The holidays are coming and that means your pipes are at risk for grease clogs. Nothing can ruin preparing for a holiday meal like suddenly discovering your kitchen sink will not drain any more. During the festivities, each home is at a bigger risk of developing plumbing problems since dishes are coming in and out of the kitchen at record speeds, and the sinks slowly but surely fill and clog up. The second you see a clog developing, you should call in help to sort it out before it starts flooding the rooms, and Fixed Today Plumbing is considered as one of the most reliable services to help you resolve your pipe problems. It is better to call a specialist to fix the issue instead of trying to do it on your own since this usually leads to making the problem worse! So, what causes grease clogs in your drains?
1) Dumping Grease Down The Drain – The number one culprit when it comes to grease clogs is pouring grease down the drain, and that is why grease clogs are so common during the holiday season. Turkey, ham, lamb, roast beef, and all those other savoury roast meats you prepare for big holiday meals produce a lot of grease. Of course, it is not just during the holidays. Any time you fry eggs, bacon, or just when you are cooking an everyday dinner, grease can wind up going down the drain. To prevent grease clogs, use the garbage instead.
2) Other Food Particles – Grease is not water soluble, which means once it gets caught, water will not wash it away. Dumping other food particles down the drain can add to a grease clog and help it get bigger. Some of the worst culprits are rice, pasta, and bread, as these carbs will expand once they are caught down the drain. Another thing that can make a grease clog worse is coffee grinds; make sure they go in the garbage or the compost.
3) Hair – It is not just the kitchen sink that can develop a grease drain. You do not have to be pouring turkey grease down the bathtub to wind up with a nasty drain — a combination of hair and soap can also cause a nasty clog that is tough to dislodge. Try to wipe any loose hairs caught in the sink or the bathtub away before they go down the drain and pull out any tangles that caught near the top.
4) Soap – Many soaps are fat-based, and once they combine with a tangle of hair somewhere down your pipes, you can be looking at a blockage that is just as bad as any kitchen sink nightmare. When the soap coagulates, usually around a knot of hair, your drains can back up and water refuses to go down.
What do you with a grease clog once you have one? With a grease clog, there is only so much a plunger will be able to do, even if you use hot or boiling water. Once you have ruled out the easy options, try these.
1) Use A Drain Cleaner – Check to make sure that the drain cleaner you are buying is right for a grease clog. Of course, there are many reasons your pipes could be clogged, and unless you go down there to find out, you just might not know.
2) Snake The Drain – A drain snake is an extendable metal pipe cleaner that will work its way down twisting pipes. You can push through a grease clog, but there will still be plenty of residue to help it reform.
3) Call A Professional Plumber – Calling in a professional plumber is the safest and fastest way to fix a stubborn drain clog. Before the holidays, make sure you have a local plumber you can call in a crisis, even on holidays. Professional plumbers have the tools and know-how to fix your drains without damaging your plumbing. Damaged pipes are a common side effect of DIY plumbing gone wrong.
This holiday season think twice before you pour your turkey grease down the drain. It just might lead to a call to the plumber.
