Why You Should Never Pour Grease Down Your Kitchen Drain

Once you’ve finished cooking bacon and other fatty meat, it is tempting to grab the pan and dump all of the excess oil down the drain. It seems like a pretty easy solution to help you complete kitchen clean up a little bit faster, doesn’t it? Unfortunately, what most people don’t know is that by doing this, you may cause damage to not only your drainage system but the whole neighborhood. 

Don’t let the fact that oil is liquid fool you into thinking it is safe to pour it down the drain. When oil mixes with other greases and acids, they stick together to form compounds. These may cause blocked drains and other drainage problems that plumbers will end up having to fix.

Still wondering why a seemingly innocent liquid shouldn’t go down the drain? Take a look at our reasons:

Oil won’t stay in liquid form forever

A common misconception with oil is that it won’t harm because it is liquid, and it’ll just flow down the drain. It’s easy to forget that when oil is cooled, it hardens and sticks to the walls of your drainage system.

Because oil and other food particles and waste are denser than water, they can accumulate on the walls of your pipe over time and disrupt the flow of water, leaving you with an obstructed drain! 

Oil won’t stay hot in the pipes

You may think it is safe to let your hot oil down the drain, thinking it won’t stick to any surface because of its heat. But remember—once oil touches a cooler surface, it starts to cool down on its journey to the sewer. While it’s traveling down your pipes, it also catches whatever waste is on its way, traps, and in time may accumulate and produce blockages. 

Since the oil is no longer hot and has combined with other compounds, it will begin to harden and wreak havoc in your pipelines. 

Waste goes back to nature

What many forget about the drainage system is that it goes back to nature. All water waste eventually meets up in your drainage system and ultimately travels back to our waterways. Pouring oil down the drain won’t only pollute our natural waters, but can also cause damage and disruption in marine wildlife and other animals that surround those bodies of water.

Dispose of your oil properly

The best thing you can do with your excess oil is to collect them in jars after using them. Some oil can be used again for cooking, while others can be collected and donated to companies that use recycled oil for energy. Gathering all your used oil and other dangerous liquids in a vessel to dispose of in the trash later would be one of the easiest ways to remove oil safely. You’ll also be helping the world as companies that collect recycled oil use this excess liquid to form biofuel for transportation!

Conclusion

Though it may be the easiest way to clean up your kitchen, dumping oil down the drain will leave you with a plumbing issue further on down the line. If you’re worried about how much damage the oil can cause to your drainage system, it is best to ask for assistance from a reputable plumbing service to prevent and treat your blocked drains. Have an empty jar at the ready while you’re cooking and use it to collect your oil.

Fantastic Plumbing is a reputable plumbing service in Byron Bay, New South Wales, AUS. We offer the highest level of customer service and produce quality results. We offer all your plumbing services including leak repairs, septic tank repairs, and blocked drains services. Check out our services and give us a call. We’d love to help you out with your drainage systems at home!