How many of us dispose of kitchen grease by flushing it down the drain with extremely hot water? Hot water flushing is a common way to deal with grease, fats, and oils. But it is also a bad idea. Why? Because grease in your pipes is a lot like plaque in your arteries. Both can lead to complications you really don’t want to deal with.
Such complications are what motivate companies like Beehive Plumbing to strongly recommend against putting grease down the drain. Beehive is a Utah HVAC and plumbing contractor serving Salt Lake, Utah, and Davis counties.
Beehive technicians are routinely called out to Utah residences to deal with drain pipes clogged by grease. It is not so much of an issue in commercial settings because state law mandates the use of grease traps.
The Problem With Grease
The problem with grease, fats, and oils is that they solidify as they cool. Simple observation reveals that truth. Just cook a package of bacon and leave the greasy frying pan on the stove for a couple of hours. Come back and you will see that the grease has solidified.
Turning grease into a liquid by mixing it with extremely hot water accomplishes the goal of getting it down the drain. But as soon as the mixture hits cooler pipes, it starts to cool as well. The grease eventually solidifies and coats interior pipe surfaces. Over time, repeatedly doing this gradually builds up a thick layer of grease that only inhibits waterflow.
Plaque in the arteries works the same way. As it flows through the arteries, some of it bonds to artery walls. Over many years, plaque buildup restricts blood flow. If the restriction is severe enough, a person could have a heart attack, stroke, or embolism.
Cleaning Out the Pipes
Once grease builds up in plumbing, it is especially difficult to remove. Liquid drain cleaners are pretty much useless. Compressed air might do the trick to get rid of balls of grease, but even it will be ineffective against a thick layer of grease all along pipe walls.
The only plausible way to get rid of years of grease buildup is with a rooting device. This is a long cable with a spiral head that gets fed into the pipes and rotated. The spiral head literally peels the grease off pipe walls and captures it so that it can be pulled out.
A homeowner could do much the same thing with a plumbing snake. But if grease has built up 50-60 feet down the line, a DIY plumbing snake probably isn’t going to work. Cleaning the pipes will require professional service.
It’s the Same With the Arteries
Ironically, plaque-ridden arteries need to be cleaned out much the same way. Doctors use a device that is eerily similar to a plumber’s rooting snake. It gently scrapes the interior walls of the arteries and pulls plaque out.
Allowing plaque to build up in the arteries could have deadly consequences. Fortunately, letting grease build up in the plumbing is not nearly as dangerous. It is not going to kill anyone, but it could cause serious plumbing issues that result in major repair bills.
Here is the bottom line: never put grease, fats, and oils down the drain. Let grease solidify. Then scrape it into the trash can and send it to a landfill where it will eventually become part of the soil. In the same way you want to protect your arteries from plaque, do your utmost to avoid grease buildup in your plumbing. You will be happier for doing so.
