With the holidays at our doorstep, there will be a lot of increased traffic in the kitchen. There will be a lot of cooking which means a lot of grease. If there is one thing to remember in your kitchen this holiday season, it’s DO NOT POUR GREASE DOWN YOUR KITCHEN SINK.
Why can’t you pour grease down your sink, you ask?
Well to begin, this does not just apply to grease, but oil too – keep in mind, oils can hurt your plumbing system too. Some oils solidify just as grease does. Don’t take your chances!
Grease & oils can solidify inside your pipes. If you ever cook fatty food, such as bacon, in a pan and let the grease cool, you will see how it coagulates and turns into a solid. This very same thing will happen inside your pipes and can cause a clog. According to Business Insider, “these fat and oil buildups caused about 47% of roughly 36,000 sewer overflows that happen annually in the US”.
Pouring grease down your sink is just the beginning of this treacherous journey. Grease and oils make their way down your pipes and into the sewers, where they combine with other wastewater in the area. When your grease and oils meet up with everyone else’s, they break down into fatty acids and glycerol. A soapy compound is then created and sticks to the tops of the sewer pipes. The soapy globs are referred to as “fatbergs”.
These fatbergs can become the size of buses! They block the sewer lines causing dangerous and awful backups. Although your pipes may be okay, a bigger problem is caused that you may have to face further down the line. Clogged city lines can lead to nasty sewage water backing up into your home. This kind of backup can bring bacteria and disease into your home, along with an unpleasant smell and irritating repairs.
What you can do is pour your grease and oils into non-recyclable containers and toss them out in your trash or dumpster. You can also let them solidify in the pan or pot you cooked in and then toss them straight into your trash from there.
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