One of the most common reasons why our residential customers call Pratt Plumbing is that all of a sudden, seemingly for no reason, their kitchen sinks back up and become clogged. There are few things as frustrating as a backed up sink full of rancid, rotting food particles. Following a routine maintenance tip can help you avoid this mess and prevent your drains from clogs.
Keep Fats, Oils, and Greases Out of Your Pipes
Never rinse things like bacon grease, cooking oils and the chicken fat that you skim off of your homemade chicken broth down your kitchen sink. Fats, oils and greases are not water soluble. Instead of flowing freely down your pipes and into the sewer or septic system, these materials build up in your pipes over time. Even if the grease that you rinse down the drain is hot and liquid, it will cool quickly once it comes in contact with water. When grease cools, it solidifies into a thick mass. Eventually, this will clog your pipes and cause your kitchen sink to back up.
To ensure the proper maintenance of your plumbing, dispose of fats, oils, and greases in your household garbage. If you slip up, forget this rule, and find yourself with a clog because you rinsed grease down your sink, do not try to remove the clog yourself with liquid drain cleaners. These can become trapped in your pipes and corrode them. The safest way to remove a clog is to snake the drain. If you aren’t comfortable performing this plumbing repair yourself, call us and we’ll clear out your drain safely.
Contact Our Pros
No one wants to have to deal with the inconvenience of a clogged drain. Proper maintenance and keeping grease out of your sink will prevent problems down the road. If you do experience a clog, call Pratt Plumbing at 806-373-7866 and we’ll get your sink back in business in no time.
