & Queen Creek plumbers come across when dealing with clogged sinks and even clogged sewage lines.
We get it you, you just fried up some perfectly crispy bacon and now need to clean up. The grease is liquid so you think – “hey, I’ll just pour this down the sink. No big deal, right? Wrong!
Animal fat (grease) can cause all sorts of problems within your home’s plumbing system.
What Happens When I Pour Grease In My Sink?
Most oils, including animal fat, butter, coconut oil, etc are in a solid-state until they reach a certain temperature. When you pour hot oil or grease into your sink, it’s still in a liquid state. Once that oil cools to room temperature or below, it solidifies. Once this happens, you have a semi-solid mess in your plumbing drainage pipes. Obviously, this can cause serious problems.
What About Liquid Oils
Many oils, like Olive and Canola, are in a permanent liquid state – so you may think they’re safe to pour down the drain. The problem with these oils is they are hydrophobic, meaning they do not mix with water. These oils end up coating your pipes and mixing with bits of food, debris, and anything else that goes down the drain. Over time this mixture creates a blockage in your home’s plumbing system.
Will Hot Water and Dish Soap Help?
We’ve heard it a million times – “Yes I pour oil down my drain, but I chase it with hot water and dish soap.”
There is no water hot enough or way for the degreasing capabilities of dish soap to completely clear the solidified grease. In fact, you may push the problem further down into your sewage system – creating a much costlier fix.
How Should I Get Rid of Cooking Oils
The East Valley plumbing team at Angry Pipe Solution recommends mason jars. Mason jars are cheap and a great place to pour your hot cooking oil. Once it solidifies you can wipe it out with a paper towel, or wait until the jar is full and dispose of the oil thing. If you’re a coffee drinker – the coffee tins are another great storage solution. Both of these are far better and much cheaper than pouring cooking grease into your home’s plumbing system.
My Pipes Are Clogged
If your pipes are already clogged or draining slower than they should be, give us a call 24/7. Our professional plumbers have the tools and experience to quickly clear your clogged drains and get you back to normal in no time.