Keeping Grease Out of Drains

Why it matters

Hot fat from a frying pan seems harmless when it flows away with hot water. Once it cools inside the pipe, it clings to the walls and catches food scraps and soap. Layer upon layer, it narrows the drain until the sink stops draining entirely. Further down, grease from many households joins in the city sewers, forming the large masses that municipalities spend real money removing. Region of York and local municipalities regularly ask households to keep cooking fat and oil out of the sewer for this reason.

Step by step

1. Let it cool. After cooking, leave grease in the pan until it is warm, not hot.
2. Pour it into a container. An old jar or tin works; when it is full and solid, put it in the garbage or, where your municipality allows, in the green bin.
3. Wipe first, wash second. One paper towel takes off most of the remaining film before the pan reaches the sink.
4. Use a strainer. A basket strainer in the sink catches rice, coffee grounds and vegetable peels.
5. Run the garburator properly. If you have one, run cold water during and after use, and keep fibrous peels and grease out of it.
6. Flush monthly with hot water. A kettle of hot water down the drain helps move light residue; it will not clear a real clog.

Common mistakes

• Believing that dish soap or hot water will carry grease safely to the sewer.
• Pouring cooking oil from deep frying down the sink in small amounts over time.
• Feeding potato peels, celery or onion skins into a garburator.
• Reaching for chemical drain cleaners at the first sign of slowing; they damage pipes and rarely solve grease build-up.
• Rinsing roasting pans with heavy fat directly into the sink after big family dinners.

Time to ring us

Ring us when the kitchen sink stays sluggish even after the trap has been cleaned, if water backs up into the other sink basin or the dishwasher, or if the clog returns soon after you clear it. A recurring blockage usually means grease has built up farther down the line, beyond what a plunger can reach. Our guide to chemical drain cleaners explains why caustic products are a poor fix, and if a camera finds the problem is roots in the main line rather than grease, read about tree roots in sewer lines. In older homes where drain piping is corroded and narrow, repiping may be the longer-term answer.

Big family meals

Holiday cooking and large gatherings are when kitchen drains suffer most. Before a big meal, set out a container for fat and a bin for scraps, and remind helpers not to rinse greasy pans straight into the sink. It is a small thing that saves the evening from ending with a call to a plumber.