Tips to Keep Grease Out of Your Drains

Fats and grease are a hazard to plumbing, especially congealing fats like butter, animal fat and shortening. Once it goes down your drains in liquid form, it can begin to congeal in the cooler pipes below, coating the inside and collecting debris to form a clog. While it may be easy to pour grease down the drain, it can be expensive to undo the damage to your plumbing. Here are a few tips to keep grease out of your drains and prevent nasty, expensive grease clogs.

Make a Grease Can

Having a metal container that you can pour grease into after cooking is a good start. However, you want to make sure it is made from hefty metal and has a cover. Open cans of grease can attract pests, which no one wants. Make sure to empty the can into the garbage as soon as the grease cools and congeals.

Wipe Plates and Pans Before Rinsing

Even if you pour out the grease out of pans or eat the food on the plate, there is often still fat left on your dishes. Don’t rinse these items in the sink or stick them in the dishwasher without first wiping them with a paper towel. This will collect any leftover fats and keep grease out of your drains.

Use a Grease Trap

To catch accidental grease that is put down the drain, a grease traps can be used. These need to be cleaned and emptied periodically.

If a grease clog does occur, call your plumber for effective drain cleaning.  They can remove the clog and flush the pipe to ensure all grease is removed to prevent future problems.

Posted on behalf of:
Metro Septic LLC
1210 N Tennessee St
Cartersville, GA 30120
(404) 973-2471

Thanksgiving Weekend Was a Busy Time for Plumbers

Did you know that the day after Thanksgiving is one of the busiest days of the year for plumbers? In homes all across the country, “Black Friday” took on a new meaning as drains became backed up and toilets overflowed, ending up a call to a local plumber to come fix the problem. It is no mystery why this happens every year. The plumbing fixtures can only take so much food and waste before they become clogged and cause a holiday mess.

Avoiding Holiday Plumbing Problems

What is true during the rest of the year is even more important during big holiday meals and gatherings: watch what you put down the drain! Potato peelings, gravy, turkey drippings and a host of other holiday foods are common culprits which clog many homes after the Thanksgiving meal. With more holidays on the way, now is a good time to review what should not go down your kitchen sink.

  • Peelings and tough vegetables. Even with a garbage disposal, peeling and other parts of many vegetables are too fibrous to put down the drain. Throw away or compost peelings, along with leftover vegetables, to avoid clogs.
  • Grease and fat. Do not rinse the turkey or gravy pan in the sink. The grease from these will congeal in the pipes, collecting debris until they form a clog. Scrape out pans into the garbage before rinsing.
  • Leftovers. Get in the habit of scraping and wiping off all plates into the garbage or compost container before washing them. Even a little bit of food on each plate can add up to a bunch of debris going down the drain when you have several guests.

Just remember that your plumbing can and will get clogged if too much food goes down the drain. However, even the most careful holiday host can still end up with a clogged sink after a big holiday meal. Make sure to have your favorite plumber on speed dial, just in case!

Posted on behalf of:
Bynum & Sons Plumbing, Inc.
2120 McDaniels Bridge Rd SW
Lilburn, GA 30047
(770) 736-8283

How To Open A Clogged Sink Drain With A Plunger

When your drains either partially or fully clog, your first course of action is to employ your bathroom plunger. You can tackle this chore if a clog isn’t severe, or your local plumber can be scheduled to do it for you.

Your best friend in regards to clogged drains is an old-fashioned bathroom plunger. A bathroom plunger works by using water pressure to dislodge whatever debris is clogging your drains causing a water to back up, unsanitary conditions and general bathroom frustration. To enhance the power of your bathroom plunger, it is helpful to create as tight of a seal as possible between your drain and the plunger itself. Applying a thick coating of petroleum jelly to the bottom lip of your plunger is a great way to accomplish this. Now you can place the plunger over your clogged drain and pour some water around the head of the plunger. This will further seal the plunger for maximum pressure.

Depending on the extent of your clog, you may need to work the plunger in an up and down motion for a several minutes. Modern plumbing is strong enough to withstand the pressure of this method, but with older pipes you may cause damage by plunging too enthusiastically. Contact your local plumber if the clog does not break free after your initial attempts with your bathroom plunger. This quick-fix can become a big mess, not to mention an expensive one, if your efforts contribute to pipe breakage. While a plunger may be the solution for a minor clog, any blockage that can’t be easily cleared is grounds for contacting a licensed professional.

Posted on behalf of Kiddco Plumbing

Avoiding Clogged Drains

A clogged sink drain is at best an inconvenience and can also cost you plenty in time and effort not to mention the cost of having a plumber come out and clear the clogged drain.  Almost every home gets a drain clog at some point in time, but you can save yourself some money and aggravation by adopting habits that keep clogged drains to a minimum.

Clogged drains are the result of an accumulation of debris including soap, hair, grease, oil, chemicals, toothpaste, food particles, and anything else you flush down the drain.  Start by limiting the amount of these materials that go down the drain.  Install screens on bathroom sink, tub and shower drains to catch hair and large soap particles.

In the kitchen, don’t pour grease or oil down the drain.  Save grease and oil in a jar and dispose of it in the trash.  When washing dishes, scrape off the food particles into the trash rather than flush them down the drain.  Use plenty of hot, soapy water and after letting the dishwater out of the sink, flush it down the drain by running the hot water.

Once a week, fill your sinks and tubs up with hot water, then open the drain. The weight of the hot water will help flush out any foreign material in the drain line.  If you have a walk in shower, use a common household plunger to cover the drain and fill the floor pan with hot water.  Remove the plunger and let the how water flow through the drain.

In the event of a clogged drain, try clearing it using a household plunger.  If that doesn’t clear the clog, call a plumber.  Never use chemical drain cleaners or clog removers.  They can do harm to your pipes and are dangerous to handle.

Leave Clogged Drain Repairs To The Pros

Clogged drains are one of those things that most handy homeowners try to tackle themselves, but in most cases you are really better off letting a professional plumber handle it.  Sometimes a homeowner can successfully clear a clogged drain, but if efforts are unsuccessful, they often end up damaging their pipes or making the problem worse.  In addition, most of the time a clogged drain is just that –  a clog that only affects a single drain.  However, sometimes a clogged drain is a sign of a much bigger problem and an experienced plumber has the training and skill to recognize these problems.

Some clogged drains can be cleared by the homeowner.  If your stopper has collected too much hair or if the clog is in the trap, many homeowners can safely remove these clogs and get their drains flowing freely.  In addition, some clogs will respond to gentle pressure from a plunger.

However, when homeowners start using plumbing snakes, drain cleaning chemicals and the like, the problem can go from bad to worse.  Drain cleaning chemicals sound great – just pour it in the sink or drain and let it do it’s magic to dissolve the clog.  Unfortunately, these caustic chemicals can do just as much damage to your plumbing as they do to the clog.  In addition, they usually don’t work and you end up with clogged sink full of dangerous chemicals.

Plumbing snakes are another home remedy that looks like a great idea, but rarely works out that way.  Homeowner grade plumbing snakes are only useful for light clogs very close to the drain.  Even when the work, they often only knock a hole in the clog and leave most of it behind.  The sink drains today, but the clog will be back soon.  In addition, plumbing snakes can damage pipes or get stuck in the pipe causing even more problems.

For all but the simplest clogged drains, you are better off calling a plumber who can quickly and safely clear the clogged drain.  Also, your plumber will be able to tell if the clog is a symptom of a more serious problem like a collapsed sewer line or a backed up septic system.