It seems harmless. You finish cooking bacon or browning ground beef, the grease is still liquid, and you pour it down the sink with some hot water. It disappears. Problem solved, right?
Not quite. That grease is still in your plumbing, and it’s one of the most common causes of a clogged pipe that plumbers see in kitchens across Baltimore, Westminster and Carroll County
What happens after grease goes down the drain
Fats, oils and grease (often shortened to FOG) behave very differently once they leave the pan.
- It cools. Within a few feet of the drain, the pipe is much cooler than the stove. Grease starts to thicken.
- It sticks. Thickened grease coats the inside walls of the pipe, especially at bends and in the P-trap.
- It collects. Food particles, coffee grounds and soap scum stick to the grease layer and build it up.
- It hardens. Over weeks and months, the layer becomes a waxy, solid mass that narrows the pipe until water can barely pass
Running hot water doesn’t fix this. It just moves the grease a little farther down the line before it cools and sticks there instead, often somewhere harder to reach.
The damage grease can cause
Clogged drains and pipes. The first sign is usually a slow kitchen sink. Left alone, it becomes a full blockage.
Sewage backups. When grease builds up in the main line, wastewater has nowhere to go. It can back up into the lowest drains in the house, often a basement floor drain or tub.
Septic system problems. For Carroll County homes on septic, grease floats to the top of the tank and adds to the scum layer. Too much can push grease into the drain field and shorten its life, which is an expensive repair.
Municipal sewer problems. Grease doesn’t stop at your property line. Utilities across the region, including Baltimore City, ask residents to keep grease out of drains because it contributes to blockages and overflows in the public sewer system.
“But I use dish soap” and other myths
Myth: Dish soap breaks it down. Soap can loosen grease briefly, but it doesn’t keep it from re-forming further down the pipe.
Myth: The garbage disposal handles it. A disposal grinds solids. It does nothing to grease, and grease can coat the disposal’s own parts.
Myth: Liquid oils are fine. Olive oil, canola oil and other cooking oils still coat pipes and trap debris. They’re part of the problem too.
How to get rid of grease the right way
- Let grease cool and solidify in the pan, then scrape it into the trash
- Pour larger amounts into an old can or jar, let it harden and toss it
- Wipe greasy pans and plates with a paper towel before washing
- Use a sink strainer to catch food scraps
- Check whether your county offers cooking oil recycling for larger quantities, like after frying a turkey
Signs grease is already building up
- Kitchen sink drains slower than it used to
- Gurgling sounds from the sink
- A sour or rancid smell from the drain
- Water backing up into the other side of a double sink
How a plumber clears grease clogs
A standard drain snake can poke a hole through a grease clog, but the rest of the buildup stays stuck to the pipe walls and the clog comes back. At Huzzah Plumbing, we often use hydro jetting for grease. High-pressure water scours the full diameter of the pipe and flushes the buildup out of the line.
We may also run a camera inspection first to see how far the buildup extends and check for pipe damage.
Grease clog help from a Baltimore and Westminster plumber
If your kitchen sink is slow or backing up, Huzzah Plumbing can help. We serve homeowners in Baltimore, Westminster, Eldersburg and throughout Carroll, Baltimore, Howard, Frederick and Anne Arundel counties, with licensed plumbers and up-front pricing.
Kitchen drain slowing down? Call Huzzah Plumbing at 443-343-2920.