Friends and family gather together with celebrations surrounded with love, laughter and delicious food. During this busy holiday season large amounts of food are prepared for guests and your plumbing system can easily get clogged. Here are some common mistakes to keep an eye out for to help prevent your kitchen drain from clogging:
Disposing of Grease, Fats and Oils
Watch out for Aunt Suzie helping you clean-up after a holiday feast because she may be doing more harm than good. Never pour animal fats, oils or grease down the sink because they will clog the pipes in your kitchen. Instead collect the holiday meal grease and fats from your roasted, fried and baked turkeys or other meats and dispose of them properly. The problem with disposing of them down your drain is that they will solidify and harden. Be sure that any friends or family are aware of this if they are helping out in the kitchen.
These substances are also harmful for the environment if dumped in your yard. For safe disposal it’s best to put the cooled oils into a plastic bag or container, place the container into the freezer and then throw it away in the trash after the greases have solidified. You can also save the oils and fats for cooking at a later date, which is the best option for the environment and your kitchen pipes. Avoid letting any amount of grease slip down the drain because it will stick to the pipes and cause build-up. Use a paper towel to wipe away the excess grease after cooled in the pan.
You can also find a local drop-off location to recycle the excess cooking fats into recycled soap, bio-fuel, cosmetics, stock feed and biodiesel through Brevard County Recyclopedia.
Garbage Disposal
Instead of filling up the garbage disposal with all of the excess food that went uneaten, slowly feed the food into the disposal to prevent clogging. Running cold water before and after using the garbage disposal will help the flow of food particles to properly break down. It helps to chop up large pieces of food before adding them into the garbage disposal. Avoid putting celery, asparagus, bones, artichokes and coffee grounds down the drain because they will easily jam up the blades. After you’re done cleaning up all of the dishes you can pour some vinegar down the drain to deodorize your disposal.
If something goes wrong over the holidays please don’t hesitate to contact us at Sun Plumbing. We are the finest plumbing company serving Melbourne, Palm Bay, and Viera, Florida since 1974. Let us help you tackle your clogged drains with honesty and quality workmanship.
